Ezekiel 3:1 Study Bible: He said to me, "Son of man, eat that which you find. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."

◄ Ezekiel 3:1 ►

"Son of man," He said to me, "eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel."

Son of man,
This title, used frequently in Ezekiel, emphasizes the prophet's humanity and mortality in contrast to God's divinity. It is a reminder of Ezekiel's role as a representative of humanity. The term "Son of Man" is also significant in the New Testament, where it is used by Jesus to refer to Himself, highlighting His role as the representative and redeemer of humanity.

He said to me,
The speaker is God, who directly communicates with Ezekiel. This divine communication underscores the authority and authenticity of the message Ezekiel is to deliver. It reflects the prophetic tradition where God speaks to His chosen messengers, as seen with other prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah.

eat what you find here.
This command symbolizes the internalization of God's message. Eating the scroll represents taking in God's words fully, making them a part of oneself. This act is similar to the experience of John in Revelation 10:9-10, where he is also instructed to eat a scroll, signifying the acceptance and proclamation of God's message.

Eat this scroll,
The scroll contains God's words, likely filled with lamentation and warning for Israel. The act of eating signifies the prophet's acceptance and understanding of the message. In ancient Near Eastern culture, scrolls were the primary medium for recording important texts, emphasizing the significance of the message Ezekiel is to deliver.

then go and speak to the house of Israel.
Ezekiel's mission is to deliver God's message to the Israelites, who are in exile in Babylon. This reflects the historical context of the Babylonian Exile, a period of great turmoil and reflection for the Jewish people. The phrase underscores the prophetic duty to convey God's words to His people, regardless of their receptiveness, as seen in the ministries of other prophets like Jeremiah.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Ezekiel
A prophet and priest during the Babylonian exile, called by God to deliver His messages to the Israelites.

2. God
The divine speaker who commands Ezekiel to eat the scroll, symbolizing the internalization of His words.

3. Scroll
Represents the word of God, containing messages of lamentation, mourning, and woe (as described in the previous chapter).

4. House of Israel
The intended audience of Ezekiel's prophetic messages, representing the people of Israel in exile.

5. Babylonian Exile
The historical context in which Ezekiel prophesied, a period of great trial and reflection for the Israelites.

Teaching Points

Internalization of God's Word
Just as Ezekiel was commanded to eat the scroll, believers are called to internalize Scripture, allowing it to transform their hearts and minds.

Obedience to God's Call
Ezekiel's willingness to consume the scroll and speak to Israel demonstrates the importance of obedience in fulfilling God's mission for our lives.

The Bittersweet Nature of God's Message
God's word can be both comforting and convicting, offering hope and warning. Believers must be prepared to embrace and share the full counsel of God.

Preparation for Ministry
Before speaking to others, one must first be nourished by God's word, ensuring that their message is rooted in divine truth.

Faithfulness in Difficult Circumstances
Ezekiel's mission to a rebellious people reminds us of the need for perseverance and faithfulness, even when faced with resistance or indifference.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the act of eating the scroll symbolize the relationship between a prophet and God's word?

2. In what ways can we "eat" or internalize God's word in our daily lives?

3. How does the context of the Babylonian exile influence the urgency and content of Ezekiel's message?

4. What parallels can you draw between Ezekiel's experience and the apostle John's in Revelation 10:9-10?

5. How can we remain faithful in delivering God's message, even when it is met with resistance or rejection?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Revelation 10:9-10
John is also instructed to eat a scroll, which is sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach, symbolizing the dual nature of God's message.

Jeremiah 15:16
Jeremiah speaks of finding God's words and consuming them, highlighting the joy and sustenance found in God's word.

Psalm 119:103
The psalmist describes God's words as sweet to the taste, emphasizing the desirability and delight of divine instruction.

Sermons

Experience of the Truth	Christian Commonwealth	Ezekiel 3:1-3
Realisation of the Truth		Ezekiel 3:1-3
The Mystic Mind	E. Monro.	Ezekiel 3:1-3

People

Ezekiel

Places

Chebar, Tel-abib

Topics

Eat, Findest, Moreover, Offered, Roll, Scroll, Speak

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Ezekiel 3:1

     1690   word of God
     2233   Son of Man
     7758   preachers, call

Ezekiel 3:1-3

     4438   eating
     5548   speech, divine
     8236   doctrine, purpose

Ezekiel 3:1-4

5167 mouth

Library

Cæsarius of Arles.
He was born in the district of Chalons-sur-Saone, A. D. 470. He seems to have been early awakened, by a pious education, to vital Christianity. When he was between seven and eight years old, it would often happen that he would give a portion of his clothes to the poor whom he met, and would say, when he came home, that he had been, constrained to do so. When yet a youth, he entered the celebrated convent on the island of Lerins, (Lerina,) in Provence, from which a spirit of deep and practical piety …
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

Boniface, Apostle of the Germans.
BONIFACE, or Winfried, as they called him in Anglo-Saxon, born at Crediton in Devonshire, in 680, deserves to be honoured as the father of the German Church, although he was by no means the first who brought the seeds of the Gospel to Germany. Many had already laboured before him; but the efforts which had been made here and there did not suffice to secure the endurance of Christianity amongst the many perils to which it was exposed. Christianity needs to be linked with firm ecclesiastical institutions, …
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

Epistle xxxiv. To Venantius, Ex-Monk, Patrician of Syracuse .
To Venantius, Ex-Monk, Patrician of Syracuse [1331] . Gregory to Venantius, &c. Many foolish men have supposed that, if I were advanced to the rank of the episcopate, I should decline to address thee, or to keep up communication with thee by letter. But this is not so; since I am compelled by the very necessity of my position not to hold my peace. For it is written, Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet (Isai. lviii. 1). And again it is written, I have given thee for a watchman …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

The Greatness of the Soul,
AND UNSPEAKABLENESS 0F THE LOSS THEREOF; WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT. FIRST PREACHED AT PINNER'S HALL and now ENLARGED AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. By JOHN BUNYAN, London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682 Faithfully reprinted from the Author's First Edition. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Our curiosity is naturally excited to discover what a poor, unlettered mechanic, whose book-learning had been limited to the contents of one volume, could by possibility know …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Servant's Inflexible Resolve
'For the Lord God will help Me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set My face like a flint.'--ISAIAH l. 7. What a striking contrast between the tone of these words and of the preceding! There all is gentleness, docility, still communion, submission, patient endurance. Here all is energy and determination, resistance and martial vigour. It is like the contrast between a priest and a warrior. And that gentleness is the parent of this boldness. The same Will which is all submission …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Iranian Conquest
Drawn by Boudier, from the engraving in Coste and Flandin. The vignette, drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a statuette in terra-cotta, found in Southern Russia, represents a young Scythian. The Iranian religions--Cyrus in Lydia and at Babylon: Cambyses in Egypt --Darius and the organisation of the empire. The Median empire is the least known of all those which held sway for a time over the destinies of a portion of Western Asia. The reason of this is not to be ascribed to the shortness of its duration: …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9

The Prophet Jonah.
It has been asserted without any sufficient reason, that Jonah is older than Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah,--that he is the oldest among the prophets whose written monuments have been preserved to us. The passage in 2 Kings xiv. 25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, and that this prophecy was confirmed by the event, cannot decide in favour of this assertion, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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