We pick up from Chapter 2 with God presenting a scroll for Ezekiel to eat.
Then 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 fed me this scroll.
He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. Ezekiel 3:1-3
The commentaries seem to feel the need to emphasize the metaphor of eating a scroll. However, John in Revelation and the example here, don't seem metaphorical. He's already in a vision. I think they are meant to eat the book or the scroll as prescribed. Not to get distracted with a debate on transubstantiation, but part of being human is having to consume food and process it through some miraculous means to keep us alive. These prophets were going to be asked to do extraordinary things, their spiritual life needed to be significantly superior to the average Joe. Most of us can read the Bible over a lifetime and still keep finding treasures. God needed His prophets to digest it all for the years they would be able to minister.
Makes me think of Charlie Kirk. God knew the number of his days and gave him some supernatural gifts and opportunities to get it all done in the time he had to minister. It's true of all of us. We get gifts and time to use them. Some need some heavy duty spiritual equipment for what God has for them.
Back in verse 4, God sends Ezekiel to the house of Israel with God's words. He reminds Ezekiel that these are his people, not some foreign land, so they should be able to easily understand Ezekiel's word from God. Sadly, though they will choose not to listen, since they won't even listen to God. They are stubborn and obstinate. However, God assures him that He has made Ezekiel as hard-hearted and hard-headed as the people of Israel.
Personally, I'm relieved to read that in chapter 3 of this book. Jeremiah was so tenderhearted it was tough to watch those around him abuse him. I'm glad he was able to be that way, since it was before captivity; but now, in captivity, when life is harder, Ezekiel can be harder on them. God gives His every present command to not be afraid. In this case, Ezekiel is not to be afraid of this rebellious people.
Ezekiel is encouraged to listen and take in God's word. Then Ezekiel should take the word to the people whether they listen or not.
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord in His place.” Ezekiel 3:12
From his moment directly communicating with God (wow.wow.wow), Ezekiel is lifted up onto the fire chariot run by angels and taken back to exiles on the Chebar river. Interestingly, he is "embittered in the rage of my spirit", but also, "the hand of the Lord was strong on me."
I get the embittered and rage part. That's my oldest enemy—bitterness and rage. But for Ezekiel, I think his was a godly rage. He just ate a giant scroll, filled on both sides with mourning and lamentations. If the people would just turn back to the Lord, this ll wouldn't be necessary. But a lot of people were going to suffer for a long time out of a pure rebellious stubbornness.
No wonder Ezekiel felt so embittered and rage-filled. It was all unnecessary suffering.
Maybe this is a glimpse of how God feels when we waste our potential and spend our days unwisely. Needless suffering.
A new paragraph starts in verse 16 and Ezekiel has been back for seven days. It does sounds like it was more than a vision but a transportation of sorts...that's interesting. God speaks to him and assigns him as the watchman to the house of Israel. When God speaks, Ezekiel is to warn them.
Yikes. Things get very serious, starting in verse 18 with the Lord informing Ezekiel that if God warns the wicked and Ezekiel doesn't speak the warning, the wicked will die, but their blood will be on Ezekiel's hands. If Ezekiel does warn him, the unrepentant wicked will still die, but Ezekiel isn't responsible.
Wiersbe makes the point that God called Ezekiel a watchman. Watchmen stood on the tower and watched. If they didn't do their job and warn people, those people may get hurt and it would directly be the watchman's fault. It seems harsh for the Lord to put Ezekiel in such a tough spot, but the truth is, He created good works for all of us to do even before the foundation of the world. We all have a job to do and others depending on us. We need to keep that in mind with not only our works, but also our families, friends, and communities. If our job is to look for icebergs and we don't take it seriously, or fail to warn people when we see one...bad things happen.
And if a righteous man stumbles in sin, unwarned, he'll die and his good deeds will be forgotten and his blood on Ezekiel's hands. If Ezekiel does warn the righteous and he fails to sin, he will be saved and Ezekiel won't have blood on his hands.
Starting a new paragraph in verse 22, God sends Ezekiel out to the plains and promises to speak to him there. When Ezekiel arrives, he see the glory of the Lord as he did in his first vision. As would be expected, he fell on face before the Lord. The Spirit, once again, lifted him up. He was told to shut himself up in his house. The Lord tells him that the people are going to bind him so that he can't go out among them and the Lord is going to make him mute. But when the Lord commands, he will speak and the people will choose to obey or refuse. They are a rebellious house.