He Caused Me To Eat

Aug 29, 2007

He Caused Me To Eat

Kathleen Maples

Eze 3:1 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. Eze 3:2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. Eat, consume what you discover, what your Lord delivers up to you in this Book as you present yourself to the Word of God. Lay hold on what you find within these sacred pages, with reverence and appreciation, and lay it to heart. Take heed to what you read. Open your heart to receive with meekness the Word of God and ask the Lord to engraft it into you, to make it a part of you. The Scripture says He caused Ezekiel to eat this Book. Ezekiel's name means s"God will strengthen". Why would God tell this man to eat this Book? What happened when he did? If you love God you will love His Word.

Eze 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. Eze 3:4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. In the Hebrew the word belly is 'beten', and it means the place of mental faculties...it's another word for your mind. It also means womb, and a place of hunger. Inside every human being ever born there is a void, a God-shaped void that He alone can fill. This hunger, this empty place inside humanity, only their Creator can fill and satisfy. He tells Ezekiel, satisfy your heart, fill up your mind with my Word. Get it inside you now. You must learn and understand and appropriate the Word for yourself before you can effectively teach it to others. He wants His Word in your heart and mind, as well. How can we tell others if we don't know ourselves? It is a very dangerous thing to run with "a Word" from the Lord, when we haven't prayed, or read this Book, and let Him deal with us first. It's foolish to try to teach others, if we haven't dug in this Book with prayer and searching, seeking for the Treasure the Lord of Hosts has placed within these precious pages. Don't ever sit in the Sanctuary and blindly take on faith what the man in the pulpit is telling you for truth. You search it out yourself. Your soul is much too precious to risk it on what men say when the same God who taught Elijah, and Moses, and Peter, and Paul, and Mary and Martha wants to teach you. This Word is given only by the Lord. Understanding and all true wisdom comes from Him. When he received the Word from the Lord, it was so sweet to him, like honey. That reminds me of what Jeremiah said, in Jer_15:16. 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! He was going to send Ezekiel to a rebellious people and He warned Ezekiel these are people who are hard, rebellious, and arrogant. He was going to make Ezekiel a sharp stone that would with stand their hard looks and harsh criticism of the message he was sent to bring. He was being sent to a captivated people.

Eze 3:9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Eze 3:10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. One translation says "You will be so determined to speak my message that nothing will stop you. I will make you hard like a diamond, and you'll have no reason to be afraid of those arrogant rebels." (CEV) In the original Greek, the literal translation for the word adamant is "as unyielding corundum" and I had no clue, so I looked it up and corundum is a very hard mineral used as an abrasive. (To smooth, sand, and cleanse...?) Oh, isn't the Word what washes us (Eph_5:26) and polishes us after the blood cleanses us? The Word takes all the rough edges of the world and polishes them off, and smooths us and re-shapes and changes us into a completely different image..and of course, I am talking about our hearts and minds...first and foremost. Oh, Father, please, give us that kind of determination that we will dig in Your Word and not let opinions and ideas of others affect the message. We can't compromise this Word or soften it for anyone. But we must have His understanding to speak it accurately, and in context. HE has to teach it to us. Oh, praise God for the Holy Spirit whose job this is and who has been given to us! People get stuck in their traditions, and sometimes do not want to listen to God because they are so fixed in their carnal way of thinking and doing things, they don't even recognize it truly is God speaking through His ministers and messengers. He told Ezekiel everything I tell you, accept it, lay hold of it, don't let go of it, take possession of what I am saying to you, and understand, agree with what I say. Be obedient to what I tell you to do, tell others, share with them what I am showing you. Oh, wow. What an awesome responsibility. In order to fulfill this, Ezekiel had to present himself to the Lord, frequently, always, and seek His Word, and be patient to wait on the Lord to direct and instruct him. He had to pray and seek God, and study this, and God told him to share with others what He was feeding Ezekiel. I'm feeding you, and it's sweet to you, but you must feed My Word to them, whether they like it or not, if they listen or don't listen, you must still speak what I tell you.

Eze 3:14 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 the LORD was strong upon me. A casual reading here makes you think the Spirit just picked Ezekiel up bodily and carried him off and sat him down by the river of Chebar. But wait, go back for a minute to Eze_1:26-28. He gets a visitation, and sees the Lord on His throne, high and lifted up, still in control even though His people have been taken captive, and uprooted from the promises and place God had meant for them to occupy. What does he do? He falls on his face like a dead man, because no flesh can stand in the presence of such a holy, majestic and powerful God. What strength he has fails him. (Compare with Isaiah 6:1-7, Rev 1,).

Eze 2:1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. Eze 2:2 And the spirit entered into me when he spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spoke unto me.

Psalms 33:9 says He commanded and it was done. He speaks and things happen. He strengthened this man by the power of His Spirit (Zec_4:6). It's not by might, not by man's power but by the Spirit of the Lord that God's Work is done. .because flesh will get no glory. It took the power of God's Spirit for this beloved servant of God to be able to stand in His presence. He tells this saint He has given him a job to do, and not to be afraid to do it, and not fear the people. He tells him, I'm sending you to a bitter people. They are rebellious, bitter, and have broken away from me in their apostasy, and stubbornness. They have problems, they have lost heart, they are discouraged and angry, incredulous this could happen to them. Remember, these people have lost their home, their nation, their government, their property, many have lost loved ones, and they are in captivity to a foreign nation. They are little more than slaves in Babylon. They have been humbled and they do not like it one bit.

