“Lesson 89: Prophets and Revelation (Part 3),” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Material (2018)
“Lesson 89,” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Material
Lesson 89
Prophets and Revelation (Part 3)
Introduction
The teaching materials for this doctrinal mastery topic are divided into four parts. In part 3, students will discuss the roles and responsibilities of prophets and will study the doctrinal mastery passage Ezekiel 3:16–17. They will also participate in a practice exercise in which they will apply the truths that they learn.
Note: You could teach the segments of this lesson in a single class session or over the course of several class sessions, dividing class time between Doctrinal Mastery and a regular sequential scripture lesson.
Suggestions for Teaching
Understanding the Doctrine
Segment 1 (10 minutes)
Refer students to paragraph 5.1 in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document. Ask a student to read the paragraph aloud. Invite class members to follow along, looking for the roles and responsibilities of prophets. Refer students to the following key statement of doctrine: They [prophets] denounce sin, warn of its consequences, and help us avoid deception. Invite students to consider marking this statement in their copies of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document if they have not already done so.
Refer students to the last sentence of paragraph 5.1 and invite them to look for what allows prophets to fulfill their roles and responsibilities.
According to this sentence, what two things make it possible for prophets to fulfill their roles and responsibilities? (Prophets “receive authority and revelation from God.”)
Invite students to turn to Ezekiel 3:16–17. Point out that this is a doctrinal mastery passage that helps teach the key statement of doctrine they marked in paragraph 5.1 of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document. Invite students to consider marking this passage in a distinctive way so that they will be able to locate it easily.
To help students understand the context and content of this doctrinal mastery passage, explain that the Lord had just called Ezekiel to be a prophet and had told him to warn the wicked Israelites to repent. As recorded in Ezekiel 3:17, the Lord used a metaphor to help Ezekiel understand his role as a prophet.
Invite a student to read Ezekiel 3:16–17 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord said He had made Ezekiel (explain that “Son of man” in verse 17 refers to Ezekiel).
What responsibility did the Lord give Ezekiel?
Display a picture of a watchtower, such as the following:
Explain that the word watchman in verse 17 refers to a man who was assigned to stand “on a wall or in a tower in order to look out for and warn of dangers approaching from afar.” Watchtowers were common structures in ancient Israel, and watchmen were used “to protect cities as well as vineyards, fields, or pastures” from animals or thieves. (See “Watchmen on the Tower,” Ensign, April 2016, 28.)
In what ways can a prophet be compared to a watchman on a tower?
How might viewing prophets as watchmen increase our willingness to follow them?
How does Ezekiel 3:16–17 help teach the key statement of doctrine in paragraph 5.1 of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document?
Segment 2 (10 minutes)
Assign students to work in pairs. Provide each pair with the following handout, along with a copy of For the Strength of Youth (booklet, 2011), which is also available on the Gospel Library app. Remind students that this booklet was written at the direction of prophets and apostles to help warn the youth of the Church of some of the dangers of our day. Invite students to complete the handout in their pairs.
Warnings and Counsel from Latter-day Prophets
Instructions: Turn with your partner to any section of the For the Strength of Youth booklet, and find a warning or counsel that has been given by our prophets and apostles.
After finding the warning or counsel, discuss the following questions with your partner:
According to For the Strength of Youth, what are some promised blessings for heeding this warning or counsel?
How could ignoring this warning or counsel put us in spiritual danger?
If it is not too personal or sacred, consider sharing ways that you or someone you know have been blessed by following this warning or counsel from our prophets and apostles?
After sufficient time, invite volunteers to share with the class the warnings or counsel that they found, along with their answers to the questions on the handout.
Testify that we are led by prophets and apostles today, who act as watchmen on the tower, and that there is safety in following their counsel, teachings, and warnings.
Practice Exercise (20 minutes)
Review with students the following principles from the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document: Act in Faith, Examine Concepts and Questions with an Eternal Perspective, and Seek Further Understanding through Divinely Appointed Sources.
