Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 2:8
But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
8. be not rebellious ] In addition to the positive command, “hear what I say unto thee,” the prophet is warned not to refuse and be rebellious like the house of Israel. There was need for this double peremptoriness of the command. The instinctive act of men before any great undertaking of the kind set before the prophet is to shrink from it. Jonah fled that he might escape from the task laid on him; Moses and Jeremiah both entreated that they might be relieved of it. The work was both arduous and painful: painful because it was against his own people that the prophet had to speak; and arduous because leading to opposition and persecution. There is no easy situation in God’s service. Had the prophet refused the great commission he would have rebelled like Israel. And no doubt Israel’s rebellion was also from an arduous and painful commission, whether we regard its task to have been to walk before God as his people, or to be the prophet of Jehovah to the nations, being entrusted as Ezekiel was with his word. In both Israel may be said to all appearance to have failed. Yet not wholly: the Servant of the Lord, the true Israel of God, existing all throughout the history of the outward Israel, could say, “the Lord opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, nor turned away back” (Isa 50:5).
The command to hear and not be rebellious is hardly to be confined to the act of eating the Book, but refers rather to the whole ministry of the prophet, although, considering that the Book was a symbol of all God’s words to him, and his eating it a symbol of his receiving them, the sense in either case is the same (cf. Eze 2:10).
The passage suggests: (1) the divine source of that which the prophet was to say and has said “eat that I give thee” ( Eze 2:8), “a hand stretched out and in it a book” ( Eze 2:9), “he made me eat that roll of a book” (Eze 3:2). (2) The definiteness of it: it was a roll of a book (Eze 2:9), although its contents were large, the roll being written both in front of the page and on the back. This was unusual, rolls being generally written only on one side. The idea is reproduced, Rev 5:1. (3) The nature of the contents “lamentation and mourning and woe” (Eze 2:10). The prophet was made well aware of the nature of the contents as well as of their extent, “he spread the roll before me” (Eze 2:10). (4) The prophet made the Book his own, he “did eat it,” and it “filled” him (Eze 3:3). And having eaten it it was in his mouth as honey for sweetness. The sweetness was not due to this, that, though the Book contained bitter things at the first, at the end it was filled with promises which were sweet, for there was written thereon lamentation and woe; it was due rather to this that the things written were from God, whose bitter word is sweet. “Thy words were found and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart, for I am called by thy name (am thine and thy servant) Jehovah, God of hosts,” Jer 15:16. Cf. Psa 19:10; Rev 10:8-11.
The prophet’s idea of what we call his inspiration is perhaps more precise and stringent than that of Isaiah. In the inaugural vision of the latter prophet (ch. 6), “there flew one of the seraphim having a live coal in his hand, and he laid it on my mouth and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips and thine iniquity is taken away.” Immediately on this an impulse seized the prophet to enter upon the service of God: I said, Here am I, send me. The forgiveness of sin and moral purity, carrying with it sympathy with the great King and the ministering spirits around him, and elevating the man into that exalted sphere of life, seemed enough to Isaiah to constitute him a prophet. There was in him a strength and power of character which needed only the removal of the moral hindrance to set them free. But both Jeremiah and Ezekiel were weaker men. Ezekiel as is usual with him makes Jeremiah his model, and he can hardly be said to go beyond that prophet: “The Lord said unto me, whatsoever I command thee that shalt thou speak. Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold I have put my words in thy mouth,” Jer 1:7-9. Both the later prophets represent themselves as receiving not merely the “word” but the “words” of Jehovah.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
8 3:3. The prophet’s inspiration
Being commanded to speak God’s words to the people, the prophet is next assured by a symbol, a book given him to eat, that God’s words shall be given him.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Eze 2:8-10
Be not thou rebellious.
Ministers exposed to corruption by their people
This was the same as to say, I know the degeneracy of the times. I know the corruption and obstinacy of the people. I know they will stop their ears and harden their hearts against Divine truth. And I know that for this purpose they will use every method, by words and looks, to corrupt your heart, poison your sentiments, and destroy your influence. But I warn you to beware of men; and never suffer yourself to be corrupted by those whom you are sent to reprove and reform.
I. Ministers are exposed to be corrupted by the people.
1. Ministers have been corrupted by the people. This was the unhappy case of Aaron. The same thing happened to the sons and successors of Aaron; for we find that they were always corrupt, when the people were corrupt. God Himself complains of the people for being always disposed to corrupt their teachers (Amo 2:10-12). They meant to corrupt the friends of virtue, and the ministers of religion, on purpose to destroy the influence of their example, and the force of their instructions and admonitions; and they very rarely failed of accomplishing their malignant purpose.
2. The bare example of the people, in a day of declension, has a natural tendency to corrupt ministers. The prevailing spirit and practice of the times naturally tend to cool their zeal, weaken their virtue, and injure both the matter and manner of their preaching.
3. They are in much greater danger of being corrupted, by the positive endeavours and exertions of the people to draw them into sin. A corrupt people feel themselves obliged to take this course, in order to resist the energy of plain and faithful preaching.
II. It is their indispensable duty to guard against it.
1. God has expressly commanded ministers to guard against the attempts of those who would corrupt their hearts, and draw them aside from the path of duty.
2. They will forfeit the Divine presence and protection, if they suffer themselves to be corrupted.
3. If ministers suffer themselves to be corrupted by the people, it destroys their usefulness. Time-serving ministers generally have but few hearers. All men, whether good or bad, inwardly despise loose and unprincipled ministers, let their talents be what they may. And the same degree of criminality, which would be scarcely observable in other men, is sufficient to destroy the character and usefulness of those who sustain the sacred office of the ministry.
4. If ministers suffer themselves to be carried down the stream of corruption, they become destructive to the people. Corrupt ministers are always corrupters. Though they have lost the power of doing good, yet they retain the power of doing evil. They can do more than other men, to pull down the kingdom of Christ, and build up the kingdom of Satan. And as they are more capable, so they are more disposed, than other men, to stifle the spirit of religion, oppose the doctrines of the Gospel, and strengthen the hearts and hands of the wicked.
