“And he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.’”
Ezekiel 3:1
I don’t think parchment was any tastier than modern paper. Why would God instruct His prophet to eat a scroll? Clearly there is important symbolism here from Torah.
“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 8:3
Jesus quoted this verse during his temptation (Matt. 4:4). Manna was not just a food provision, it was a faith lesson. The people of Israel had to gather “daily bread,” no more. And every Sabbath they had to be disciplined not to gather any bread, but to trust the extra they gathered the day before would be fresh and sufficient.
It often feels like we live in a barren wilderness, waiting for God to bring us into the Promised Land. In the meantime, we are supposed to pray for our “daily bread” and trust God to sustain us as our Good Shepherd.
A few weeks ago (3/16/25) we were in the throne room of God, which intentionally links us back to Ezekiel 1 and the prophet’s grand vision of God’s celestial chariot-throne. That heavenly vision also reminds us of Isaiah 6 when that prophet saw the Lord on His throne, high and lifted up. Both Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6 move from a dramatic experience of the glory of God into God’s commissioning of the prophet.
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’ And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.”‘”Isaiah 6:8-9
“And he said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.’ And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me.'”
Ezekiel 2:1-3
Now take a look at Revelation 10.
“Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, ‘Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.’ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.’”
Revelation 10:8-9
Based on what we just saw from Ezekiel 2-3 and Isaiah 6, what would you expect to follow this eating of a scroll?
“And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, ‘You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.’”
Revelation 10:10-11
Now, can you guess what Revelation 11 is going to be about? Stay tuned!
For now, consider the immense privilege we have to feast on the Word of God! We have the whole counsel of God on paper and in digital form (most of us) right in our pockets. With every meal you enjoy, taking in Scripture for yourself, how can you share an appetizer with someone else?