“Eat the Scroll”
Every once in a while, you hit one of those passages in the Bible that just feels ... strange. Wheels covered in eyes. A valley full of bones clattering back together. A temple vision with measurements so detailed you wonder if you accidentally opened an architect's manual instead of your Bible. Or a command for a prophet to literally eat a whole scroll.
It's easy to get overwhelmed and lost in all the weird imagery of a book like Ezekiel or Revelation. You're trying to grasp a totally different kind of writing than we're used to reading. But the wisdom of these books is within reach if we're willing to spend some time with them.
Recently, I taught through Ezekiel — a book that I had a lot of questions about but few answers. Ezekiel has a habit of acting out his messages, speaking in riddles, and getting swept up into shocking visions. But it's the unfamiliar stuff that ended up teaching me the most, with its pictures of God's holiness, judgment, and renewing presence with his people. So how can we all unlock more of those intimidating Bible books? Here are three keys that made a difference for me.
1. Immerse Yourself
So what's the point of that moment in Ezekiel 3, where God told Ezekiel to eat the scroll before speaking his words? When you eat something, you bring it into yourself, absorb its nutrients, make it part of you. If you want to understand Scripture, you can't just glance at the text. You have to digest it until it becomes part of you.
For us, that means taking your time with a book or passage, especially if you're planning to teach it. Read and re-read it. Sit with it long enough that its rhythms, images, and themes start to sink in. If you rush through Ezekiel in a week, you'll miss it. But if you take the slow route, the foreign becomes familiar, and the message behind all those visions and hard words starts to shine through.
2. Look for Help
We don't have to study Scripture on an island. God has given us a community of partners to engage with about the word — wise teachers, thoughtful friends, and the writings of excellent scholars who have spent years working through the same questions you encounter. The key is choosing guides who ground their insights in the text, and then thinking critically each step of the way, "examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things" check out (Acts 17:11).
3. Take It to Heart
Bible study isn't academic; we don't keep our distance from these texts. We'll never fully understand Bible passages until we apply them. Bring the words and ideas into your prayer life. Seek out areas of friction between your life and God's words. Ask the Lord for help seeing him and knowing him better as you study.
Ezekiel's struggle taught me not to define success by someone's response. Like the prophet, sometimes we speak and people refuse to hear. God commanded him to let people respond as they will, rather than thinking you can control their response. "He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse" (Ezek. 3:17). That truth hit me hard and steadied me in ways I didn't expect. It's just one of the many ways the book became part of me. These "living and active" words shape us as they strengthen, pierce, and reveal our hearts (cf. Heb. 4:12-13).
So don't get too weirded out by the strange world of books like Ezekiel. The bizarre visions and confusing details can stretch your imagination and break through your defenses. Just slow down and soak it in. Collect some resources to enrich your interaction with the text. And with time and study, you'll see how these life-giving words work in you.