Reflections–
1. It is now a very dangerous day to ministers. The people have fallen into a great and general declension, As they have increased, so they have sinned. How many ministers neither preach nor practise according to their own sentiments, through fear of offending, and through desire of pleasing, the people! This conduct weakens the hands of faithful ministers, and strengthens the hands of those who wish to corrupt them.
2. Ministers need, at this day, to be well qualified for their office. Though religion has decayed, yet knowledge has increased. The people in general are much more capable now, than they were formerly, of judging of the talents and qualifications of ministers. And as they are more critical in discerning, so they are more severe in censuring, every ministerial defect or imperfection. But prudence, as well as knowledge, is a necessary qualification for a minister. He needs this to enable him to exhibit Divine truth in the most profitable manner, and to escape those snares which the enemies of truth will always endeavour to lay for him. But ministers of the Gospel, at this day of declension, need large measures of grace, as well as of knowledge and prudence. They need to be crucified to the world, and the world to them, by the Cross of Christ.
3. It is the duty of all good men, at this day especially, to aid and assist the ministers of the Gospel in the discharge of their office. If Christian professors would unite with Christian ministers, in the common cause of Christianity, we might reasonably hope that religion would gain ground, and vice and infidelity would everywhere fall before it. (N. Emmons, D. D.)
The God-made minister
(with Rev 10:8):–In the case of Ezekiel we for the first time see in a most impressive and instructive symbol that Divine way of choosing, and calling, and inwardly and increasingly preparing and maturing a prophet, that same way which is repeated in the case of the Apostle John; that same way, moreover, which is still taken with every true New Testament preacher. Now, first, we see in that fine symbolical scene Gods own immediate way of making a minister. A book plays a great part in the salvation of man; a book is brought down from heaven to earth. A book written in heaven lies open in the hand of a heavenly minister. And the salvation of many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings lies wrapped up in that heavenly book. Take the Book and eat it, said the angel of the Lord. You will observe that the angel did not say, Take the Book and read it. Clearly, then, this is not an ordinary Book. Clearly this Book is like no other book. Our ordinary language about books all falls short and breaks down before this Book. Eat it, said the angel, holding the Book up to the exhausted mouth–eat it till it is both sweet in thy mouth and bitter in thy belly. A most extraordinary thing to say to any man about any book! Yes, about any book but this Book; but this is the usual, nay, the universal, and, indeed, the necessary, thing to say always about Gods Book. Show me the minister to whom, pulpit preparation apart, Gods Word is his first thought every new morning, and he shall be all but Gods absolute prophet to me. He shall always pray for me when Gods wrath is kindled against me; for him, God has said, He will accept, as he will always be accepted, both for himself and for other men, who can, like Job, before God, say: Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the word of His mouth more than my necessary food. Eat, then, the same heavenly meat; and eat it for your first food every morning. It will do for you what no earthly food, the best and most necessary, can do. See that all its strength and all its sweetness fill your heart before you eat any other meat, and before you read any other writing. Read Gods Book, and keep it next your heart to defend you against the evil one. Enough of that; bring me my Bible! one of my old elders used to say, as they read to him all morning and down into the forenoon the newspapers. The Word of God was more to that saint of God than his necessary food. But what does this mean? It was in my mouth sweet as honey; but as soon as I had eaten it my belly was bitter. The best way, the only way, to find out what all that means is to eat the same roll ourselves, and then to observe what comes to pass within ourselves. Religion is an experimental science. Just you eat the Book now before you as Ezekiel and John ate it, and then tell me what takes place within you. I will tell you what will take place. The Word of God will in your mouth also be sweet as honey. The grace and the mercy of God that are in His blessed Word are always passing sweet to a genuine sinner, as is the truth, and the power, and the holiness, and the heavenly beauty of Gods Word to all His saints. All that is the daily and sweet experience of all those who make the Word of God their earliest and most necessary food. But afterwards, when this sweet Book descends into their inward parts, when the holy and the just and the good Word of God enters their guilty consciences and their corrupt hearts–ah, then, what bitterness is that! For a sense of sin, as we so lightly speak, is then awakened in the soul, and with that new sense comes a new bitterness, compared with which the waters of Marah are milk and honey, and aloes are a childs sweetmeat. Yes, angel, clothed with a cloud, you may well say that it will make our bellies bitter; for our belly will be bitter, first with our own sin, and then with the sin of all other men. Gods Word taken long enough and deep enough every day, as his necessary food, at last made Job from a sheep farmer into a sacrificing priest. Now, you all know what a priest is, a priest is a sinner who has not only all his own sin on his hands and on his heart, but the sins of all other men in addition. A priest sees sin in everything and everybody. His belly is always bitter with a bitterness such that all the honey and all the spices of Lebanon will not sweeten it. There was written thereon lamentations and mourning and woe. At the same time, the true priest has a secret and compensating sweetness in his office all his own; and every true minister has it deep down within him. Every true minister of Gods Word has a sensibility to sin and to grace; a palate and a heart both for the sweetness of Gods Word, and for its bitterness; a sensibility that makes him who has it the true successor of prophets and psalmists and apostles, like Ezekiel, David, Job, and John. Son of man, eat that thou findest, said Jehovah in a vision to Ezekiel. Take it, and eat it up, said the angel, in like manner, to John. Observe, that neither the prophet nor the apostle was asked nor allowed to pick and choose, as we say. They were not to be let eat the sweet and spit out the bitter. They were not to keep rolling the sweet morsels under their tongue, and to keep their inward parts a stranger to this bitter share in the Divine Book. Now this Scripture will not be sweet to all that hear it. But, even if it is at first bitter, it must not on that account be spat out. We must submit ourselves to read and to preach and to hear the whole Word of God. The book of the Bible, the preacher, the circle of doctrines that we like best may not be best for us. It is a fine study to take up the Old Testament and to trace all through it how prophet follows prophet, and psalmist psalmist; each several prophet and psalmist taking home to himself all that the prophets and psalmists have said and sung before him. And then, having made the book their own by reading it and praying over it and singing it in their own souls, then when the call came they stood up and prophesied prophecies and sang psalms new and present, as the peoples need was new and present; never contenting themselves with just repeating what any former psalmist had sung, however great and however good that former prophet and psalmist might have been. And then, as providence after providence arises in the history of Israel, inspiration and experience keep pace with providence, the exodus, the wilderness, the conquest, the captivity, the restoration, and so on, so prophet after prophet and psalmist after psalmist–Moses, and Gad, and David, and Solomon, and Isaiah, and Daniel, and Zechariah–arise, till we have in our Old Testament the accumulated faith and repentance, attainment and experience of that whole Church of God. And this same docile reception, personal appropriation and personal possession of Gods Word has always given an unshaking assurance, a masterful authority to all true prophets and preachers–Moses before Pharaoh, Nathan before David, Elijah before Ahab and Jezebel, Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, Peter and John before the rulers of Israel, Luther before the Legate, and Knox before Mary. And then with what passion that prophet will preach, and with what pathos that psalmist will sing, who has taken home to his own mind and to his own heart, to his own conscience and to his own imagination, the whole word of Almighty God, both in its awful terrors and in its surpassing mercies! (A. Whyte, D. D.)
