Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

In Ezekiel 3, the Lord tells the prophet Ezekiel, “‘Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.’ So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.’ Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth” (vs. 1-3). I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of many things I would enjoy eating less than a scroll. This passage tells us a lot about Ezekiel’s unquestioning obedience to the Lord, even when the command doesn’t make sense. But what strikes me the most is the prophet’s description of the scroll. While I’ve never eaten a scroll before, I know for sure it shouldn’t taste like honey. But we must remember that these words were the words of the Lord. He was using this act of obedience to teach Ezekiel something about Himself and His word.

Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” and in 105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The Lord desires for us to find His word sweet and to delight in it. When we read the Bible, how often  do we treat it like a hurried breakfast we don’t care about enjoying, instead of the nourishing meal it truly should be? If we aren’t delighting in the word, it’s because our appetites are not aligned with the Holy Spirit and our spiritual taste buds are not acclimated to kingdom things. God desires for us to love His word so much we can’t wait to study it and hate putting it down. So if this isn’t the case, how do we change our desires to seek after Him and His word?

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” (emphasis mine). It is the job of a steward to not only guard what is entrusted him, but also cultivate its growth. As believers, it is our responsibility to study and know God’s word so that we can receive His wisdom and get to know His character. You’ll often hear people say, “don’t read your Bible out of obligation, but out of desire.” And I would agree—this is ideal. But don’t let doubts about your own heart and motives keep you from studying the scriptures. My freshman-year Bible study leader always told me what her former leader told her: “discipline leads to desire which leads to delight.” A journey of love for God’s word often begins with reading the Bible simply because we’re supposed to. As we persevere in gaining discipline, the desire and the delight will come.

But even if we consistently study the word, we will never delight in it without the work of the Spirit. How often we forget that the same Spirit who inspired the words we read is the Spirit who lives within us. In Ephesians 6, Paul calls the word of God “the sword of the Spirit.” Hebrews 4:12 says, “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” When we read the Bible, we aren’t just trying to understand a book, we’re trying to know a Person. And just like any relationship, our journey of knowing the Lord can’t be dependent on us reading about Him. We must talk to Him about the ways He is showing us His character and seek to be a child after His own heart. I love what John 1:14 says: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The first chapter of John highlights over and over again that Jesus is the Word of God incarnate. And just as Jesus reveals the Father to us, the living, active word does the same.

God has given us the scriptures, not just so that we can know Him, but so that He can teach us how to live a life that is pleasing to Him. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” The word of God should be the great standard by which everything else in our lives is judged. In this world, we are surrounded by conflicting voices trying to tell us who we should be and how we should live. No matter where these voices are coming from, they must each be held up to the light of God’s true word. I especially love the last phrase of the verse above: “equipped for every good work.” Our Father uses His scriptures, His scroll of honey, to prepare us for the amazing calling He has planned for us. As Isaiah 55:11 says, “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Pay close attention to the things He is showing you—it is His way of preparing the soil of your heart for the harvest He will bring.