Something I am in continuous prayer about is the words I speak. I am very, very cautious of what I say, but also how I say it. I am always praying that the Father’s will be done.
I find myself struggling with social media, because of how much it is used as a place of quick consumption. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when it comes to using your page for Bible study and edification, that is something not designed for quick consumption, nor is it designed for entertainment.
The more I study, the more I feel Yahuah leading me to be much slower to speak. I find myself stirring on words/messages for months before I share them. I don’t want to do anything in haste, although there is an urgency in my heart that never stops burning.
But I felt led to share some nuggets from Ezekiel 3 that I found this morning that brought me a lot of peace and clarity.
You know how Scripture reiterates that Yah’s Word is “sweet like honey?”
“My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; so shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; if you have found it, there is a prospect, and your hope will not be cut off.”
Proverbs 24:13-14
“How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Psalm 119:103
...well, Ezekiel can attest to that, too.
In the verses leading up to Chapter 3, we read how Yahuah was preparing Ezekiel for his call to be a prophet to the House of Israel. We also read how Yahuah gave him a scroll to eat, in which in Ezekiel 2:10, it says that on this scroll was written lamentations, mournful songs, and woe.
Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
Ezekiel 3:1-3
As I was reading that passage, Yah placed Revelation 10:9-10 in my ruach:
“So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.” Revelation 10:9-10
Why was it bitter to John’s (the author) stomach?
Before we answer that, let’s take a deeper look at the word “bitter.”
Why was it bitter to John’s (the author) stomach?
Before we answer that, let’s take a deeper look at the word “bitter.”
Bitter: Strong’s G4087, “pikraino”
This word ‘bitter’ in Greek means “to render angry, indignant, irritate or frustrate.” Additionally, we find that after Ezekiel swallowed the scroll, he also had similar feelings:
“So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of Yahuah was strong upon me.”
Ezekiel 3:14
Let’s look at “bitterness” here as well.
Bitterness: Strong’s H4751, “mar”
In Hebrew, this means “to be sad, angry, or discontent."
So, we have a connection here between Ezekiel and John, in which the Word of Yahuah was sweet to the taste, but it was bitter to the stomach. In other words, these men of Yahuah loved the Word, but the reality of what it required of them before they were told to prophecy to people was deeply disturbing to them. Yahuah called Ezekiel to speak His Word to the House of Israel, but as it says in Ezekiel 3:14, he was first filled with indignation and went in the fury of his ruach.
In order to truly do the will of the Father and speak/teach Yah’s Word, you not only have to have a love for it, but you have to be able to handle and control the indignation and grief that comes with it, which means that everything we share must not come from a place of emotion or unhealed wounds.
Ezekiel said that before he was commissioned to speak, he was furious and deeply discontent, BUT “the hand of Yahuah was strong upon me.”
Indignation is a righteous, yet controlled anger. Anger is only a sin when it’s acted upon through our flesh, which is probably why Scripture says that not many people should become teachers and that we are to be slow to speak. You can have the truth all day long, but if your teaching of that truth comes out of a place of emotion, it’s vanity. Emotions are footholds for the enemy, and we must always be checking ourselves.
Another thing that can be learned from Ezekiel 3 is that as soon as he was commissioned to speak and prophesy, he did several things:
1. He sat among them in Babylonian captivity and OBSERVED. It says in verse 15 that he sat there astonished for 7 days. Yet, he did not speak.
2. He was told by Yahuah to shut himself in his house. Yahuah said “I will make your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth.” Yah said “when I speak with you, I will open your mouth” (Ezekiel 3:24-27).
Ezekiel’s words were given at the permission of Yahuah. This required him to be discerning and obedient in the words he spoke to his people.
There is much joy that comes from learning the Father’s Word, but there is deep grief and indignation that comes with it as well.
There is a zealous indignation that burns for Yahuah’s righteousness, His commandments, His truth. It is a fire that is shut up in our bones.
But this fire MUST be handled correctly.
And it has everything to do with the tongue.
Ezekiel was called to be a prophet, but he was not quick to speak. He was quick to listen and observe.
I think this is something that we can all take to heart.
When you begin to learn the truth about Scripture, as well as how much the religion of Christianity has robbed from us in understanding who our Creator is and the covenant we are called to be in, it takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, thoughts, etc., as you are given eyes to see.
And that is what makes the revelation of truth bitter to our stomach. We’ve tasted the honey, but with it has come the lamentations, mournful songs, and woes, JUST like Ezekiel.
It makes sense why Scripture says He “went in bitterness and in the heat of his spirit.” BUT he also said that Yahuah’s hand was strong upon him—meaning that this indignation did not cross the line in the calling Yahuah placed on his life. Ezekiel was SLOW to speak. Yahuah called him to speak to His people, but this did not come immediately.
I’m going to continue to be in prayer about this in my own life. I’m going to continue to pray for more discernment in the words that stir an indignation in my ruach before I share them.
May we all be quick to listen and slow to speak.
HalleluYAH for giving us such a strong example through his obedient prophet, of how we are to respond to and deliver His truth.
With Love,
Stephanie Green