There was written therein lamentations.
The Bible: a record of human sorrows
I. Sorrow is mightily present in our world. Here is a book–
1. The product of many lands and ages, expressing in manifold forms the sorrows of those lands and ages.
2. Intended for all lands and times, speaking in the tones of sorrow constantly, and yet expecting to be understood, anticipating that to none will sorrow be a foreign language.
This reflection should–
1. Stir our thought. Sorrow is meant to startle, to arouse, to prompt the questions, How? Why? What?
2. Cultivate our soberness, Rejoice with trembling.
3. Quicken our sympathies. We cannot, if we rightly know this book, be self-contained.
II. Sorrow is present in the world because of size.
1. Sorrow is here as the result of sin.
2. Sorrow is the penalty for sin. This rises in individual cases, to the clearness of a demonstration.
3. Sorrow is one means of purification from sin. (U. R. Thomas.)
.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 8. Open thy mouth and eat that I give thee.] Take my word as thou wouldst take thy proper food; receive it into thy heart; ponder it there, that it may be the means of strengthening and preserving thy soul, as proper nourishment will strengthen the body, and preserve from death. And the people to whom such messages of God may come should so hear it read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it, that it may become efficient nourishment to their souls.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Hear what I say unto thee; obey when thou hearest. Harden not thyself in a seeming modest declining the office of a prophet, wed not thine own resolution herein.
Rebellious house; house of rebellion, as Eze 2:7.
Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee: some take this figuratively, as if here the prophet had been called to open the powers of his soul and mind, to receive, retain all that God speaks; but I rather think that the prophet is required to open his mouth to eat what was put into his hand, i.e. the book, insinuating his Divine call and inspiration, and the bitterness of the Jews calamity. A visionary book and a visionary eating is here spoken of.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. eat(See on Jer15:16; Rev 10:9; Rev 10:10).The idea is to possess himself fully of the message and digest it inthe mind; not literal eating, but such an appropriationof its unsavory contents that they should become, as it were, part ofhimself, so as to impart them the more vividly to his hearers.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee,…. Which was necessary because he was to speak not his own words, but the Lord’s, and therefore ought to hear before he spoke; and indeed those that speak in a public way, for the instruction of others, ought to hear and learn of Christ first:
be not thou rebellious, like that rebellious house; who would not hear what was said unto them; but they were not to be imitated no, not in a lesser degree: the prophet was to avoid everything that looked like rebellion; as in, attention to what was said to him hesitation about it, or backwardness to publish it;
open thy mouth; be ready to receive what should be given, as a symbol of the prophecy he was to deliver. The Targum is,
“incline thy soul, and receive what I give thee.”
Jarchi’s note is incline thine ear and hear and let it be sweet to thee, as if thou didst eat food for hunger; and Kimchi observes, the intention of the figurative expression is to learn the words of the prophecy, and to remember them:
and eat that I give thee; which may be safely done; for Christ gives his ministers and people nothing but what is wholesome; his doctrines are wholesome words and may be eaten without fear, 1Ti 6:3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
After the Lord had pointed out to the prophet the difficulties of the call laid upon him, He prepared him for the performance of his office, by inspiring him with the divine word which he is to announce. – Eze 2:8. And thou, son of man, hear what I say to thee, Be not stiff-necked like the stiff-necked race; open thy mouth, and eat what I give unto thee. Eze 2:9 . Then I saw, and, lo, a hand outstretched towards me; and, lo, in the same a roll of a book. Eze 2:10 . And He spread it out before me; the same was written upon the front and back: and there were written upon it lamentations, and sighing, and woe. Eze 3:1 . And He said to me: Son of man, what thou findest eat; eat the roll, and go and speak to the house of Israel. Eze 3:2 . Then opened I my mouth, and He gave me this roll to eat. Eze 3:3 . And said to me: Son of man, feed thy belly, and fill thy body with this roll which I give thee. And I ate it, and it was in my mouth as honey and sweetness. – The prophet is to announce to the people of Israel only that which the Lord inspires him to announce. This thought is embodied in symbol, in such a way that an outstretched hand reaches to him a book, which he is to swallow, and which also, at God’s command, he does swallow; cf. Rev 10:9. This roll was inscribed on both sides with lamentations, sighing, and woe ( is either abbreviated from , not = , or as Ewald, 101 c, thinks, is only a more distinct form of or ). The meaning is not, that upon the roll was inscribed a multitude of mournful expressions of every kind, but that there was written upon it all that the prophet was to announce, and what we now read in his book. These contents were of a mournful nature, for they related to the destruction of the kingdom, the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple. That Ezekiel may look over the contents, the roll is spread out before his eyes, and then handed to him to be eaten, with the words, “Go and speak to the children of Israel,” i.e., announce to the children of Israel what you have received into yourself, or as it is termed in Eze 3:4, , “my words.” The words in Eze 3:3 were spoken by God while handing to the prophet the roll to be eaten. He is not merely to eat, i.e., take it into his mouth, but he is to fill his body and belly therewith, i.e., he is to receive into his innermost being the word of God presented to him, to change it, as it were, into sap and blood. Whilst eating it, it was sweet in his mouth. The sweet taste must not, with Kliefoth, be explained away into a sweet “after-taste,” and made to bear this reference, that the destruction of Jerusalem would be followed by a more glorious restoration. The roll, inscribed with lamentation, sorrow, and woe, tasted to him sweetly, because its contents was God’s word, which sufficed for the joy and gladness of his heart (Jer 15:16); for it is “infinitely sweet and lovely to be the organ and spokesman of the Omnipotent,” and even the most painful of divine truths possess to a spiritually-minded man a joyful and quickening side (Hengstenberg on Rev 10:9). To this it is added, that the divine penal judgments reveal not only the holiness and righteousness of God, but also prepare the way for the revelation of salvation, and minister to the saving of the soul.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
