^{8/1/10 "Eating the Word"  Jeremiah 15:16  Dr. J. Ben Sloan  Lake Murray Presbyterian}

¹⁶ When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, 6LORD God Almighty. (Jer. 15:16)
⁸ But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you." ⁹ Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, ¹⁰ which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. ¹ And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." ² So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. ³ Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. (Ezekiel 2:8- 3:3)

⁹ So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but 'in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.' " ¹⁰ I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. ¹¹ Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings." (Revelation 10:9-11)

⁴ Jesus answered, "It is written: 'People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " (Matthew 4:4)

There are many, many scriptures that contain this imagery of eating the Bible- or eating the Word of God.   What does that mean? 
A famous book turned into a movie "The Three Musketeers" had a good character who was caught eat a secret message rather than let that message fall into the wrong hands. 
I remember years ago in elementary school- back when guys were just showing an interest in girls, but were really embarrassed about it- one of my friends passed a note to me saying he liked a girl who was sitting in front of me.  The girl saw me get the note, and she asked me for it.  I refused to give it to her.   She kept insisting- I think she knew what it said, and so I took that note- that wasn’t very big, and put it in my mouth ate it and swallowed it. 
Rather, eating God’s Word means taking part in God- His kingdom, His will.  It is intaking scripture into our lives, and partaking of God.  It is a bit like breathing.   When you breathe in air- the oxygen is sorted out in your lungs and goes through your blood stream into every living cell in your body.  There is no such thing as a living human cell without oxygen.  So partaking of God’s Word is to become so much a part of us that it feeds us and makes us alive.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS OF READING SCRIPTURE- C.S. Lewis said there are two kinds of reading, the reading in which we use a book for our own purposes and the reading in which we receive the author’s purposes.  In the end- there are two ways of reading the scripture- for ourselves and our glory- or for God and God’s glory.   When Jeremiah talked about eating the word- he wasn’t talking about just seeing it or hearing it, but digesting it- letting it soak in and becoming a part of us.  There are things that I have read/seen all my life but I have never thought about them.
Many read the Bible seeking solely to enrich themselves- for their own purposes rather than being shaped by God.  Often we read scripture for information or inspiration.  While these things are good, we should never stop there. 
1) FOR INFORMATION- like a text book- what must I do to inherit eternal life- know about God but don’t want God to mess with what they want.  So too often they find excuses for not believing and to doubt as a way to avoid being involved with God.  What counts is not debating how the information in the Bible came or when or where, but what it says.  Someone asked the great theologian Karl Barth whether the serpent in Genesis 1 actually spoke.  Barth replied, “Madame, it doesn’t matter whether the serpent spoke, what matters is what the serpent said.” 
2) FOR INSPIRATION- to get some encouragement for me.  But not really trying to find what God’s will is for me- and how I might change or participate in it.  Fine tuning on the AM when need major band change.   The Bible may be read for information and inspiration- but these ways of reading it are about us.  In the end the Bible wants to involve us with God.  It is like the Bible is the dance and we are called to come dance in it.  Or the Bible is a play and we are called to be characters in it.  WE ARE CALLED TO PARTICIPATE IN GOD’S WORD- Best imagery of that is eating it.  It becomes us- and we also become it!  You are what you eat, you know.   We become the only gospel some people see.   That is why such things as VBS or Goodworks are so important for us to do.  We read what we participate in- so most of the time when I was not thinking of going to Israel I had no real interest in the Hebrew or Arabic language.  So when my friend was about to have a baby- he bought all these books about having a baby and being a father.  So gadget people like gadget magazines; fashion conscious people like fashion magazines.  So people who believe in God and are practicing that belief want to read about Him.  It is so exciting to see a new believer read the Bible for the first time- they are so excited about it!  Jeremiah says “Your word became to me my joy and delight.”   

Last night I was going over this sermon with my wife, and Kay went to the kitch got my favorite thing- ice cream and brought it to me.  She asked, "Do you want some ice cream?"  Of course I said "Yes." She held it a few feet from me- close enough to smell the chocolate mint ice cream- she took a spoon and held it a few inches from my face- "are you sure you want it?"  By now I was like Pavlov's dog.  Christians should hunger for the Word like we hunger for our favorite dish.  Too many want to have the Bible close at hand, but not really read it.  Too many want to have the scripture on their coffee table or bookshelf without really reading it.  We need to taste and see God's goodness.  My wife has had leukemia for four years now, and it is kept at bay by a drug called gleevic.  She must take it every day- even though it makes her sick.  If she were to quit taking it, she would probably die.  So she takes it.  The Bible is our survival pill- we should take it- ingest it. 

We believe God speaks to us through scripture- sacramentally.  It is like God meets us there, convicts us there, guides us there, strengthens us there, heals us there, gives us peace there- and there we also must listen- digest- respond.   When we do, we find our joy in the Lord- which is our strength. 

                The Book is to be digested- meditated upon.  The difference between Christian meditation and non-Christian meditation usually lies in this: many forms of meditation want you to empty your mind or distract your mind.  Christian meditation wants you to fill your mind with God’s Word.   Eating God’s Word is like playing music.
Music is not simply meant to be written on a sheet- it is meant to be performed- lived.  It is not simply meant to be played, but played in a living way.  I can pick out the melody notes to “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.”  But it will sound wooden and boxed in.  But a true maestro will be able to play it with gusto, and life, and improvisation, and emphasis.

                The scriptures are not meant to be picked at and analyzed (like a kid who doesn’t want to eat his/her vegetables) as much as they are to be swallowed and lived.  It is the same with the Lord’s Supper.  Both the Bible and the supper symbolize God.  The Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus said the supper symbolizes his sacrifice for us.  Jesus is the Word made flesh.  In another place Jesus says “Unless you eat my flesh you have no life in you” (Jn 6:52).   Jesus is the living Word. He is God in the flesh- we are called not just to know about Him, but to participate in his kingdom, come to His table, and then leave the table digesting what we have just experienced- living it out in the world around us.