Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47: Lesson 138

Ezekiel 1–3; 33

“I Have Made Thee a Watchman”

How can we stay safe with so many spiritual dangers in the world? The Lord calls prophets to serve as watchmen to warn and protect us. The Lord called Ezekiel to serve as a watchman for the Israelites while in Babylonian captivity (see Ezekiel 3:16–17). This lesson can help students feel a greater desire to heed the warnings of the Lord’s prophets.

Student preparation: Invite students to read “Prophet” in Guide to the Scriptures or “Prophets” in Topics and Questions in Gospel Library. They could look for the role of prophets and reflect on how they see prophets fulfill this role.

Possible Learning Activities

Feelings about the Lord’s prophet

Consider beginning class by inviting students to reflect on their feelings about the Lord’s prophet today. One way to do this could be to display an image of the President of the Church and invite students to sing or listen to “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” (Hymns, no. 19). You could then provide the instructions below. Acknowledge that students’ feelings about the prophet might vary from one another, and that is OK. Encourage them to respond honestly.

In your study journal, complete the following statement with one or more responses:

When I see the prophet, listen to him speak, or read his words, I feel …

Invite willing students to share with the class what they wrote. You might explain that as they share and listen, the Holy Ghost can enlighten their minds and soften their hearts to follow the Lord’s prophet.

The Lord calls Ezekiel as a prophet

Ezekiel had been captured and taken to Babylon along with other Israelites. While in captivity, he was visited by the Lord and called to be a prophet (see Ezekiel 1–2). The Lord promised to strengthen Ezekiel as he preached to a rebellious and hard-hearted people (see Ezekiel 3:7–9).

Ezekiel 3:16–17 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider inviting students to mark doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so they can locate them easily.

Read Ezekiel 3:10–11, 16–17, looking for what the Lord taught Ezekiel about his role as a prophet.

• What did you find?

To help students understand the imagery of a watchman, consider displaying the image of Carcassonne included in this lesson, along with this statement from Elder Neil L. Andersen.

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

Carcassonne is a remarkable walled city in France that has stood since medieval times. Tall towers surge upward from its protected walls, built for watchmen who stood on those towers day and night, keeping their attention riveted in the distance for the enemy. When the watchman saw an enemy approaching, his warning voice protected the people of Carcassonne from the impending danger they could not see.

A prophet is a watchman on the tower, protecting us from spiritual dangers we may not see. (“The Prophet of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 25)

• How could you summarize what Ezekiel 3:16–17 and Elder Andersen teach about prophets?

Help students identify that the Lord calls prophets who serve as watchmen to warn us of spiritual dangers. Explain that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles serve as the Lord’s prophets today. If students completed the student preparation activity, they could share what they learned as part of the following discussion.

• Why is “watchmen” a good way to describe the role of prophets?

In Ezekiel 33, the Lord again taught Ezekiel his responsibility to serve as a watchman and share God’s message with Israel (see Ezekiel 33:1–7).

Read Ezekiel 33:9–11, looking for why the Lord wants to warn His people.

• What can verse 11 teach us about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared how prophetic warnings are evidence of God’s love:

Far from being anxious to condemn, our Heavenly Father and our Savior seek our happiness and plead with us to repent, knowing full well that “wickedness never was [and never will be] happiness” [Alma 41:10]. So Ezekiel and every prophet before and since, speaking the word of God out of a full heart, have warned all who will to turn away from Satan, the enemy of their souls, and “choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men” [2 Nephi 2:27]. (“The Voice of Warning,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 108)

• How can understanding why the Lord calls His prophets to be watchmen influence our desires to follow them?

Warnings from the watchmen

The following activity is intended to help students see examples of warnings the Lord has given through His prophets. Consider inviting students to choose one of the following options to study:

1. Recent talks from members of the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

2. These doctrinal mastery scripture passages or other passages of your choosing: Isaiah 5:20; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (see also verse 18); 2 Nephi 2:27; 2 Nephi 32:8–9; Alma 41:10; and Doctrine and Covenants 64:9–11

After students have chosen an option to study, display the following instructions:

Study teachings from the Lord’s prophets and prepare to share the following:

1. Warnings the Lord has given through His prophets.

2. Blessings we can receive or challenges we can avoid by heeding these warnings. These could be from what you studied or from your thoughts and experiences.

3. How you feel this warning is evidence of God’s love or His desire for us to be happy.

You could invite each student to select one prophetic warning they found in step 1 of their study and write it on the board. As another option, students could write the warning on a piece of paper and post it around the room. Invite students to read the warnings others have written. The class could then select a few to discuss in greater detail. You could ask the students who wrote the selected warnings to share their answers to steps 2 or 3 from their study.