God continues to confirm his servant, but he advises him of a cause of stumbling which might break his spirit; for when he perceived the great obstinacy of the house of Israel, he might refuse the office of their teacher a hundred times over. God, however, adds incentives and exhortations to perseverance, although he experiences the abandoned obstinacy of the house of Israel: do thou hear, says he, what I shall say to thee Here we see that no one can discharge the teacher’s office, unless he be a proficient in God’s school. It behoves, therefore, those who wish to be thought disciples of God to be teachers of truth, and for this purpose first to listen to God’s instructions. Then he takes away a stumblingblock, as we have said, be not thou, rebellious like the house of Israel For we know that a multitude has much influence over us to disturb us: for the consent of a whole people is like a violent tempest, where all conspire together, and even those who are not wicked yet are carried forward with the crowd. Since, therefore, the, multitude sometimes carries away even the servants of God, here God meets his Prophet and puts a bridle upon him, that thou be not rebellious, says he, like the house of Israel He does not here speak indefinitely concerning any people, but concerning ‘that nation which boasted itself to be divinely elected, and bore in the flesh the symbol of its adoption. Yet God wishes the consent of his people to be neglected by his Prophet, because we know how insolently the Israelites boasted themselves to be the sacred and peculiar people of God; in the same way indeed as the Papists now exult, Israel then vaunted against all the Prophets. And therefore this passage must be diligently observed, because at this day many of these magnificent titles vanish away when they are brought to reason: for we know that they are mere smoke by which Satan endeavors to blind our eyes, while he falsely brings forward the name of God and the Church.
We ought, indeed, to receive whatever is uttered by God with such modesty and veneration that we may be completely affected as soon as his name is mentioned, but meanwhile we must. use prudence and discretion, lest we should be struck with awe when Satan uses God’s name to deceive us. And as we must use discernment, God here shows us the rule of doing so. For if we are thoroughly persuaded that, the doctrine which we follow and profess is from God, we can safely look down from on high not only upon all mortals but upon angels themselves: for there is no excellence so great but that God’s truth outshines it. Therefore when formerly the Israelites pretended that they were God’s people, and were adorned by the marks of a true Church, we must hold that the honor of the Church is frivolous when hypocrites reign in it, or rather exercise impious tyranny, and oppose themselves to God and his doctrine. And at this very day we may turn this passage against the Papists — nay, even point it at them directly as often as they bring up those pompous titles of “the Catholic Church,” and “the Spouse of Christ,” for God has said once for all, that we ought not to be rebellious, although the whole house of Israel should become so; that is, although those who bring forward the name of God should mutually enter into a diabolic conspiracy, yet we must not regard their conduct so as to subscribe to their impious conspiracy. We read the same in Isaiah, (Isa 8:12,) Thou shalt not say a conspiracy whenever this people says conspiracy: thou shalt not feel their fear nor their dread, but sanctify the Lord of hosts. Which passage Peter also cites, (1Pe 3:14😉 because the Jews, who then pertinaciously opposed the gospel, weakened the feeble by their boasting, by saying that they were the Church, and yet rejected and abominated the new teaching which was then spread abroad: Peter cites that place of the Prophet, namely, although the house of Israel impiously conspired against God, yet such contumacy must be despised. Afterwards the Prophet adds, (Isa 8:18,) Behold! I and the children whom God hath given me for a sign and a wonder. He says, therefore, that those little ones who worship God purely, and withdraw themselves from the common impiety, were like monsters, and were esteemed as complete wonders. But the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews accommodates this place to the reign of Christ, (Heb 2:13,) and not without reason. For to this day we are a wonder to God’s enemies, who carry themselves not only with boldness but with abandoned impudence against the pure doctrine of the gospel. To them we are heretics, schismatics, dogs — nay, the offscouring of the world. But although we are to them for signs and wonders, it is sufficient for us to be acknowledged by God: because it is needful for us to be separated from that impious conspiracy unless we wish to be separated from God himself. For what agreement is there with Papists, or what union with those dregs, unless by separation from God himself? Therefore, because we cannot extend the hand to Papists on any other condition, and cultivate a brotherly intercourse with them except by denying God, let all that injurious union with them cease, and let us learn to separate from them with boldness, since we clearly see that we are all commanded to act thus in the person of the Prophet: for he had said a little before, a prophet dwells in the midst of them — and this was clearly expressed, that he might manifest more anxious care for himself. For it is difficult to walk amidst thorns and scorpions, lest we should be pricked, and lest we should be struck by their virulent tail. God, then, commands us to be so attentive, that although we walk amid thorns we should not be pricked by them, and also that we should not be injured by the poison of scorpions; and if we seek from heaven that prudence which does not naturally belong to us, this will happen, for if the Spirit of God govern us, he will preserve us harmless from every bite of the serpent, and from all injury and mischief.
It follows: open thy mouth, and eat whatever I shall put before thee By this practical symbol God confirms Ezekiel in his vocation: for he orders him to eat a book, which was fulfilled in vision. Jeremiah uses the same metaphor, (Jer 15:16,) but with some slight difference, because our Prophet seemed to himself to eat a volume: but Jeremiah only signifies that he had digested the words of God like food, not that he only tasted them with his tongue, and that they were so thoroughly fixed in his mind as if he had really dressed and digested them. But God wished to confirm our Prophet in another way, namely, by offering him a volume, and commanding him to eat it. There is no doubt that this volume comprehended whatever the Spirit of God afterwards dictated to the Prophet; and yet the effect was just as if God had made a mortal the channel of his Spirit: as if he had said, “Now you shall utter nothing human nor terrestrial; because you shall utter what my Spirit has already written in this book.” But here we see a difference between the true servants of God, who discharge their duty in earnest, and talkative men, who are satisfied with their own powers of eloquence, or rather garrulity: for there are many ready speakers who utter what they have never digested, and thus their teaching is but vapid. And this is the meaning of what Paul says: the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. (1Co 4:20.) But those who truly consecrate themselves to God, not only learn what they speak of, but as food is eaten, so also they receive within them the word of God, and hide it in the inmost recesses of their heart, so that they may bring it forth from thence as food properly dressed. Now, therefore, we understand why God wished the Prophet to eat the book, concerning which also it follows afterwards —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(2.) CONSCIOUS ACCEPTANCE OF THE COMMISSION (Chaps. Eze. 2:8 to Eze. 3:3)
EXEGETICAL NOTES.Eze. 2:9. Sent unto me; rather, put forth unto me (as in chap. Eze. 8:3). Eze. 2:10. Written within and without, as indicating the number of overwhelming afflictions which were to fall upon the rebellious.
