Lesson 142 Ezekiel 37

Lesson 142: Ezekiel 37

Introduction

Ezekiel described his symbolic vision of the resurrection of dry bones. The multiple meanings of this vision include a depiction of the resurrection of the dead as well as the restoration of the house of Israel. The Lord also directed Ezekiel to join two sticks together to represent the union of the Bible and the Book of Mormon and the unification of the tribes of Ephraim and Judah. Through Ezekiel, the Lord spoke of the covenant He would establish with gathered Israel.

I. Ezekiel 37:1–14  Ezekiel is shown examples of restoration—the Resurrection and the gathering of the house of Israel

---Display a pair of worn-out shoes, a broken toy, and a melted candle.

---Consider what these objects have in common.

---How has the condition of each object changed over time?

---How might these objects represent what can happen to us physically or spiritually over time?

---Look for doctrines and principles in Ezekiel 37 that can help us understand how God can restore us physically and spiritually.

---Read Ezekiel 37:1–2 aloud looking for what Ezekiel saw in a vision.

---What did Ezekiel see in the middle of the valley?

---Imagine yourselves in Ezekiel’s position and visualize this valley of bones.

---The fact that the bones were “very dry” (verse 2) implies that the bodies in the valley had been there for a significant period of time.

---What questions would you have if you were in the midst of the valley of dry bones?

---Read Ezekiel 37:3 aloud looking for what the Lord asked Ezekiel.

---Report

---Write the following question on the board:

Can these bones live?

---Read Ezekiel 37:4–6 aloud looking for the Lord’s response to the question He asked.

---What did the Lord say He would do with the bones?

?---The word breath in verse 5 refers to the “breath of life” (Ezekiel 37:5, footnote a; Genesis 2:7), or our spirits, which God placed in our physical bodies. In other words, Ezekiel was referring to the reuniting of our bodies and spirits.

---Read Ezekiel 37:7–10 looking for what happened to the bones Ezekiel saw.

---What happened to the bones Ezekiel saw?

---Ezekiel saw in vision the resurrection of many people. Resurrection is the reuniting of the spirit with the body in a perfect, immortal state. A resurrected body is no longer subject to death, so the body and the spirit will never again be separated (see Alma 11:43–45).

---Read Ezekiel 37:11–14 looking for what the Lord said He would do for the house of Israel.

---What did the Lord say He would do for the house of Israel?

(He would restore the tribes of Israel from their scattered condition and give them life.)

---What doctrines about resurrection can we learn from these verses?

(Students may identify a variety of doctrines, such as Jesus Christ has the power to resurrect us and when we are resurrected, our bodies will be made whole again.)

---Think of someone you love who has passed away. Read aloud the following statement by Elder Shayne M. Bowen of the Seventy:

“Remember as you attended the funeral of your loved one the feelings in your heart as you drove away from the cemetery and looked back to see that solitary casket—wondering if your heart would break.

“I testify that because of Him, even our Savior, Jesus Christ, those feelings of sorrow, loneliness, and despair will one day be swallowed up in a fulness of joy. I testify that we can depend on Him and when He said:

“‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

“‘Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also’ [John 14:18–19]. …

“I testify that on that bright, glorious morning of the First Resurrection, your loved ones and mine will come forth from the grave as promised by the Lord Himself and we will have a fulness of joy. Because He lives, they and we shall live also” (“Because I Live, Ye Shall Live Also,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 17).

---Look at the question on the board and in your class notebooks answer it by writing your testimonies of Jesus Christ and His power to resurrect us.

---Is anyone willing to share your testimonies with the class.?

---Testimony of the Savior.

II. Ezekiel 37:15–28  Ezekiel prophesies that the sticks of Judah and Joseph will be joined together

---Invite two students to come to the front of the class, and give each of them a small stick.

---Think of ways in which these two sticks could bless people’s lives.

---Does anyone else have any more insights?

---Invite the two students to return to their seats.

---Read Ezekiel 37:15–17 looking for the two sticks that would bless many lives forever.

---What did the Lord call the two sticks?

---Mark verse 16, footnote a, to help you understand that these sticks can refer either to wooden tablets or to scrolls, which anciently were rolled around sticks (see Boyd K. Packer, “Scriptures,” Ensign, Nov. 1982, 51).

---What is the stick of Judah?

(The Bible. Hold up a Bible with one hand, and explain that the Bible was preserved primarily through the Jews, many of whom were of the tribe of Judah.)

---What is the stick of Joseph?

(The Book of Mormon. Hold up a copy of the Book of Mormon with your other hand, and explain that Lehi and his descendants, some of whom kept the records now contained in the Book of Mormon, were descendants of Joseph.)

---What do you think it means that these two sticks or books of scripture “shall become one in thine hand” (verse 17)? (As students respond, hold up a Bible and a copy of the Book of Mormon together in one hand.)

---Anciently, some writings were recorded on paper, parchment, or other materials and rolled up like this scroll.

---Read 1 Nephi 13:40 aloud looking for what the Book of Mormon (described in this verse as part of the “last records”) and the Bible (described as the “first [records]”) together would make known among all people.

---Based on what you have learned from Ezekiel 37:15–17 and 1 Nephi 13:40, what is the purpose of bringing together the Bible and the Book of Mormon?

The Bible and the Book of Mormon come together as witnesses that Jesus Christ is our Savior.

---Divide into small groups and invite them to complete the study guide.

---As a class, go over their answers to the last question on the handout.

---Ponder what you will do to use both the Book of Mormon and the Bible to strengthen your testimonies of and faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

---Please act on the promptings you receive.

