SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                   1022

“Eating the 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.” …; And he said to me, “Son of man…eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”…Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. (Revelation 10:9-11; Ezekiel 3:1-3)

I am sure we have all experienced eating foods that tasted oh, so good only to have an upset stomach afterward. Why would God’s Word have a sweet and sour aspect to it? When we first come to Christ and are saved by His grace, we receive the Word of God with joy. This is akin to the scroll given to Ezekiel and John to eat. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…; I am the living bread that came down from heaven… For my flesh is true food…(John 1:1-14; 6:51-55)

Having been justified and saved we enter in a process of sanctification (transformation and renewal) as we learn to walk His path and to follow Jesus in our daily life. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…(Romans 12:2) This is when the initial sweet taste of the Word of God becomes bitter. It becomes bitter for two opposite spectrum reasons.

For some, the Word becomes bitter because the path of Christ is too difficult to follow when the siren call to conform to the world becomes more attractive to our flesh.  Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me…(Matthew 16:24-26) The Word initially sown has become like the seed sown along the path, on rocky ground or among thorns. …the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy…endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises…immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (Matthew 13:19-22)

At the opposite spectrum is the bitterness felt by Ezekiel and John as the Word of God produced in them the burden and sorrow of God because of the sin in them and in the world. As we grow in grace and fellowship with Jesus, the light of His Word exposes hindrances in our life that can cause us to stumble – things we need to renounce. The sweet Word of God becomes bitter in our stomach as we acknowledge our sin. For the grace of God has appeared…training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age… (Titus 2:11-13)

Bitterness also comes as we see the sin of the world around us and feel the pressure to be politically correct and hide the light of the Word under a basket. Homosexuality is a sin. Abortion is murder, not a choice. Marriage is between one man and one woman. God made us male and female, not gender neutral. “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. (Ezekiel 33:7)

May the Living Word of God in you give you utterance to speak boldly His uncompromised Truth in love.