Before You Teach
A prep snapshot before the full lesson flow.
Ezekiel was a priest who was taken captive to Babylon, far from the temple in Jerusalem. While he was there, the Lord called him to be a "watchman unto the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 3:17), which meant his job was to warn the people about danger. Later the Lord gave Ezekiel hopeful messages: the people could receive a new heart, dry bones could live again, the Bible and the Book of Mormon would join together, and a river would flow from the temple and heal everything it touched.
Ezekiel lives among the captives by a big canal called the river Chebar in Babylon. In a vision he sees "the glory of the Lord" (Ezekiel 1:28), so he learns that the Lord has not forgotten His people even though they are far from home. The Lord calls him to be a watchman, like a guard standing on a city wall who blows a warning when he sees an enemy coming. Later, news arrives that Jerusalem has fallen (Ezekiel 33:21). Then the Lord gives Ezekiel messages of hope. Ezekiel sees a valley of dry bones come to life. He joins two sticks, one for Judah and one for Joseph, into one. He also sees water flow out from the temple and grow into a river so deep that no one can cross it, and that river heals the Dead Sea.
Children ages 8-10 know what a warning is for: a crossing guard, a parent saying "hot stove," a friend saying "there's a bee on your back." They can understand that a warning is a kind thing to give. This week helps them see the living prophet the same way, and it shows them that scriptures and temple blessings are gifts that help them follow Jesus.
Full Lesson Flow
Use the sections below as a menu. Swap cards and activities to keep the class interactive.
Activity options
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Ask: "Suppose a friend at recess says, 'Stop! Don't move! There's a bee on your back!' Is that friend being bossy, or being kind?" Let the children vote with thumbs up for bossy and thumbs down for kind. Then ask: "Why would someone warn you about something you can't see?" Explain that this week the Lord gave a prophet named Ezekiel a job just like that friend's. He was a watchman.
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Ask: "Suppose a friend at recess says, 'Stop! Don't move! There's a bee on your back!' Is that friend being bossy, or being kind?" Let the children vote with thumbs up for bossy and thumbs down for kind. Then ask: "Why would someone warn you about something you can't see?" Explain that this week the Lord gave a prophet named Ezekiel a job just like that friend's. He was a watchman.
Choose one child to stand at a window or the classroom door and tell the class what they see outside. Ask the rest of the class: "Could you see that from your chair? Who helped you know what was out there?"
Paths
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Explain the setting first. In Bible times, cities had tall walls. A watchman stood on top of the wall and watched for danger. If he saw an enemy coming, he warned everyone so they could get safe.
Read it together:
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
Have children point to their eyes when they hear "watchman," their ears when they hear "hear," and their mouth when they hear "mouth." Read it a second time with the actions.
Questions:
Default
Explain the setting first. In Bible times, cities had tall walls. A watchman stood on top of the wall and watched for danger. If he saw an enemy coming, he warned everyone so they could get safe.
Read it together:
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
Have children point to their eyes when they hear "watchman," their ears when they hear "hear," and their mouth when they hear "mouth." Read it a second time with the actions.
Questions:
Explain that the Lord told Ezekiel to write on two sticks, one for Judah and one for Joseph, and to hold them together so they became one in his hand. Judah's descendants wrote much of the Bible. Lehi's family, who descended from Joseph, wrote the Book of Mormon.
Questions:
Principle 1 (default): The prophet warns us because the Lord loves us. A watchman sees from up high, so he can see danger before anyone else. The Lord sees everything, so He tells His prophet what we need to know. A warning from the prophet is like the friend telling you about the bee: it shows that someone cares about you.
Principle 2: The scriptures work together to bring us to Jesus. The Bible teaches about Jesus's life in Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon teaches about Jesus visiting the Nephites and shows that He is the Savior of everyone. When we read both, we know Him better, just as two sticks held together are stronger than one.
Principle 3: Blessings from the temple bring life. In Ezekiel's vision, the water from the temple made the dead, salty sea come alive, because "every thing shall live whither the river cometh" (Ezekiel 47:9). The Lord blesses families through His holy house, and those blessings keep growing like the river did.
Activity options
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Type: Physical activity
Materials: none. Zero-prep alternate: do it in a circle without walking. Connection: Ezekiel 3:17. A watchman's job is to see the danger and speak up. Question: "What is one thing our prophet has warned us about or asked us to do?"
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Type: Physical activity
Materials: none. Zero-prep alternate: do it in a circle without walking. Connection: Ezekiel 3:17. A watchman's job is to see the danger and speak up. Question: "What is one thing our prophet has warned us about or asked us to do?"
Type: Object lesson
Materials: two sticks, marker. Zero-prep alternate: use two fingers held together. Connection: Ezekiel 37:15–23. Question: "Which story about Jesus from either book is your favorite, and why?"
Type: Creative expression
Materials: paper, crayons. Zero-prep alternate: children act out each object with their bodies. Connection: Ezekiel 47:9. Question: "How is the river from the temple like the blessings Jesus gives families?"
Idea A (default): Ask the children to name a warning a parent or teacher gives them, such as "Look both ways." Then ask how listening to the prophet is like listening to that warning. This week, when someone gives them a warning, they can say "thank you" instead of rolling their eyes.
Idea B: Have each child name one place they can be a kind watchman, like telling a younger sibling to watch out for a step, or inviting a friend away from an unkind group.
Ask: "When you followed the watchman on our trail, how did you feel? How can listening to the prophet help you feel safe and close to Jesus?" Give children a moment to share if they wish. This can take 30 seconds inside the closing.
Ask a parent to share one thing the living prophet has taught or asked us to do. Then do it together this week, the way the class followed the watchman on the trail.
Show the picture The Prophet Ezekiel by Lyle Beddes, or a picture of the living prophet, during Scripture Discovery. If you are late, skip to the activity you picked.