The Lord called Ezekiel to be a prophet and serve as a watchman who would warn, reprove, and call the house of Israel to repentance. Ezekiel also prophesied of the scattering and latter-day gathering of Israel. Through Ezekiel, the Lord reproved the wayward Israelites and pleaded with them to repent. The Lord also taught that people will be punished for their own sins.
Ezekiel sees the glory of God in vision, and the Lord calls Ezekiel to warn the Israelites in exile
To begin class, ask students the following question:
Who is responsible for warning members of the Church of spiritual dangers?
Invite students as they study Ezekiel 1–3 to look for principles that teach how the Lord’s prophets fulfill their role to warn us of dangers and keep us safe.
Explain that Ezekiel was a priest who was carried away captive into Babylon with other Jews by King Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC. As recorded in Ezekiel 1, Ezekiel was shown a vision of heavenly beings and “the glory of the Lord” (verse 28) on His throne. By the power of the Spirit, Ezekiel was able to hear and understand the words of the Lord (see Ezekiel 2:1–2).
Invite several students to take turns reading aloud from Ezekiel 2:3–7. You may want to explain that the word forbear in verses 5 and 7 means to choose not to act. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord called Ezekiel to do.
According to verses 3–5, what did the Lord call Ezekiel to do?
According to verses 3–7, what challenges would Ezekiel face as he taught the children of Israel? (Explain that the “briers,” “thorns,” and “scorpions” [verse 6] symbolize the difficulties Ezekiel would face as he taught the people.)
What can we learn from verse 7 about a prophet’s role? (Students may suggest a variety of truths, but make sure it is clear that prophets speak and teach the words the Lord has given them whether people choose to listen or not.)
To help students understand this truth, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ask students to listen for why prophets speak and teach the Lord’s words.
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Dale G. Renlund
“God is clear about what is right and acceptable to Him and what is wrong and sinful. … Our Heavenly Father desires that His children knowingly and willingly choose to become like Him [see 2 Nephi 2:26–27] and qualify for the kind of life He enjoys [see D&C 14:7; 132:19–20, 24, 55]. In doing so, His children fulfill their divine destiny and become heirs to all that He has [see Romans 8:16–17; D&C 84:38]. For this reason, Church leaders cannot alter God’s commandments or doctrine contrary to His will, to be convenient or popular” (Dale G. Renlund, “Our Good Shepherd,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 30–31).
According to Elder Renlund, why do prophets teach the Lord’s words?
How might understanding that prophets teach the words the Lord has given them influence your attitude toward their counsel and teachings?
Invite several students to take turns reading aloud from Ezekiel 2:9–3:3. (Explain that the word roll means scroll.) Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord commanded Ezekiel to do with the scroll. Invite students to report what they find.
How did Ezekiel describe the taste of the scroll?
Why do you think he would describe the scroll with God’s word written on it as sweet when it contained “lamentations, and mourning, and woe” (Ezekiel 2:10)?
Summarize Ezekiel 3:4–14 by explaining that the Lord commanded Ezekiel to speak His words to the people.
Remind students that the Lord used an analogy to help Ezekiel understand his mission and role as a prophet. Invite several students to take turns reading aloud from Ezekiel 3:16–19. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord likened Ezekiel to.
Show students a picture of a watchman on a tower, or draw a simple illustration of one on the board. Remind students that in Ezekiel’s day a watchman on a wall or tower was responsible for warning the people of impending danger from enemy attacks (see Ezekiel 33:1–6). His elevated view enabled him to see what people below could not.
Display a picture of the current President of the Church.
How are the responsibilities of a prophet similar to those of a watchman?
According to verse 19, what would happen to those who would not listen to Ezekiel?
What principle can we learn from the analogy of a watchman? (Help students identify the following principle: If we heed the warnings of prophets, we can be prepared to face challenges and dangers that threaten us. Write this principle on the board, and invite students to consider recording it next to Ezekiel 3:16–17.)
Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency:
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Henry B. Eyring
“Because the Lord is kind, He calls servants to warn people of danger. That call to warn is made harder and more important by the fact that the warnings of most worth are about dangers that people don’t yet think are real” (Henry B. Eyring, “A Voice of Warning,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 32).
