In Ezekiel 3, we encounter the striking image of the prophet being instructed to eat a scroll. This was not just any scroll but one filled with words of “lamentation and mourning and woe” (Ezekiel 2:10). Despite its bitter content, when Ezekiel obeys and consumes the scroll, it tastes “as sweet as honey” in his mouth (Ezekiel 3:3).

Why would something so bitter taste sweet? The answer lies in the transformative power of God’s word. Ezekiel was being prepared for a difficult task: to speak God’s truth to a rebellious and stubborn people. God knew that for Ezekiel to deliver His message with the necessary conviction and authority, the prophet first needed to fully internalize—consume—God’s word.

This act of consuming the scroll is more than a symbolic gesture; it is a profound spiritual reality. For us today, it highlights the importance of not just reading or hearing God’s word but fully imbibing it, letting it sink deep into our hearts and minds. Only then can we speak with the conviction required to confront a world often resistant to the truth.

In Chapter 2, God warns Ezekiel that the people he is being sent to are obstinate and rebellious. They are not going to be easily swayed by gentle words or half-hearted messages. Ezekiel’s mission was not to comfort them with platitudes but to confront them with the stark reality of their sin and the impending judgment if they did not repent.

This task required more than courage; it demanded a deep, personal conviction that could only come from a profound encounter with God’s truth. Ezekiel’s consumption of the scroll was God’s way of ensuring that His prophet was not merely a mouthpiece but a living embodiment of the message he was to deliver.

In our own lives, we too are called to speak truth in a world that is often rebellious, stubborn, and resistant to God’s word. But before we can do that effectively, we must first consume the truth ourselves. We must allow God’s word to penetrate every part of our being until it becomes a part of us. It is only then that we can speak with the kind of conviction that pierces through the hardened hearts and minds of those around us.

Just as Ezekiel’s message was vital for the people of his time, our message is critical for the people of our time. They, too, are living in rebellion, often unaware of the impending consequences of their actions. We have the responsibility to share God’s truth with them, not timidly, but with boldness and clarity.

But this boldness is not something we can manufacture on our own. It comes from having fully consumed God’s word, allowing it to transform us from the inside out. When we do, our message will be not just words, but life-giving truth that can turn even the most rebellious hearts back to God.

So, let us take the example of Ezekiel to heart. Let us consume the truth of God’s word fully, so that we can speak it with conviction, no matter how rebellious or hostile the audience may be. For in doing so, we fulfill our calling as messengers of God’s unchanging truth in a world that desperately needs to hear it.