Ezekiel 2:1-3:3 “Take in the Word” (ft. Jadon Ruby)

In Ezekiel 2:1–3:3, Ezekiel falls on his face before the glory of the Lord and hears, “Son of man, stand on your feet and I will speak to you.” Jadon Ruby points out that God does not wait for Ezekiel to get up: the Spirit enters him and sets him on his feet. Connecting this to Psalm 1, where the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, he explains that we cannot stand before the Lord without the Spirit giving us strength, and that God picks us up and sets us where we are for a purpose. God sends Ezekiel to impudent, stubborn, rebellious Israel with “Thus says the Lord God,” whether they hear or refuse; Jadon shares Ezekiel 36:26, the promise of a new heart and a new spirit, as one of the first verses the Lord gave him after he was saved. From verses 6–7 he encourages listeners not to be afraid of people’s words or dismayed by their looks, telling of preaching on a street corner and riding his dirt bike into a thorn bush, and warning, from the parable of the seed choked by thorns, not to get choked out. He turns to Romans 10 (“How shall they hear without a preacher?… faith comes by hearing”) and explains that we must take in God’s word before we can share it: put it in our mouth, chew on it, digest it, and let it change us from the inside out. Ezekiel eats the scroll of lamentations, mourning, and woe, and it is sweet as honey; Revelation 10 repeats the picture with John. Jadon closes with the message of hope through Jesus’ death and resurrection, an invitation to come to the Lord, and prayer to read, chew on, and share God’s word.

Scripture References

Primary text

Ezekiel 2:1–10 (Son of man, stand on your feet; sent to a rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you)

Ezekiel 3:1–3 (eat this scroll; it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness)

Cross-references in the study

Ezekiel 1 (Ezekiel’s vision of the glory and throne of God by the river; referenced)

Psalm 1:1–6 (the blessed man; the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment)

Ezekiel 36:26–27 (I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you)

Luke 8:4–15 (the parable of the sower; the seed choked by thorns; referenced)

Romans 10:8–17 (how shall they hear without a preacher; faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God)

Revelation 10:5–11 (John eats the little book; sweet as honey in the mouth, bitter in the stomach)

Jeremiah (“Thus says the Lord” repeated throughout; referenced)

Topics and Keywords

Topics: The call of Ezekiel · Standing by the Spirit’s strength · Speaking God’s word · Rebellion and judgment · God’s mercy in sending a messenger · Not fearing people’s words · Taking in and digesting God’s word · Sharing the gospel

Keywords: Ezekiel 2, Ezekiel 3, Ezekiel 2:1–3:3, son of man, stand on your feet, Holy Spirit, glory of the Lord, rebellious house, impudent and stubborn, thus says the Lord, prophet, Psalm 1, judgment, Ezekiel 36:26, new heart, briars and thorns, scorpions, parable of the sower, street preaching, Romans 10, faith comes by hearing, eat the scroll, lamentations and mourning and woe, sweet as honey, Revelation 10, little book, word of God, Bible reading, gospel, Jadon Ruby, Bible study, Calvary Chapel Fort Walton Beach