Explain that latter-day prophets often give warnings by using phrases like “I invite you,” “I encourage you,” “I exhort you,” or “I plead with you.”
What are some warnings or counsel prophets have given us recently? (List students’ responses on the board.)
Ask students to pick a prophetic warning listed on the board. Invite them to ponder the following question and then to discuss their answers with a partner:
How can following this prophetic warning or counsel protect you from spiritual or physical danger?
After students have discussed their answers with their partners, invite several students to share their responses with the class.
How have you or someone you know been blessed, strengthened, or protected by following prophetic warnings?
Encourage students to listen to and act on the counsel of prophets.
Summarize Ezekiel 3:20–27 by explaining that the Lord promised to help Ezekiel know when and how he should teach the people. The Lord also warned Ezekiel that he was accountable to the Lord if he did not fulfill these responsibilities.
Ezekiel prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering and gathering of Israel
Summarize Ezekiel 4–17, 19–24 by explaining that the Lord showed Ezekiel in a vision how the children of Israel had separated themselves from Him through their idolatry and wickedness. Ezekiel prophesied about the future gathering of scattered Israel, when the Lord would reestablish His covenants with His people (see Ezekiel 16:60–63). When this occurs, Israel will know that the Lord is the only true God and will serve Him (see Ezekiel 20:40–44).
The Lord teaches Ezekiel that all people will be punished for their own sins
Invite students to imagine that a friend says to them, “My parents aren’t active in the Church and don’t expect me to live all the Church standards, so I don’t.”
What would you say to this friend?
Explain that as recorded in Ezekiel 18, the Lord taught Ezekiel that all people will be punished for their own sins. Ezekiel began this chapter by quoting a proverb common among the Jews at the time (see verse 2) that meant that they were being punished for their ancestors’ mistakes. Although the choices of parents can affect their children, the Jews in Ezekiel’s day seemed to be using this proverb to excuse themselves from responsibility for their own choices. To correct this, Ezekiel used a scenario involving a man, his son, and his grandson to illustrate why the Israelites could not blame the consequences of their own sins on their parents. Summarize verses 4–8 by explaining that the Lord explained that those who keep God’s laws and treat others with compassion are just and righteous.
Invite students to scan Ezekiel 18:9, looking for what the Lord said would happen to this righteous man.
What did the Lord say would happen to this man? (Explain that the phrase “he shall surely live” refers to eventually living in God’s presence.)
Invite a few students to take turns reading aloud from Ezekiel 18:10–13. Ask the class to follow along, looking for a description of the righteous man’s son. (You may want to explain that “eaten upon the mountains” refers to eating food sacrificed to idols, “not restored the pledge” refers to not returning property given as collateral for a loan, and “given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase” means charging an unfair amount of interest when giving a loan.)
What kind of man was the son? (Explain that in verse 13 the phrase “he shall surely die” refers to being shut out of God’s presence, and the phrase “his blood shall be upon him” means that the wicked son would suffer for his own sins.)
Invite a few students to take turns reading aloud from Ezekiel 18:14–17. Ask the class to follow along, looking for a description of the wicked man’s son.
How was the wicked man’s son different from his father?
What truth can we learn from the choices of the wicked man’s son? (Help students identify a truth similar to the following: We can choose to live righteously regardless of our circumstances and the choices of those around us.)
Who are some people in the scriptures who lived righteously despite having unrighteous parents? (Possible answers may include Abraham, King Hezekiah, and King Limhi.)
Why is it important to understand that we can choose to be righteous regardless of our circumstances?
Invite a student to read aloud the following statement from For the Strength of Youth:
“You are responsible for the choices you make. God is mindful of you and will help you make good choices, even if your family and friends use their agency in ways that are not right. Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God’s will, even if you have to stand alone. As you do this, you set an example for others to follow” (For the Strength of Youth [booklet, 2011], 2).
Invite students to ponder how God has helped them or someone they know to make good choices even when family members or friends around them have used their agency unrighteously.
Write the following question on the board: What choices can I make in my life now that will help me live righteously even when those around me do not? Ask students to respond to this question in their study journals. Encourage students to make righteous choices regardless of their circumstances or the choices of others.