Chap. 3 Eze. 2:3. Cause thy belly to eat and fill thy bowels with this roll. So the eating could not be corporeal; it, too, was happening in the visions, and enjoined Ezekiel to take whatever would be spoken to him into his inner man, there to be assimilated with his own feelings, thoughts, will, and then to be declared to the people.
HOMILETICS
DUTY ACCEPTED FOR REASONS
I. As the commission issues from a divine source. This is signified
1. By its direction. A hand carried the symbolic medium of the commission, and Ezekiel recognised that hand to be His whose mighty voice he heard. God often appoints to duties by figures which are not unfamiliar to men. Moses saw a bush burning, Isaiah had a live coal laid upon his lips, Jeremiahs mouth was touched by a hand, and Ezekiel is shown a book. And now, when men hear of the cross, the tomb, the throne, they are told of that which is not revealed by flesh and blood, but by our Father in heaven. Thus the Christ, who is always with us, directs to hearts the truth He would have them believe and obey, and what we ought to desire is not vision but faith. We walk by faith, not by sight.
2. By its plainness to the understanding. Ezekiel could not have made anything out of the book unless its Holder had unrolled it and showed its contents. Then he gets a glimpse of the persons to whom he has to go, and of the prominence he is to give to threats of coming woes. The Lord would let His servant clearly see what he has to do. He wishes no vagueness or obscurity to be in any mind as to the certain retribution for sin. He wants to convince our intelligence. Mysteries there cannot but be in His procedure, but He sanctions no blind faith. He gives us as much light as we can bear for the time, and more will be added. He opens the understanding to understand the Scriptures. He gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater. The boldest of all followers of Christ the Way will be those who most clearly see that He is the Light, and that whoso believes in Him shall not abide in darkness, but shall have the light of life. They have the witness in themselves. Lighten our darkness, O Lord!
3. By its announcing tribulations to come. God only can tell the sorrows, pains, and harassment which will be imposed on any sinners; and Ezekiel may see written on the roll those future sufferings which men could not foresee. The Israelites did suffer in their native land, and if sin had been its own punishment, the punishment would assuredly have ended there. But it did not, and they were deported into foreign countries in order to be visited there also for their rebelliousness. Sin is not its own avenger. The evils which follow it are signs of Gods rule. He manifests His righteous character, and His determination to govern the world in righteousness. In due places and at fit times He will make His utter abhorrence of wrong to appear. He is never at a loss where to strike, or whom. We are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth, and that all suffering among the peoples of the world to-day are in accordance with His purposes of old. He is fulfilling them before our eyes, though we cannot compare them with predictions of them, as Ezekiel and Israel could. The Lord reigneth, let the people tremble.
II. As the commission is accompanied with power to fulfil it. The book-roll was not handed to Ezekiel with the guarantee of priests or church, nor from the archives of the Temple. It was from the Lord Himself. Ezekiel may gather from this fact
1. That there would be new revealings of the rule of the Lord. He had not exhausted all methods for characterising the proceedings and the destinies of men. Fresh conditions, such as those in which His chosen people were found, opened up the occasion by which He could unfold distincter views of His just and good will. It might be said that all He can show must be already indicated; but Israel would not, or could not, read the logical conclusions implied in the law and the prophets. They needed further teaching, and God is no miser with His knowledge and wisdom. He freely would impart to all; He never binds Himself to use only established institutions, and thus does He the more thoroughly bring His word to the platform from which all classes hear. We expect more light, even with a knowledge of His will far beyond that which Ezekiel could receive; and in presence of novel conditions of science, politics, ecclesiastical developments, we should be on the outlook for further manifestations of Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. If it be said that the Book of Revelation is closed now, it should not be said that wider and distincter views of Revelation are also shut out. We must welcome the better things which the Lord will spread before us.
2. That there would be sensitiveness to receive fuller knowledge. Nature had presented to Ezekiel its storms and lights and animal forms actuated by one controlling force, and he had been deeply moved; but no special message was there of which he could say, This is for me alone. Now there is, not Ezekiels case only, but myriads of other cases attest that the Spirit of the living God does speak to human consciences with the old appeal, Thou art the man! He will not let His Word miss its opportunities. He singles out one and another on the ground of their competence to obey Him; and if there be a single person who has no sense of God being near and bringing something to him personally, it is because he or she is shutting the ear lest they should hear with their ears and understand with their hearts. For the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. God opens the door of faith, and men may enter in and receive that which flesh and blood could not give, but which He can.
3. That this knowledge would be assimilated to his thoughts and ways. Ezekiel has to eat the book. It is not that he is merely to learn its meaning, but it is that he is to make all its words his own. He is to inwardly digest them, that they may obtain a form suitable to his character and environment. The Lord imparts them so that they shall be turned into bone and muscle for prophetic tasks. Thus they will be psychologically the prophets own representation, and yet prepared by divine energy to convey an adequate idea of what the people must hear from the mouth of the Lord. This power to take and eat the book symbolises the truth that, without having thus assimilated the words of God, no one ought to teach and preach. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Certainly no one will live for ever who does not eat of the bread of life which Christ gives. The word of hearing does not profit if not mixed with faith, but when with the heart man believeth, then will fruit be borne. God knows our need; He gives power to the faint, and in Christ strengthening we can do all things. This is true inspiration. The divine does not remain as a strange element in the man; it becomes his own feeling thoroughly, penetrates him entirely, just as food becomes a part of his bodily frame (Umbreit).
