Sweet as Honey

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Scripture
 
Ezek. 3:1   He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.

Observation

This interesting passage has one wondering about the intent of the message. Could it be that the prophet is offered the word of God? Take this — the Scriptures and appropriate God’s truth. Once it becomes a part of who the prophet is — then he can go and speak to the house of Israel. He must personally devour the word before he is able to use it for the Kingdom’s sake. Once he understands this he voraciously devours the word until he is filled. In devouring the word he discovers that it is not only satisfying, but sweet as honey, as a beautiful dessert at the end of a delicious meal.

Application

Jesus’ time of fasting took him to the wilderness where he discovered the strength to be found in the word of God. This was much more than human bread, for it was entirely satisfying, meeting every need, both now and for all eternity.

We need to know the Scriptures. Throughout the Bible we are exposed to God’s story and we recognize that our heavenly Father is reaching out to us in holy love, wanting to draw us into continual fellowship within God’s holy presence. The word also provides us with guidance for every facet of our lives. Wayne Cordiero refers to the word as the “The Divine Mentor.” This is because God’s character is revealed to us through the stories found in the word. There are individuals within the Scriptures who serve as good and bad examples who can help to bring guidance to our lives.

The more that we get to know the Scriptures, the more they will become sweet as honey in our mouths. The result is we will discover how satisfying and fulfilling it is to live by the word of God. Some of the pitfalls of life will be avoided because of the guidance we find in the word of God, and that is sweet! Nourished by the word we become well-equipped to serve in God's mission.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the blessing of your written word. Amen.


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