---In Ezekiel 37:21–28 the union of the sticks of Judah and Joseph also symbolizes the reuniting of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. The reunited house of Israel will be led by their Shepherd and King, Jehovah. The Lord promised He would renew His covenant with the house of Israel and sanctify them.

---Testimony of how the Bible and the Book of Mormon have strengthened my testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Commentary and Background Information

Ezekiel 37:15–17. Sticks

Ellis T. Rasmussen, author of A Latter-day Saint Commentary on the Old Testament, commented on the term etz:

“Commonly translated stick, the Hebrew word used is etz, a generic word meaning ‘wood’ (there are other words meaning ‘stick,’ ‘staff,’ ‘branch,’ or ‘scepter’). This was wood upon which it was possible to write. Babylonian writing tablets of wood have been found hinged together and faced with wax, with writing engraved on them. Two wooden tablets represent the scriptures from Judah (the Bible) and Joseph (the Book of Mormon) to ‘be one in mine hand’ (Ezek. 37:15–19 and fn.)” (A Latter-day Saint Commentary on the Old Testament [1993], 608).

In addition, while serving as an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, Keith Meservy commented on the discovery of some ancient wooden tablets:

“The discovery in 1953 of these writing boards from biblical Calah in Mesopotamia altered the thinking of scholars about how Middle Eastern cultures made records. Wooden tablets filled with wax represent the ‘earliest known form of ancient book’ and help us understand an important prophecy of Ezekiel foretelling the uniting of the Bible and Book of Mormon” (“Ezekiel’s Sticks and the Gathering of Israel,” Ensign, Feb. 1987, 4).

Ezekiel’s prophecy that the two sticks would be joined “one to another into one stick” (Ezekiel 37:17) is clarified by the phrase “shall grow together,” which is found in 2 Nephi 3:12. This phrase helps us understand that the joining together of the two sticks is a process that will occur over time.

Ezekiel 37:26. “A covenant of peace”

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles related a personal story about how temple covenants provided him profound peace:

“Our son, Richard, was born with a heart defect. We were told that unless that could be cured, there was little probability that he would live more than two or three years. This was so long ago that techniques now used to repair such defects were unknown. We had the blessing of having a place where doctors agreed to attempt to perform the needed surgery. The surgery had to be done while his little heart was beating.

“The surgery was performed just six weeks after the birth and death of our baby daughter. When the operation finished, the principal surgeon came in and said it was a success. And we thought, ‘How wonderful! Our son will have a strong body, be able to run and walk and grow!’ We expressed deep gratitude to the Lord. Then about 10 minutes later, the same doctor came in with an ashen face and told us, ‘Your son has died.’ Apparently the shock of the operation was more than his little body could endure.

“Later, during the night, I embraced my wife and said to her, ‘We do not need to worry, because our children were born in the covenant. We have the assurance that we will have them with us in the future. Now we have a reason to live extremely well. We have a son and a daughter who have qualified to go to the celestial kingdom because they died before the age of eight.’ That knowledge has given us great comfort. We rejoice in the knowledge that all seven of our children are sealed to us for time and all eternity.

“That trial has not been a problem for either of us because, when we live righteously and have received the ordinances of the temple, everything else is in the hands of the Lord. We can do the best we can, but the final outcome is up to Him. We should never complain, when we are living worthily, about what happens in our lives.

“Fourteen years ago the Lord decided it was not necessary for my wife to live any longer on the earth, and He took her to the other side of the veil. I confess that there are times when it is difficult not to be able to turn and talk to her, but I do not complain. The Lord has allowed me, at important moments in my life, to feel her influence through the veil.

“What I am trying to teach is that when we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances, then come what may, we have no reason to worry or to feel despondent” (“Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 45).

Supplemental Teaching Idea

Ezekiel 37:26–28. Ezekiel speaks of the covenant God will establish with Israel

Ask students the following questions:

What is your favorite temple? Why?

What do you look forward to most about going to the temple?

Read Ezekiel 37:26–28 silently, looking for what the Lord said He would establish with His people.

What did the Lord say He would establish with His people?

What did He say He would set in the midst of them?

What is the sanctuary of the Lord on the earth?

Explain that in verse 28 the word heathen refers to people who do not believe in God and that sanctify means to make holy or clean. In other words, those who did not believe in God would know that the Lord had sanctified His people.

How does the temple relate to becoming sanctified? (Students may identify a principle such as the following: Making and keeping temple covenants will enable us to become sanctified by the Lord.)

To help students better understand this principle, ask a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“In all the ordinances, especially those of the temple, we are endowed with power from on high. This ‘power of godliness’ comes in the person and by the influence of the Holy Ghost. The gift of the Holy Ghost is part of the new and everlasting covenant. It is an essential part of our baptism, the baptism of the Spirit. It is the messenger of grace by which the blood of Christ is applied to take away our sins and sanctify us (see 2 Nephi 31:17)” (“The Power of Covenants,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 22).

Testify of the power that comes into the lives of those who make and keep covenants, especially temple covenants. If applicable, you may want to express how keeping your temple covenants has helped you become sanctified by the Lord.

What can you do now to prepare to make covenants in the temple so you can be further sanctified by the Lord?

Invite students to think about a family member or friend who has been endowed and sealed in the temple. Encourage students to discuss with this person how he or she has been blessed by making and keeping temple covenants.

Right margin extras:

Broken Violin

Melted Candle

Worn Shoe

 

God’s Words Never Cease (2:55)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testifies of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and continuing revelation from God to His children. Consider showing this video to help students feel the truth and importance of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. You might show this video near the end of the lesson, before you ask students to ponder how they will use both the Bible and the Book of Mormon to strengthen their faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ.