Ezekiel 3:3
And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
To eat the roll is to take God's Word inwardly and digest it, becoming thoroughly acquainted with its teachings and applying it to the individual life until it becomes part of oneself, a work that belongs to women as well as to men. It must be done daily, as bodily food is taken daily, by studying and practicing the Word and feeding on Christ in it, which nourishes and keeps the soul in health and vigor and gives spiritual growth and lasting joy. So received, the Word is sweet in the mouth, and inwardly believed it reforms the life so that falsehood finds no pleasure and truth such as the Sabbath is obeyed from within. It is to be received with respect and acted upon in every act, shaping the character and directing the whole person, for neglect of it brings dearth while its living principles heal. Only when thus fully eaten is it to be given to others, for the command is to eat what God gives and then go speak His words, putting entire dependence on God while standing at the post of duty to proclaim His message.
Eating God's Word
Eating the roll is eating God's Word, taking it inwardly and digesting it rather than merely having it brought to the throat from the outside. To eat is to become thoroughly acquainted with the teachings of Scripture, to apply them to individual life, and to make them a part of oneself. This inward appropriating work belongs to women as well as to men. Studying the Word is itself eating the Word and feeding on Christ. As bodily necessities must be supplied daily, so the Word must be supplied daily by studying it and eating and digesting and practicing it, and this nourishment keeps the soul in health.
Receiving God's message is like eating and assimilating food, for Christ's words are the bread of life. Taking them into the mind through constant contact with the Word quickens understanding and quickens the conscience. All the precious things provided at infinite cost do no good unless thus appropriated, and only by so eating the Word are they made to strengthen, to give vigor to the soul, to produce spiritual growth, to perfect the experience, and to give lasting joy. The Word so eaten is to be treated with respect and deference, received and acted upon. It is to be made part of every act and character, shaping and directing the whole person.
Neglect of the Word by letting the mind be drawn away from it causes dearth in the church. If the Word were so eaten, the simple declarations of Scripture would be enough without many repeated testimonies. Its living principles heal the nations. The roll eaten is sweet in the mouth, for receiving God's Word fully and taking it into oneself brings sweetness. Receiving and believing the Word inwardly in this way brings reformation.
Those who take it in and digest it find no pleasure in telling falsehoods. Truth such as the Sabbath must be taken in and eaten as the Word of God — inwardly received and obeyed — not merely brought to attention or heard when others press it upon the mind.
Proclaiming God's Message
The command is to take in the roll that God gives and then go speak His words to the house of Israel, and it belongs to the instruction in Ezekiel 2 and 3 that is to be read carefully and brought before God's people at the present time. It applies to those who have set themselves decidedly against the messages of the Lord. Its meaning is that the Lord will surely deal with His people at the present time as He dealt with them in the past.
That message belonged at the camp-meeting at Melrose, but it was not given there because so many present did not know their true condition before God. Their hearts and minds had been filled by the enemy with doubt and unbelief, leaving many lost in the fog. God's worker must put entire dependence upon God while still standing to his post of duty under God as instructor, for the Lord has need of every agency that holds the truth in righteousness. Heavenly and human agencies unite in the work with perfect order and harmony, with no credit to human agencies but all glory to the Lord alone. In that union human voices proclaim Christ crucified and the third angel's message to the world in power and glory. God's Word is to be taken in fully, like food, and then given to others as the word of life.