The Sweetness of Prophetic Speech: From the Striking Image in Ezekiel
In his book HOW TO READ THE BIBLE, James l. Kugel comments on the following passage in the book of Ezekiel, where the prophet tells about how God summoned him to act as His messenger. After charging him with the mission of speaking to the rebellious and stubborn-hearted people of Israel, God continues thus:
And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
…
And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
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.
And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
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.
And then Kugel comments:
God’s summons to Ezekiel is meant to sound a bit like that of a mother to her young son: “Be a good boy, eat this!” In this case, however, the one being so urged has cause for hesitation: the “food” in question looks doubly inedible. First of all, it consists of a rolled-up scrolll, and if that isn’t unappetizing enough, it is written on both sides with words of mourning and woe. Yet Ezekiel is quite the opposite of the rebellious Israelites to whom God is sending him. He obediently takes the scroll and starts to chew, and to his astonishment, it turns out to be as sweet as honey. The message embodied in this vision seems to be: although being My prophet does not look like it will be a happy mission, since what you will have to say is principally “lamentation and mourning and woe,” try it nonetheless! Then you will see that, however sour the words you speak, being My emissary is indeed sweet.
I resonate with this passage and commentary because it corresponds with something that I’ve experienced in these past several years.
My attention, most of these past several years, has been on dark and bitter things, things that often are frightening and repugnant. Sometimes I have felt emotionally bound up because the feelings that would flow are uncomfortable. And then –and this has happened again and again– I’ve entered into that “prophetic” kind of space where it is as if I’m receiving instruction on what to do with that discomfort and that fear, and on what to say about the dark developments in our country which have evoked them. And that change from the one state, where it’s just me burdened with a reality that’s hard to face, to the other state, where I’ve been given a message to deliver about that reality, makes all the difference.
Even though the scroll I’ve eaten is filled with words of lamentation and mourning, when I get the sense of being a channel for saying something that might help move things forward in a positive way, the taste of the message becomes sweet.
I am imagining that what I’m reporting here corresponds to the experience of a lot of people: when one finds the path to do something constructive with one’s pain, the nature of the pain changes into something one can embrace.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:10 am
OK, so we speak prophetic words of wisdom and the current political climate will ravage you for it. Yea, that sounds like a good time to me.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
or maybe sweet sorrow? And what do the monsters feel? Rancid pleasure?
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
On the other hand, watch dodgy Cass Sunstein on Democracy Now to get a better idea just how wrong the prophecy on O is likely to be.
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Andy, I see your point emphatically! This is a really good piece for me to ponder, as I have a similar pattern of experiences (although I couldn’t possibly express them so eloquently, nor have my occasions to share “words” been as powerful nor as effective as yours).
A recent New Yorker cartoon shows a married couple in the office of a physician. The husband is standing on the doctor’s desk, shouting madly and flailing his arms at the world. The wife is asking the doctor, “Can you prescribe something for him to take until there is a change in Administraton?”
Problem is, when my wife showed me the cartoon, it took some doing on my part to admit…well, you know! Funny thing is, there was a time when my wife was the so-called “knee-jerk Liberal” in the family. [She convinced me too well, I guess, but don't blame her for my rants....]
From the front of a classroom, it’s necessary for me to lead horses to water, but stop there, and hope for the best. From time to time I get to witness a turn-around, a few light bulbs, many thoughtful nods – all in the name of critical thinking. Occasionally, I’ll have a student, after hearing a description of some public policy matter, become downright irate at the condition of things, and then I know that the student’s next phase/challenge will have to be to find a way to turn her newfound learnings into lifelong action.
Thanks, Andy.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:18 am
Whenever a prophet speaks, hope remains. Far worse than a prophet speaking mourning and lamentation is silence by those who see the condition of humanity clearly. When that happens, the point of no return has been reached and the fate of the rebellious is fixed. Still, a lot of prophets face persecution and even death to carry their message of hope. Some have seen their words bear fruit, while others did not live to see the hoped for changes, changes that did not become apparent for decades or even centuries after their efforts. I am convinced that when a prophet speaks something “sweet” will happen even if the timeline is uncertain.
Can we perservere even if we are not privileged to see our sacrifices make a difference? I’m not always sure that I can, but when I see others working in the dark I find new courage. I recently found enough courage to file to run for mayor in our small town (about 4,000 people). NSB has played no small part in helping me find that courage.
Thanks again Andy.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Aaron, congratulations for taking this important step!!!
Having spent more days, evenings and weekends with mayors and city councilors than I care to count, I can tell you that your local government career will be damn hard, immensely rewarding, at times thankless, sometimes hilarious and in the end memorable. Some of our best legislators and congressmen began at the municipal level, and there’s no doubt that we need more of these civic-minded souls to enter politics.
I served in city management for 25 years. If there is anything that I can do in your behalf as you get rolling, I’d be more than happy to lend a hand or offer 2 cents (perhaps initially through Andy as intermediary if confidentiality is desired).
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Jim Z. Thank you! I will keep you informed, and I will certainly take you up on your generous offer.