As students listen and participate in the discussion, invite them to reflect on their personal circumstances and needs. Encourage them to consider whether the Lord has specific warnings or messages for them.

Following the prophet

Reflect on thoughts and feelings the Holy Ghost may have communicated to you throughout the lesson about the Lord and His prophets. Add one or both of the following lines to your study journal and complete them with your thoughts or feelings:

Something I want to remember about the Lord and His prophets is …

I want to follow the Lord’s prophet because …

You could conclude by asking a few students to share what they wrote. You could also share feelings you have had about the Lord and His prophets as you prepared and taught the lesson.

Memorize

You may want to help students memorize the doctrinal mastery reference and key scripture phrase during this lesson and review them in future lessons. The key scripture phrase for Ezekiel 3:16–17 is “The prophet is ‘a watchman unto the house of Israel.’” Ideas for memorization activities are in the appendix materials under “Doctrinal Mastery Review Activities.”

Additional Resources

What can prophets see?

President Russell M. Nelson explained:

Prophets see ahead. They see the harrowing dangers the adversary has placed or will yet place in our path. Prophets also foresee the grand possibilities and privileges awaiting those who listen with the intent to obey. (“Stand as True Millennials,” Ensign, Oct. 2016, 31; Liahona, Oct. 2016, 53)

What blessings can we receive by following the Lord’s prophets?

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

In my personal life, I have found that as I prayerfully study the words of the prophet of God and carefully, with patience, spiritually align my will with his inspired teachings, my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ always increases. If we choose to set his counsel aside and determine that we know better, our faith suffers and our eternal perspective is clouded. I promise you that as you remain resolute in following the prophet, your faith in the Savior will increase. (“The Prophet of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 26–27)

Elder Allen D. Haynie of the Seventy shared:

Current conditions in the world have caused some to panic. As God’s covenant children, we do not need to chase after this or that to know how to navigate through these troubled times. We do not need to fear. The doctrine and principles that we must follow to survive spiritually and endure physically are found in the words of a living prophet. (“A Living Prophet for the Latter Days,” Liahona, May 2023, 26)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Studying more context

You could use the following to help students learn more details about Ezekiel’s call to be a prophet:

1. Invite half the class to read Ezekiel 2:3–5; 3:7, looking for the Lord’s description of Israel.

2. Invite the other half to read Ezekiel 2:6–7; 3:4, 10–11, looking for the Lord’s counsel to Ezekiel.

After students share what they found, you could discuss the following:

• What did you learn about the Lord? About His prophets?

Applying what you learn about prophets

Instead of concluding the lesson by helping students reflect on their understanding and feelings about the Lord’s prophets, you could conclude in a way that helps them apply what they learned. One way to do this could be to display the following statement:

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles expressed:

In a future day, looking back on our mortality, we will rejoice that we walked the earth at the time of a living prophet. At that day, I pray that we will be able to say:

We listened to him.

We believed him.

We studied his words with patience and faith.

We prayed for him.

We stood by him.

We were humble enough to follow him.

We loved him. (“The Prophet of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 27)

Invite students to choose one or more of the statements Elder Andersen hoped we would be able to say. In their study journals, invite them to write specific details describing what they will do so those statements can be true of them throughout their lives.

Accountability of prophets

After discussing Ezekiel 3:16–17, invite students to read Ezekiel 3:18–19 (see also Ezekiel 33:6–8), looking for what the Lord told Ezekiel about his responsibility to warn the people.

• According to these verses, why do prophets share the words of the Lord with us?

President Russell M. Nelson shared some of his feelings about being accountable to the Lord as His prophet:

Right now I am preparing for the day when I will be required to give an accounting … to the Lord about my stewardship as God’s prophet upon the earth today. I do not want to be asked, “Brother Nelson, why were you not more clear with the youth about their part in gathering Israel? Why were you not more bold in enlisting them to participate?”

So, now I am inviting every young woman and every young man between the ages of 12 and 18 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel. (“Hope of Israel,” [worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018], Gospel Library)

You might also express that this accountability can explain why prophets focus on the message the Lord wants them to deliver rather than sharing things that could make them popular.

Our sins will not be mentioned

To help students recognize the blessings of heeding prophetic warnings to repent, invite them to read Ezekiel 33:14–16.

• What do we learn about the principle of repentance?

You could invite students to link or cross-reference Ezekiel 33:16 to the doctrinal mastery passages Isaiah 1:18 and Doctrine and Covenants 58:42–43. Help students identify that when we repent, the Lord will fully forgive us of our sins.

• How can understanding this truth influence your feelings toward Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?