Jeremias 15

Jeremias 15:16

Garland comments - Take and eat [labe kai kataphage], two verbs in the imperative mood: You take and you eat! The response of the mighty angel to John indicates his superior power and is intended to overcome John’s reluctance to touch, much less take, this important book held in the hands of such a mighty being. Eat is from katesthiō meaning: “Consume, devour, swallow.” The emphasis is upon John completely consuming what he is given to eat. Eating God’s Word is a frequent theme of Scripture and indicates the acceptance, digesting of, meditating upon, and sustenance derived from that which is eaten (Jer 15:16). Job declared, “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Jesus, the Word of God, referred to Himself as the Bread of Life (John 6:27-35, 48). In the same way that God made Israel dependent upon manna, so too are His servants to be dependent upon his Word. John was told to eat prophetic revelation much like that of Ezekiel. it will make your stomach bitter- Bitter is pikraino, used “Of honey when wormwood is mixed.” How well this describes God’s prophetic Word! It is honey for the obedient, but mixed with wormwood (Rev. 8:11) in the face of disobedience. This is the very essence of the Word of God. For those who follow it, it is the Word of Life (Phil 2:15, 1Jn 1:1). For those who reject it, it is the Word of Death. This dual nature of God’s Word was understood by Paul (2Cor. 2:14-16) The bitterness would develop after John had tasted its sweetness, when its contents were fully digested. “There was sweetness in the assurance that the prayers of God’s Israel, Who had ‘cried day and night unto Him,’ were about to be answered.” But the mature student of God’s prophetic Word will come to appreciate its bitterness. The new believer, excited by the prospect of God’s intervention into history, readily exults in God’s prophetic program, but often fails to appreciate the alternate aspect of the fulfillment of God’s promises—the eternal damnation of those who have not yet trusted in Christ. The bitterness which John will experience is an appreciation of God’s grace and mercy and the realization that in the completion of the mystery of God, judgment will have overcome the current age of mercy resulting in the eternal loss of countless persons who continue in their rejection of God. For undoubtedly the book contains “lamentations and mourning and woe” (Ezekiel 2:10). (A Testimony of Jesus Christ - Revelation 10 Commentary = best commentary on Revelation available anywhere in my humble opinion!) Think of your Bible as like a table, spilling over with nourishing "soul" food, spiritual nutrition we desperately need to devour and digest daily. And this rich fare is not boring for it includes promises, instruction, wisdom, comfort, and encouragement. Like any good host, God tells us, "Come and get it!" Yet sadly, we often fail to heed His Spirit's urging. We depend on everything but Him and wonder why our faith is feeble and our steadfastness unsteady! We need to remember that… The Bible is bread for daily use, Not cake for special occasions. Chew on the following passages which metaphorically allude to God's Word as food or nourishment for our souls - Deut 8:3 Job 23:12-note Ps 119:103 Ezek 2:8-note Ezek 3:1-note Mt 4:4 1Pe 2:2-note, Ps 19:10, 11-note, Heb 5:14-note) What wisdom, consolation, encouragement, etc, do we even have to speak to any person, unless we eat God's Holy Word and He speaks to us and through us? Jeremiah was like the man who wrote "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes." Henry