III. As the commission produces satisfaction with itself. Ezekiel had the sweet experience that he was called by God to serve Him, and found it eminently pleasant to know no will but His. This experience follows on complete submission to all that He gives us to know of Himself. Once taught of God, we should have no doubts and no reserves. Mens commissions often disappoint, because power to carry them out is not welded into them. God never lets His workers go on their own charges; He is prepared to supply all their need. Let them but be consecrated to Him, present their bodies as a living sacrifice, take all the strength and love which Jesus has for them, and they will be enabled to exclaim, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, for Christs sake. To be used for the Lord will be a sweeter experience than we shall find elsewhere. Even if we have to tell of painful and woful things, we shall do so, knowing that we are not acting on the promptings of our own temper, not serving our own desires, but obeying the Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious, who will by no means clear the guilty. Come what may in our life-service, a little or a great duty, one to which we run or one from which we shrink, we shall surely be able to say, as Jeremiah did, Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart; for I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
II. THE PREPARATION FOR SERVICE
2:8-3:15
Following the call to service, God begins a process of education to prepare this man for the assigned task. Three steps can be distinguished in this educational process. (1) The prophet needed to assimilate the message of God (Eze. 2:8 to Eze. 3:3); (2) he needed assurance of divine power (Eze. 3:4-9); and (3) he needed a correct assessment of his future congregation (Eze. 3:10-15).
A. Assimilation of the Word 2:8-3:3
TRANSLATION
(8) And as for you, son of man, hear that which I am about to speak unto you. Do not be rebellious like the rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat that which I am about to give you. (9) And I saw, and behold a hand was extended unto me, and behold in it the roll of a book. (10) And he spread it before me, and it was written on front and back. And there was written on it lamentations, mourning and woe. (1) And He said unto me, Son of man, eat that which you discover; eat this roll and go speak unto the house of Israel. (2) And I opened my mouth, and he fed me this roll, (3) And he said unto me, Son of man, your belly shall eat and your inward parts shall be full with this roll which I am giving unto you. And I ate it, and it became in my mouth like honey for sweetness.
COMMENTS
A strange command is issued to Ezekiel in Eze. 2:8. The Lord prepares the prophet for this command by a warning not to be rebellious like the house of Israel. Then he was told to eat that which God was about to give him. Once again God forestalls any reluctance on Ezekiels part by these words of warning. Disobedience here would mark Ezekiel as no better than the rebellious house of Israel to which he was to preach (Eze. 2:8).
The stage was set for this initial test of obedience. A hand came forth to him from the throne-chariot. The hand was either that of one of the cherubim, or that of the One on the throne itself. The hand contained a roll of a book, i.e., a scroll (Eze. 2:9).[110] Scrolls were made of animal skins or papyrus. By sewing many pieces of these materials together, a scroll of twenty feet or more in length might be constructed. Three things are said about this scroll.
[110] Cf. Jer. 1:9 where in vision God stretched forth His hand and put His Word in Jeremiahs mouth.
1. The scroll contained writing. The ancients regarded the written word as far more definite and unalterable than the spoken word. The writing on the scroll was Gods authoritative Word for the children of Israel. The writing was on the scroll before Ezekiel received it. The message he would preach originated with God. It was a written word a fixed and unchangeable divine declaration.
2. The scroll was somewhat unusual in that it contained writing on both sides. Normally scrolls were inscribed on only one side. Is there symbolic significance in this fact? Perhaps it simply means that God had a lot to say to His people through Ezekiel. On the other hand, maybe the scroll was completely in scribed so as to eliminate the possibility of Ezekiel adding anything to the divinely received message.[111] Then again, perhaps the writing on front and back symbolized the abundance of the calamities which would befall Jerusalem.[112], [113]
[111] Ellison, EMM, p. 28.
[112] Currey, BC, p. 27.
[113] Unlikely is Finebergs suggestion (PE, p. 26) that the front side of the scroll symbolizes truths of a more obvious nature, the backside those of a more concealed nature.
3. The content of the scroll consisted of lamentation, mourning and woe (Eze. 2:10).[114] Until the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Ezekiel preached a message of doom such as might be character ized as lamentation, mourning and woe. The scroll thus set forth prophetically what would shortly befall Jerusalem and Judah.
[114] Ehrlich suggests that lamentation, mourning, and woe was the heading of the scroll. Cited in Fisch, SBB, p. 12.
The command came to eat this roll. The word of God must be internalized, digested and assimilated by that one who would serve as Gods messenger.[115] Thus the eating of the scroll would symbolize the reception of the word. Coming on the heels of the command to eat the scroll is the command to go speak unto the house of Israel (Eze. 3:1). Immediately following the reception of the word there must be the proclamation of it.
[115] Thus while the passage clearly teaches verbal inspiration, it does not set forth mechanical dictation. The message had to be assimilated before annunciated in the prophets own unique way.
Ezekiel attempted to comply with the Lords command. He took the first step. He opened his mouth. At this point the gracious God intervened and aided in the consumption of the document (Eze. 2:2). Further encouragement came from the Lord to the effect that Ezekiel should swallow and digest the scroll that he had been given. Ezekiel complied. Much to his surprise he found that this scroll tasted sweet like honey (Eze. 2:3). This sweetness in no way indicates that Ezekiel took some morbid delight in his message of doom. Rather the sweetness of the scroll lay in the fact that it was the Word of God.[116]
[116] Cf. Psa. 19:10; Psa. 119:103 : Jer. 15:16.
