The Sweet Scroll of God

Introduction

A. Ezekiel was given a job. He was to speak God’s word to people who didn’t want to hear the message. But he didn’t just speak the message, he also acted out the message.

1. In chapter 4 he is to build a model of Jerusalem while the city is under attack. He is then to lie on his left side for 390 days to represent the sin of the people in Jerusalem and then to lie on his right side for 40 days representing God’s wrath poured out on his people.

2. In chapter 5 he is to cut his beard and hair dividing it into thirds. He then takes one third of the hair and burns it inside this model. Another third is struck with the sword around this model and another third is scattered with the wind. He is to leave a few strands tucked away in his garment. Symbolically, Ezekiel demonstrates God’s judgment of his people and his saving of a remnant.

3. In chapter 12, he empties his house of belongings to take as if he were going on a long journey. While the people watch, he packs for exile and then at night he digs a hole through the wall as if trying to take over a beseiged city. The point, the people are exiles and under attack. They should prepare for living away from home.

4. Then in chapter 24, Ezekiel’s wife dies. God tells Ezekiel that she is going to die and that he is to refrain from grieving publicly and demonstrating mourning typical of his generation. Instead he is to demonstrate through his lack of public mourning what is to come for the exiles when Jerusalem is destroyed.

B. These sign-acts of Ezekiel seem strange and foreign to us. But this is the point of our text this morning in chapter 2. Ezekiel is called to prophecy. He is called to speak God’s words. He is called to say to the people what they need to hear not necessarily what they want to hear. And all the signs were demonstrations of God’s intent but they were also signs of Ezekiel’s faithfulness. This is our focus today—our faithfulness. Let’s be encouraged.

The Vision Continues

A. Chapter one gives us a vision which Ezekiel saw. It was a vision which allowed him and us to catch a glimpse of God’s glory. Overwhelmed by what he saw, Ezekiel falls to the ground. But on the ground he will not stay. He rises, not by his own power and strength but by the power and strength of God’s Spirit. Just a side note. Worship is a wonderfully emotional experience. It is the experience of worship which makes us fall face down on the ground. So many enjoy this experience that they use it to measure the seriousness of their spiritual conviction. Notice what often happens though. Humans cannot remain in worship, they must move to action. Isaiah worships in chapter 6 but is called to action. The three disciples worship on the mount of transfiguration but they must leave the mountain in order to serve people. Ezekiel is no different. He wants to worship. He must worship, but God lifts him up for action. Worship proceeds action but worship never is the end.

B. God calls Ezekiel to service. He is to go the Israelites: a rebellious and stubborn people. He is to tell them what they need to hear. The language tells us that the people although in exile are still in rebellion. They have not repented. Ezekiel’s message is one of repentance. It is a message which will challenge the people’s theology and one which demands a response. Ezekiel is called to proclaim a message of moral responsibility, self-examination, repentance, and dedication to God. But the people do not want to hear this message.

C. The events which brought Babylon into Jerusalem to destroy and cart away inhabitants did not fit their theology. They were God’s people, living in a promised land, having been promised a descendant of David on the throne and with a temple which housed God’s presence. But Ezekiel’s message was exactly the opposite. They were no longer acting as God’s people and the land had been defiled by their wickedness and injustice and their king had been deposed because they had broken the covenant and the temple was soon to be destroyed. Ezekiel’s message and the people’s theology did not go together. The call to repentance would be met with rebelliousness. The call to listen to God would be met with listlessness. The call for change would be met with charges of being treated unfairly.

D. So what is the point of chapter 2? If Ezekiel is being called to be God’s prophet why the vision of eating a scroll. Look at verse 5. Ezekiel is to be a demonstration of God’s prophet among his people. Read verses 6-8 carefully. Ezekiel is to prophesy and the people will not respond. For 22 years he prophesies and for 22 years no one falls into line with his message. For 22 years he proclaims the words of God and for 22 years the people reject him and his message. But they know there is a prophet among them.

E. Look at verse 8. The other point is submission. Ezekiel is to submit to God and God will use him. Chapter 2 is not just about the call to proclaim the message but Ezekiel’s acceptance to be God’s man while rebellion rules the day.

Lessons

A. Can we ignore such lessons? Like Ezekiel we have been called to be God’s people among those who do not want to hear or respond to God’s message. While we are not prophets, we are certainly those who are to demonstrate the truthfulness and consistency of God’s message. By our words, actions, and attitudes we reveal God’s message. Like Ezekiel our lives become signs of what God is doing in this world. Our message is one which calls for people to change their lives and bring their broken lives to Jesus so that they can receive healing. People are to know that God’s person has been among them. Our job is to proclaim this message. The measure of success is not the number of people who listen and respond but our faithfulness to God. Ezekiel had no responses for 22 years but his faithfulness was all that God asked of him and the same is true for us.

B. But our faithfulness is dependent upon our submission to God and his will. Ezekiel has a vision of eating the scroll of God. He anticipates the scroll being bitter because it is filled with words of lament, mourning, and woe. These are words seeking repentance. These are words which speak truth in love but are harsh to hear. Instead the scroll is sweet to the taste. Why? Because in our submission to God’s will, we find direction and purpose. As we submit to God then we find greater joy in living for him. There is nothing in the text to lead us to believe that Ezekiel wanted to be God’s prophet, but once called he obediently followed his master’s instruction. Like Ezekiel we listen and want to obey the God who called us out of this world to live for him. By submitting to God we begin by making sure that our lives conform to him first and then we live out that obedience daily as we walk with him. Invitation.

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