(Note: You may wish to adapt the following scenario according to your students’ experiences and needs and to substitute names that are more common where you live.)
Invite a student to read the following scenario aloud:
Your friend Leilani has become interested in the Church and has been meeting with the missionaries. During one of the lessons, the missionaries show Leilani a picture of the current First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
After the discussion is over, Leilani tells you that she noticed that most of the leaders of the Church look like they are elderly. She says, “I understand what the missionaries were saying about God calling prophets in our time, and I think it is amazing that your Church teaches that there are living prophets, but can elderly Church leaders really understand or relate to the issues and challenges that young people face today?”
What are some ways that you could invite Leilani to act in faith in order to obtain a testimony that those who are in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are truly prophets of God?
What are some ways that you have been able to see that Church leaders understand the issues and challenges that young people face today? How could you use these experiences to help answer Leilani’s question?
Invite a student to re-read Ezekiel 3:16–17 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how this doctrinal mastery passage could be helpful to Leilani.
How might this doctrinal mastery passage be helpful to Leilani?
Divide your class into three groups and give each group one of the following statements. Ask each group to select one student to read the statement aloud while the rest of the group listens for lines or phrases that they think would be helpful to Leilani.
Prophets and Apostles Understand the Issues of Today
President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
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M. Russell Ballard
“I have heard that some people think the Church leaders live in a ‘bubble.’ What they forget is that we are men and women of experience, and we have lived our lives in so many places and worked with many people from different backgrounds. Our current assignments literally take us around the globe, where we meet the political, religious, business, and humanitarian leaders of the world. Although we have visited the White House in Washington, D.C., and leaders of nations throughout the world, we have also visited the most humble homes on earth, where we have met and ministered to the poor.
“When you thoughtfully consider our lives and ministry, you will most likely agree that we see and experience the world in ways few others do. You will realize that we live less in a ‘bubble’ than most people.
“Others say we are too old. …
“However, there is something about the individual and combined wisdom of the Brethren that should provide some comfort. We have experienced it all, including the consequences of different public laws and policies, disappointments, tragedies, and deaths in our own families. We are not out of touch with your lives” (M. Russell Ballard, “Be Still, and Know That I Am God” [Church Educational System devotional for young adults, May 4, 2014], broadcasts.lds.org).
Prophets and Apostles Are Prepared through Extended Service
President Russell M. Nelson:
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Russell M. Nelson
“The Apostle with the longest seniority in the office of Apostle presides. That system of seniority will usually bring older men to the office of President of the Church. It provides continuity, seasoned maturity, experience, and extensive preparation, as guided by the Lord. …
“… Senior leaders are constantly being tutored such that one day they are ready to sit in the highest councils. They learn how to hear the voice of the Lord through the whisperings of the Spirit” (Russell M. Nelson, “Sustaining the Prophets,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 75).
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
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David A. Bednar
“Some people have suggested younger, more vigorous leaders are needed in the Church to address effectively the serious challenges of our modern world. But the Lord does not use contemporary philosophies and practices of leadership to accomplish His purposes (see Isaiah 55:8–9). We can expect the President and other senior leaders of the Church will be older and spiritually seasoned men. …
“I have observed in my Brethren at least a part of the Lord’s purpose for having older men of maturity and judgment serve in senior leadership positions of the Church. These men have had a sustained season of tutoring by the Lord, whom they represent, serve, and love. They have learned to understand the divine language of the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s patterns for receiving revelation. These ordinary men have undergone a most extraordinary developmental process that has sharpened their vision, informed their insight, engendered love for people from all nations and circumstances, and affirmed the reality of the Restoration” (David A. Bednar, “Chosen to Bear Testimony of My Name,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 129).
After sufficient time, invite students to share what they learned from their statements that might be helpful to Leilani. As students respond, ask them how their answers relate to the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge: acting in faith, examining concepts and questions with an eternal perspective, and seeking further understanding through divinely appointed sources.
Conclude by testifying of the principles identified in today’s lesson.