It is scarcely necessary to say that Ezekiel did not actually eat a literal scroll. This action was done in a vision. A person does strange things in dreams, and so it was also in this heaven-sent vision, The point is that Ezekiel must familiarize himself with the word of God by reading the scroll as eagerly and attentively as one eats food to satisfy hunger. The fact that God caused him to eat the scroll may point to supernatural aid which the prophet received in comprehending and mentally preserving the minutest detail of this unpleasant message.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(8) Eat that I give thee.This is to be understood, like all that has gone before, as done in vision, as in the case of the book eaten by St. John in Rev. 10:9-10. The figure of eating for receiving into the heart, so as to be thoroughly possessed by what is communicated, is not an uncommon one. (Comp. Jer. 15:16; Joh. 6:53-58.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. Be not thou rebellious God sees the inward hesitation of the prophet to accept this hard and thankless task to which he was called. From what we know of the prophet (see Introduction, IV) it is plain that his whole nature revolted against it. His extreme sensitiveness, so easily lacerated by a pricking word; his meditative and lonely life as a priest, his peculiar and tender love for his home (Eze 24:15-21), his patriotism and special regard for his suffering comrades in exile all seemed to unfit him for the stern and thorny work of a reformer. It almost seems as if he put his fingers in his ears, protesting against even listening to these stern criticisms and rebukes of those whom even in their sins he loved so well. But Jehovah cries, Thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee, and reaches him through his conscience. To disobey will be to become like those whose flagrant disobedience he recognizes and laments. Israel is in captivity, and the temple falling into ruins, because it refused its commission and fled from duty. “Be not rebellious like that rebellious house.” (See note Eze 3:14.)
Eat that I give thee This is a symbolism most common in the Orient and well understood everywhere. Orientals still speak of “eating” blows, grief, wounds, etc. (Compare Jer 1:7-9; Rev 10:9.) The prophet must receive the truth and feel it; it must become a part of his very life before he can speak it. No one can give until he has received. But what a message!
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
Now Ezekiel was made to recognise that what he was to do would not be naturally to his liking, but he was warned that if he refused he would become like ‘the rebellious house’. So he was warned to take heed and not to rebel at what was required. God often requires of us what we do not want to do. We too must beware of being rebels.
“Open your mouth and eat what I give you.” This was probably a very picturesque way of saying receive, read, mark, accept and inwardly digest. It may, however, have included actually digesting the scroll as a symbol of having received it, for the book of Ezekiel contains demanding, acted out symbols elsewhere, although as a heavenly book in a vision it may have been more edible than papyrus or leather.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 2:8. Open thy mouth, &c. The knowledge of divine truth is often expressed by the metaphors of bodily food and nourishment; and therefore, to eat the words of this prophesy, signifies to commit them to memory, and to meditate upon and digest them. See the 10th verse of the next chapter.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 2:8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
Ver. 8. Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house. ] It is no hard matter to symbolise with sinners. See Isa 6:5 , with the note. To dwell among them is dangerous, for sin is catching, and often in epidemic proportions. Precious therefore, and worthy of all acceptation, is the apostle’s counsel. Rom 12:2 Lawyers tell us that we must not look so much what men do at Rome, as what they ought to do.
Eat that I give thee,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eze 2:8-10
8Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you. 9Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in it. 10When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe.
Eze 2:8 do not be rebellious like the rebellious house Like Eze 2:6, Eze 2:8 has a series of commands from YHWH to Ezekiel.
1. listen, BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal JUSSIVE
2. do not be rebellious, BDB 224, KB 243, Qal JUSSIVE
3. open your mouth, BDB 822, KB 953, Qal IMPERATIVE
4. eat, BDB 37, KB 46, Qal IMPERATIVE
Ezekiel’s obedience constitutes his acceptance of God’s call to be His spokesperson. It is analogous to (1) the Seraph touching Isaiah’s lips with a coal from the heavenly altar (i.e., Isa 6:6-7); (2) Jeremiah’s eating a scroll (cf. Jer 15:16); and (3) John’s vision in which an angel gives him a scroll to eat (cf. Rev 10:8-11). Obviously eating the scroll is a metaphor for receiving God’s message and passing it on.
Eze 2:9 a hand was extended to me The text is ambiguous as to whose hand was extended and from where. It could be from the throne itself, but more likely, an attending angel, as in Isaiah.
a scroll This would refer to a piece of papyrus rolled up. It symbolized the message of God (cf. Isa 29:11-12; Isa 30:8; Jer 25:13; Jer 30:2; Jer 36:2; Jer 36:4; Dan 12:4).
Notice how the message of judgment on this scroll is described.
1. lamentations (BDB 884)
2. mourning (BDB 211)
3. woe (BDB 223)
Eze 2:10 It was written on the front and the back It was highly unusual for either papyrus (i.e., hard to write against the grain) or parchment (i.e., part of message can be worn off) to be written on both sides. This seems to reflect God’s entire message of judgment (cf. Rev 5:1). Once Jerusalem is destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s army, Ezekiel begins to proclaim restoration in YHWH’s name (i.e., Ezekiel 36-37, 40-48).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
eat. See Eze 3:1-3. Compare Rev 10:9, Rev 10:10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Eze 2:8-10
Eze 2:8-10
“But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house; open thy mouth, and eat that which I give thee. And when I looked, behold a hand was put forth unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; and he spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.”
This passage in which the prophet is commanded to eat “the roll of the book” has its counterpart in the New Testament, in Revelation, where the apostle John is likewise commanded to eat the “roll of the book” (Revelation 10). In the New Testament, John’s eating the book became a symbol of the Word-filled Church, one of God’s Two Witnesses, the other being the sacred Word itself, held open forever in the hands of the mighty angel, these Two Witnesses being in fact the only witnesses God has during the current dispensation.
The command to eat the roll indicated that Ezekiel was to read and digest its contents, that he was to make it indeed and continually a part of his very person, that the prophet was commissioned to speak God’s Word, not his own, and that all of the messages that he would communicate to the people would be those from God Himself.
“It was written within and without …” (Eze 2:10) Some have speculated on why the roll is here represented as being written “within and without”; and as Taylor noted, “Ellison’s suggestion is most likely, that there was no room left for any additions by the prophet himself,” of his own words.
Here in the Old Testament we find the conception of the Redemption of Mankind as being ultimately dependent absolutely upon the application with utmost fidelity of the principles and commandments written “IN A BOOK.” “The Great Book” upon which the salvation of everyone who ever lived is dependent is, of course, The Holy Bible, especially the New Testament, which is so dramatically symbolized by the little book open in the hands of the Rainbow Angel (Revelation 10).
In all ages, the true religion of God has been nothing more nor less than the “Religion of the Book.” As Bunn noted, “Here there is an introduction to revelation by written word which became to Ezekiel a religion of written statutes and ordinances.” It is our own opinion that the current generation also needs to receive the same conception of holy religion.
