Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
God commands the prophet to eat the roll He gives him and then go speak His words to the house of Israel whether they will hear or forbear. The roll is written with lamentations and mourning and woe, yet when it is received into the heart and heard with the ears it is as honey for sweetness. To eat it is to take God's word into the inner life by daily study and contact with it, applying it to one's own life and making it a part of oneself and of every action and trait of character. As food nourishes the body, so this feeding quickens the conscience and mind, enlarges understanding, and gives spiritual strength and growth and lasting joy, without which all that God has provided at infinite cost does no good. Only when the servant has thus grasped the word, let it direct and reform the whole life, and put entire dependence upon God is he fitted to go and faithfully give it to others as the word of life.
Eating the Heavenly Roll
The roll given to eat is written within and without with lamentations and mourning and woe, yet when eaten it is in the mouth as honey for sweetness. It must be received into the heart and heard with the ears before speaking God's words, whether the hearers will hear or forbear. To eat the roll is to eat the word of God and make it a part of oneself by constant contact with it. This appropriating of the word is necessary to live a true Christian life, to quicken the conscience, to be strengthened, and to produce spiritual growth. All the precious things provided at infinite cost do no good unless they are thus appropriated.
As food nourishes the body, Christ's words are the bread of life. Receiving and assimilating them quickens the mind and enlarges understanding. Making the Word part of every action and every trait of character gives spiritual strength, perfects experience, and brings lasting joy. God's word is to be eaten as food for the soul, received with respect and deference and acted upon in its simple declarations. Turning the mind away from the word causes dearth in the church and makes many repeated testimonies necessary, while feeding on the word removes that need. Its living principles bring healing to the nations.
Both men and women are to become thoroughly acquainted with the teachings of Scripture. Eating the roll means applying the Word to one's individual life and making it a part of oneself. Eating the roll means studying the word and feeding on Christ, and all who study the word eat it. The word must be studied daily just as bodily necessities must be supplied daily, eaten and digested and practiced. This daily eating gives nourishment that keeps the soul in health.
The Sabbath is part of that word to be taken in and eaten before speaking it, not merely heard when brought before the mind by others. To eat the roll means to receive God's word inwardly and make it one's own and obey it, instead of only hearing about it from others and turning from it. It is not to be brought only to the throat but taken fully in. One who refuses to eat it now will one day wish he had eaten it.
Speaking to House Israel
The command is to eat what is found, to eat the roll given by God, and then to go speak to the house of Israel. The roll to be eaten is written inside and outside with lamentations and mourning and woe, yet when eaten it is in the mouth as honey for sweetness. It is to be received in the heart and heard with the ears before speaking God's words, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear.
God's worker must first take in God's message and then go speak it to Israel. This requires putting entire and whole dependence upon God while still acting his part. God has need of every agency that holds the truth in righteousness, and He faithfully proclaims the truth through the human agents He calls to serve.
Workers for Christ fulfill this commission by standing in view of the cross of Calvary. There they proclaim, Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. They proclaim the third angel's message with human voices, with power and glory.
Taking in God's Word is like eating food that is digested. The servant must grasp the Word and hold it fast, and let it direct the whole life. Receiving and believing the Word brings reformation. It is then to be given to others as the Word of life, presented to others after it has been received inwardly. Those who so take it in find no pleasure in telling falsehoods.
The charge to eat the roll and go speak to the house of Israel is to be brought before God's people now. It applies to those who have set themselves decidedly against the messages of the Lord. The Lord will deal with His people at the present time as He dealt with them in the past. So the message was held back at Melrose because many there did not know their true condition before God, with hearts and minds filled with doubt and unbelief and lost in fog.
God commands the prophet to eat the roll He gives him and then go speak His words to the house of Israel whether they will hear or forbear. The roll is written with lamentations and mourning and woe, yet when it is received into the heart and heard with the ears it is as honey for sweetness. To eat it is to take God's word into the inner life by daily study and contact with it, applying it to one's own life and making it a part of oneself and of every action and trait of character. As food nourishes the body, so this feeding quickens the conscience and mind, enlarges understanding, and gives spiritual strength and growth and lasting joy, without which all that God has provided at infinite cost does no good. Only when the servant has thus grasped the word, let it direct and reform the whole life, and put entire dependence upon God is he fitted to go and faithfully give it to others as the word of life.
Eating the Heavenly Roll
The roll given to eat is written within and without with lamentations and mourning and woe, yet when eaten it is in the mouth as honey for sweetness. It must be received into the heart and heard with the ears before speaking God's words, whether the hearers will hear or forbear. To eat the roll is to eat the word of God and make it a part of oneself by constant contact with it. This appropriating of the word is necessary to live a true Christian life, to quicken the conscience, to be strengthened, and to produce spiritual growth. All the precious things provided at infinite cost do no good unless they are thus appropriated.
As food nourishes the body, Christ's words are the bread of life. Receiving and assimilating them quickens the mind and enlarges understanding. Making the Word part of every action and every trait of character gives spiritual strength, perfects experience, and brings lasting joy. God's word is to be eaten as food for the soul, received with respect and deference and acted upon in its simple declarations. Turning the mind away from the word causes dearth in the church and makes many repeated testimonies necessary, while feeding on the word removes that need. Its living principles bring healing to the nations.
Both men and women are to become thoroughly acquainted with the teachings of Scripture. Eating the roll means applying the Word to one's individual life and making it a part of oneself. Eating the roll means studying the word and feeding on Christ, and all who study the word eat it. The word must be studied daily just as bodily necessities must be supplied daily, eaten and digested and practiced. This daily eating gives nourishment that keeps the soul in health.
The Sabbath is part of that word to be taken in and eaten before speaking it, not merely heard when brought before the mind by others. To eat the roll means to receive God's word inwardly and make it one's own and obey it, instead of only hearing about it from others and turning from it. It is not to be brought only to the throat but taken fully in. One who refuses to eat it now will one day wish he had eaten it.
Speaking to House Israel
The command is to eat what is found, to eat the roll given by God, and then to go speak to the house of Israel. The roll to be eaten is written inside and outside with lamentations and mourning and woe, yet when eaten it is in the mouth as honey for sweetness. It is to be received in the heart and heard with the ears before speaking God's words, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear.
God's worker must first take in God's message and then go speak it to Israel. This requires putting entire and whole dependence upon God while still acting his part. God has need of every agency that holds the truth in righteousness, and He faithfully proclaims the truth through the human agents He calls to serve.
Workers for Christ fulfill this commission by standing in view of the cross of Calvary. There they proclaim, Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. They proclaim the third angel's message with human voices, with power and glory.
Taking in God's Word is like eating food that is digested. The servant must grasp the Word and hold it fast, and let it direct the whole life. Receiving and believing the Word brings reformation. It is then to be given to others as the Word of life, presented to others after it has been received inwardly. Those who so take it in find no pleasure in telling falsehoods.
The charge to eat the roll and go speak to the house of Israel is to be brought before God's people now. It applies to those who have set themselves decidedly against the messages of the Lord. The Lord will deal with His people at the present time as He dealt with them in the past. So the message was held back at Melrose because many there did not know their true condition before God, with hearts and minds filled with doubt and unbelief and lost in fog.