Eze 2:7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. 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. Eze 2:9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; Eze 2:10 And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. Listen carefully, Ezekiel, He says, don't be like they are, open up your heart and consume what I give you. He delivers to this man the written Word of God. A roll of a book. Back then, they wrote on parchment that was then rolled up like a scroll and sealed with a band of material to keep it closed and secret or preserved. This scroll was laid out before Ezekiel, open and both sides of this scroll had been written on. God had written there things that expressed sorrow, grief, and mourning. He was not being sent with a sweet, easy Word. He was sent to warn, and watch.

Eze 3:14 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 the LORD was strong upon me. Eze 3:15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. The Spirit of God had to stand this man up on his feet to face God's presence and hear God's Word. Now, the Spirit had to support and sustain this man to do what God called him to do. When you look up this 'lifted up' yes, it means to carry off, but it also means to empower the servant to fulfill the will of the Master. Ezekiel goes in bitterness, and remember the Lord warned him not to be bitter or rebellious as the people, but Ezekiel was upset, and he went with hot displeasure. Why was he so upset at this? He goes back among the people at the river Chebar and is devastated, absolutely stunned by the revelation and encounter with the Lord. He settled there, near this river, and just waited, thinking furiously about what he'd learned, I'm sure. God showed him a scroll that had lamentations and mourning in it. If it's God's Word,

it comes from God's heart-the Word says out of the heart the mouth speaketh, right? So, God's heart had to be broken because of the condition of His people. No parent in their right mind wants to see their children live rebellious lives and end up losing everything they have, and become captivated by drugs or sin or anything destructive. God's heart was hurting for these people, for how they had treated Him, and it grieved HIM to see them like this. He knew they were grieved, but they were not sorrowful or repentant for their sins.

Eze 3:16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Eze 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. Oh, blessed is the man whom Thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy courts; we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple! (Psa 65:4). Well, gee whiz, if you are called to be a watchman, you are chosen to approach unto the One who will demand more of your time and affection than anything. And what greater way to spend your life than in the presence of the Almighty who loves you more than anyone one earth ever could, learning of Him, feeding on Him, loving Him, EXPERIENCING HIM...oh, Lord, my God!!!!! What an awe-inspiring thought. A watchman is one who looks ahead, and watches carefully, waiting, and watching, seeing what or who is coming. God says, understand what I say to you, and warn the people.

Eze 3:18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Eze 3:19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. To be wicked just means to be morally wrong here, condemned and guilty. This is your condition if you do not have the Lord Jesus Christ resident in your heart, no matter how many good deeds you do. To say no to the Lord, and refuse Him entry into your heart and life, is to say no to life and truth (Joh_14:6) and to say yes to lies, death and destruction. God wants them to turn, because if they don't, they will be destroyed, and He is sending the warning now through his watchmen and people are responsible for what they do with the information. They will be allowed to receive or reject it, but there will be consequences for their decision. We can't soften or diminish the message, people. Time is short, and trouble is here, and more is coming. It's going to be like a Tsunami, one wave after another of trouble, the like this nation has never seen before. It's like that now, every time you turn on the news, those who understand the Word and the times they live in, see the prophecies being fulfilled at an alarming rate while much of the church is asleep, and at ease in Zion. Oh, foolish virgins awake! Shake yourself! Seek the Lord while there is still time to find Him before He shuts the door!

Eze 3:20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Eze 3:21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and

he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. We can't afford to become casual about the things of God and take His Word and prayer for granted. We can't let down the standards of the Lord, and begin to live carelessly, like we are on vacation when we are in a warfare. We can't coast in to heaven on being saved at 9 and filled with the Holy Ghost, and think we don't need a fresh infilling regularly...we need Him continually. We must be willing to get rid of any and everything that would hinder the flow of the Spirit of God in our vessel for He is our life. When the Lord steps out on the clouds for His Bride, He's going to call the Holy Ghost back out of this world and only those in whom He dwells will be leaving here, folks. Only those who are led, controlled and live by the Spirit of God, on the Word of God, will be ready. Only they will be found worthy. Jesus said He is the Door, and there is no other way out of this world. But the Holy Ghost is the One who will teach us and show us who Jesus is and manifest Him to us-He is the SPIRIT of Christ. We will be held accountable for telling people and warning them about what's coming. We have to pray and have the Spirit of God guiding our mouth, our heart and mind, and focusing our eyes on JESUS-(Heb_12:2) The Word is a dead letter that will wound and kill people without the life of the Holy Spirit anointing and animating it so it heals and brings hope like God intends it to. We can't beat people over the head, we must use wisdom and we must redeem the time, make it count. Since we can't do this, on our own, we must seek the Lord, yield to Him, offer up all we are for His glorious use, (even being a janitor in His House is glorious, compared to the world and what it offers).

Eze 3:22 And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. Eze 3:23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face. He says, come on, Ezekiel, you are going into a valley. He was going to see the glory of the Lord. The presence of the Lord was so weighty, so heavy on this man, he could not stand under the weight. Again, the Spirit came and set him up on his feet and strengthened him, filled him, go, get in the prayer closet. Go get shut up in your house (are we not the house or temple of the Lord?) There will be those who do not want to hear the Word and will try to shut the mouth and hinder the watchman from delivering the message but when the Lord speaks to his watchman, He will open their mouth, He will make the way through opposition and they will have a place and time to speak, regardless whether people will listen. Will we endure it or will we brush it off as "oh, they are being too serious, taking this all much too seriously?" Are we listening the watchmen God has raised up over this nation? Are we listening and taking heed, making preparations? Faith is what you do about what you know is true. Faith is knowing God will do what He said, regardless if it is bless you or judge you.