Ezekiel’s Call and Warning to Israel – Eze 2:1 to Eze 3:27
Open It
1. What task have you had to perform even though it seemed unlikely to produce results?
2. What were some of the ways you manifested youthful rebellion?
3. How would you describe the longest period you have ever maintained silence?
Explore It
4. What mission did God assign to the prophet Ezekiel? (Eze 2:3-5)
5. What images did God use to describe the reception Ezekiel was likely to get for his message? (Eze 2:6)
6. What warning did God give Ezekiel concerning his own behavior? (Eze 2:8)
7. What did God command Ezekiel to do with the scroll He presented to him? (Eze 2:8-9; Eze 3:1-2)
8. How did the scroll taste to Ezekiel when he ate it? (Eze 3:3)
9. Who did God know would have been more receptive to His word than His own people? (Eze 3:5-7)
10. What did God promise to do for Ezekiel in the face of the stubbornness of the Jews? (Eze 3:8-9)
11. Where were the Jews to whom Ezekiel carried Gods message? (Eze 3:10-11)
12. What was Ezekiels experience of the glory of God when God had finished speaking to him? (Eze 3:12-13)
13. How did Ezekiel describe his state of mind after being commissioned by God? (Eze 3:14-15)
14. What was Ezekiels role in relation to Israel? (Eze 3:17)
15. How did God explain Ezekiels accountability for speaking Gods Word to a wicked man? (Eze 3:18-19)
16. Under what circumstances would Ezekiel be accountable for the death of a righteous person? (Eze 3:20-21)
17. What experience did Ezekiel have again after his seven days of mourning? (Eze 3:22-23)
18. How did God establish when Ezekiel was to speak or remain silent? (Eze 3:24-27)
Get It
19. In what ways could your church share Gods characterization of Israel as “obstinate” and “hardened”?
20. How does your concern for the reactions of others affect your desire to do what God wants?
21. What is most difficult about confronting someone about his or her faults?
22. Why do you suppose the scroll containing Gods words of “lament and mourning and woe” tasted good to Ezekiel?
23. What is the Christians responsibility with regard to unbelievers or believers who fall into sin?
24. Why was it appropriate for Ezekiel to follow the traditional actions of mourning?
25. Why is it important that God emphasizes the responsibility of individual choice?
Apply It
26. What nagging area of rebellion can you ask God to change in you this week?
27. For what rebellious or unbelieving friend or neighbor can you begin to pray, looking for an opportunity to warn him or her of Gods righteous judgment and tell him or her of Gods mercy?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Be: Lev 10:3, Num 20:10-13, Num 20:24, 1Ki 13:21, 1Ki 13:22, Isa 50:5, 1Pe 5:3
open: Eze 3:1-3, Eze 3:10, Jer 15:16, 1Ti 4:14-16, Rev 10:9
Reciprocal: Jer 13:2 – according Eze 2:1 – Son Eze 12:7 – I did so Eze 17:12 – to the Eze 24:3 – the rebellious Eze 33:7 – thou shalt Eze 40:4 – behold Act 26:19 – I was not
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 2:8, The particular rebellion meant is that of rejecting the word of the Lord. Ezekiel was about to he offered something and he was warned not to rebel against it and thus be iike the rebellious nation. The last clause is figurative and refers to some kind of spiritual food.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eze 2:8 to Eze 3:15. His inspiration is suggestively described by the symbolical swallowing of a book-roll. In Jer. (Jer 1:9) it is more immediately conceived as due to the touch of the Divine Hand upon the prophets lips: but by the publication of Dt. thirty years before (621 B.C.) the book had begun to hold a place in the religion of Israel which it had never held before (p. 90), and it is significant, not to say ominous, that Ezekiel is represented as owing his message and his inspiration to a book. The lamentations, mourning, and woe (Eze 2:10) inscribed in the visionary book do, in point of fact, faithfully describe the general contents and temper of Ezekiels message throughout the earlier part of his ministry and the first half of his book (Ezekiel 1-24), i.e. down to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Though this conception of inspiration might seem mechanical and superficial, it has some profoundly suggestive features. In particular it implies that the message he is to deliver must be his own. It is Gods ultimately, but Ezekiel must make it his own, work it into the very fibre of his being, assimilate it, as we should saythis is the meaning of the strong language in Eze 3:3until it is himself that he is uttering. When he eats the roll. bitter as are its contents, it is as sweet as honey in his mouth, for it is sweet to do the will of God and to be trusted with tasks for Him.
But again he is reminded of the sternness of that task. He is sent to a stubborn people who will be infinitely less responsive to the Divine message than heathen foreigners would have been: this sorrowful comparison is drawn often enough in prophecy from Jonah to our Lord (Mat 11:21, Luk 4:24-27) between the susceptibility of the unprivileged heathen and the callousness of privileged Israel. But with resolute face the prophet is to go forward to meet their hard and resolute faces, and fearlessly deliver the message of the God who has called and can equip and sustain him.
That, then, is the summons he seems to hear from the awful Figure upon the throne of the mysterious chariot. Then once more the whirr of the wings and the roar of the wheels is heard when the glory of Yahweh rose from its place (as we should probably read at the end of Eze 3:12); and the chariot departed, leaving the prophet, on return to normal consciousness, in a state of reaction graphically described as bitterness and heat of spirit. In this mood he found his way to Tel-abib, a colony of his fellow-exiles, apparently at or near his home, where he remained for a week in a state of utter stupefaction, dumb and motionless.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
2:8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say to thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and {f} eat that which I give thee.
(f) He not only exhorts him to his duty but also gives him the means with which he may be able to execute it.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. The nature of Ezekiel’s ministry 2:8-3:11
This pericope contains 10 commands, and it is the center of the chiasm in chapters 1-3.
"The Lord’s charge to Ezekiel emphasized the absolute necessity of hearing, understanding, and assimilating God’s message prior to going forth as a spokesman for the Lord." [Note: Alexander, "Ezekiel," p. 763.]
All the Lord’s representatives must do the same (cf. Ezr 7:10).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The Lord warned Ezekiel not to be rebellious like the people of Israel but to listen to Him and to receive the messages that God would feed him (cf. Deu 8:3; Jer 15:16; Mat 4:4; Joh 6:53-58).