What Old Testament connections can be made with the act of eating the scroll? The Revelation Scene: A Scroll to Swallow Revelation 10:8-10 gives the picture: “Take it and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” • A literal command to John, not a mere symbol. • Sweetness first, then bitterness—just as God’s Word comforts yet also convicts. Ezekiel: A Precedent for Prophetic Diet “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll… So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll… And it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.” Connections: • Both prophets receive an actual scroll to swallow. • Sweet taste mirrors Revelation’s description. • Result: Ezekiel must “go, speak to the house of Israel” (3:4), paralleling John’s call to “prophesy again” (Revelation 10:11). • Emphasizes the pattern: God puts His words inside the messenger before sending him out. Jeremiah: Digesting the Word “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight.” • Jeremiah devours God’s words figuratively, showing deep internalization. • Like John, he later feels the bitterness of rejection and persecution (15:17-18). Honey on the Tongue, Bitterness in the Belly Old Testament echoes of sweetness: • Psalm 119:103 — “How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey to my mouth!” • Proverbs 24:13-14 — Wisdom compared to honey; “there will be a future reward.” Bitterness imagery: • Lamentations 3:15 — “He has filled me with bitterness,” reflecting judgment themes tied to prophetic messages. Takeaway: God’s Word delights the obedient heart yet brings sorrow when judgment must be declared. Taking the Word Inside: Covenant Echoes • Deuteronomy 8:3 — Man lives “on every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” • Jeremiah 31:33 — New Covenant promise: “I will put My law within them and write it on their hearts.” The act of eating the scroll foreshadows God’s goal of having His Word literally inside His people—first the prophet, ultimately every believer. Why God Uses This Picture • Internalization: A prophet cannot merely read God’s message; he must absorb it. • Identification: Eating unites messenger and message—what comes out of the prophet’s mouth is precisely what God put in. • Consecration: The act sets the prophet apart, marking a fresh commission (Ezekiel in exile, John during the end-times). Old Testament threads knit a consistent pattern: when God has something crucial to say, He first feeds His faithful servant with the very words that must be spoken—sweet or bitter—so that the servant can deliver them with heaven’s full authority. |
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