Summarize the rest of Ezekiel 18 by explaining that the Lord taught that the wicked who repent and keep His commandments “shall surely live, [they] shall not die” (verse 21). However, the righteous who turn away from Him and commit sin without repenting will not be saved. The Lord called on His people to “cast away” their sins and “make … a new heart and a new spirit” (verse 31).
Summarize Ezekiel 25–32 by explaining that Ezekiel prophesied of the destruction of wicked nations that surrounded Israel.
Conclude by inviting students to testify of the truths from this lesson that are most meaningful to them.
Ezekiel described four heavenly creatures and their manner of movement. He also saw four wheels that moved with the creatures. While some have attempted to explain what these figures and objects represent, the full meaning of Ezekiel’s vision has not yet been revealed to us by the Lord.
About such images, the Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught:
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Joseph Smith
“I make this broad declaration that whenever God gives a vision of an image, or beast, or figure of any kind, he always holds himself responsible to give a revelation or interpretation of the meaning thereof, otherwise we are not responsible or accountable for our belief in it. Don’t be afraid of being damned for not knowing the meaning of a vision or figure if God has not given a revelation or interpretation of the subject” (Joseph Smith, in Manuscript History of the Church, vol. D-1, page 1523, josephsmithpapers.org).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained some of the difficulties prophets face:
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Jeffrey R. Holland
“So here we have the burden of those called to bear the messianic message. In addition to teaching, encouraging, and cheering people on (that is the pleasant part of discipleship), from time to time these same messengers are called upon to worry, to warn, and sometimes just to weep (that is the painful part of discipleship). They know full well that the road leading to the promised land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ [Exodus 3:8] of necessity runs by way of Mount Sinai, flowing with ‘thou shalts’ and ‘thou shalt nots’ [see Exodus 20:3–17].
“Unfortunately, messengers of divinely mandated commandments are often no more popular today than they were anciently” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 7).
Ezekiel 3:17. “Hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me”
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
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Neil L. Andersen
“The prophet’s voice, while spoken kindly, will often be a voice asking us to change, to repent, and to return to the Lord. When correction is needed, let’s not delay. And don’t be alarmed when the prophet’s warning voice counters popular opinions of the day. The mocking fireballs of annoyed disbelievers are always hurled the moment the prophet begins to speak. As you are humble in following the counsel of the Lord’s prophet, I promise you an added blessing of safety and peace.
“Don’t be surprised if at times your personal views are not initially in harmony with the teachings of the Lord’s prophet. These are moments of learning, of humility, when we go to our knees in prayer. We walk forward in faith, trusting in God, knowing that with time we will receive more spiritual clarity from our Heavenly Father. One prophet described the incomparable gift of the Savior as ‘the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father’ [Mosiah 15:7]. The surrender of our will to God’s will is, in fact, not surrender at all but the beginning of a glorious victory.
“Some will try to overly dissect the prophet’s words, struggling to determine what is his prophetic voice and what is his personal opinion.
“In 1982, two years before being called as a General Authority, Brother Russell M. Nelson said: ‘I never ask myself, “When does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not?” My interest has been, “How can I be more like him?”’ And he added, ‘My [philosophy is to] stop putting question marks behind the prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead’ [in Lane Johnson, “Russell M Nelson: A Study in Obedience,” Ensign, Aug. 1982, 24]. This is how a humble and spiritual man chose to order his life. Now, 36 years later, he is the Lord’s prophet” (Neil L. Andersen, “The Prophet of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 26).
Ezekiel 18. Parents’ choices can affect their children
While Ezekiel emphasized that we are all free to exercise our agency and choose for ourselves, the role of parents in raising their children in righteousness is extremely important in helping children learn how to exercise their agency righteously. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the importance of parents raising their children in righteousness:
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Neal A. Maxwell
“All are free to choose, of course, and we would not have it otherwise. Unfortunately, however, when some choose slackness, they are choosing not only for themselves, but for the next generation and the next. Small equivocations in parents can produce large deviations in their children! Earlier generations in a family may have reflected dedication, while some in the current generation evidence equivocation. Sadly, in the next, some may choose dissension, as erosion takes its toll” (Neal A. Maxwell, “Settle This in Your Hearts,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 65–66).
