In our text today, the Prophet Ezekiel is called by the Lord to give a prophetic calling to the nation, Israel. The Lord even tells him that “you must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen.” Let’s take a moment to read the vision that Ezekiel receives from the Lord.

9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. Ezekiel 2:9–3:3 (ESV)

I have wondered about the last verse. Why is this scroll sweet as honey to Ezekiel? I assumed it would be bitter to him since it is a scroll containing laments, mournings, and woes. In thinking about this verse I recalled how my wife loves eating dark chocolate with 80 to 90 percent cocoa solids. When I first tried it, I spit it out of my mouth thinking it was too bitter. The problem was that I expected it to taste sweet rather than tasting it for the rich cocoa flavor. Once I realized what should be tasting I found that the bitterness did not bother me anymore.

I think the same is true about God’s Word. When we read the Bible we are offended at the language in some of the passages because it does not line up with our preconceived notions. We read it to verify our own thinking or understanding of the world instead of reading it with an open mind and a teachable spirit. I think many times we think God is the one who needs to change to fit with the current times but maybe we need to change. What if we were to read a passage with the idea of what needs to change in my life today? Instead of being angry with God or the world maybe there is one thing that you can change. Instead of waiting for someone to make a difference, you could be the difference in someone’s life.

Pastor Aaron Kruse