Congregation Bible Study (30 min.): Rr ch. 12 paras. 1-6, video and box 12A.
"I will make of them a single nation"
MAIN IDEA: The Prophecy of the Two Sticks: Jehovah Promises to Unite His People
ANALYSIS OF THE VIDEO AND ANSWERS TO THE PARAGRAPHS
What do you like best about Jehovah's people? One thing we love is the unity we have. We come from different countries, cultures and ethnic groups and we have two hopes, some servants of God hope to go to heaven and most of us hope to live on earth and be subjects of the kingdom of God, but despite these differences we are a nation spiritual.
That is the title of chapter 12 “I will make them one nation” and it is based on Ezekiel 37:22 where it says: “I will make them one nation in that land, in the mountains of Israel, and a single king will rule over them. all of them; they will no longer form two nations nor will they be divided into two kingdoms again ”.
In this chapter of the book Pure Worship, we will see the answer to the following questions: What important truth about pure worship does the prophecy of the two suits highlight? How do we know that this Unification prophecy would have its greatest fulfillment after 1914? What can you personally do to maintain our valuable unit?
Satan wants to break our unity. Let's not allow it! So let's put the lessons in this chapter into practice. If we do our part to promote our unity, the Congregation will always be an Oasis where “Pure adoration” will thrive.
1, 2. a) Why must the exiled Jews have been frightened?
The exiled Jews had to worry, because as Ezekiel 3: 24-26 mentions; 4: 1-7; 5: 1; 12: 3-6. There we can see that the first of these prophecies contained a message of condemnation; the second also; the third also, and so on, all the prophecies that Ezekiel transmits severe condemnations against the Jews. Which gives us the assurance that they had the fear that this time it would also be a condemning message.
1, 2.b) What surprise do you get this time?
The Jews were surprised that the prophecy that Ezekiel is very different from the others. This time it is not a grim condemnation, but as Ezekiel 37:23 mentions, it begins to enact a truly dazzling promise.
1, 2. c) What questions will we answer?
We will answer the following questions: What message does Ezekiel communicate to the exiled Jews? What does it mean? What does that message have to do with God's servants today?
3. a) What did the stick represent that it was “for Judah”?
It represented the Kingdom of two tribes, referring to the Kingdoms of Judah and Benjamin.
Also both tribes had been ruled by kings who were descendants of Judah, since there was a close relationship between these kings and the priesthood.
In addition, these priests performed their service in the temple of Jerusalem. Therefore, the kingdom of Judah included kings from the family of David and priests from the tribe of Levi. Indeed, "the stick of Ephraim" represented the kingdom of Israel, made up of ten tribes.
3. b) How do we know that “the stick of Ephraim” represented the ten-tribe kingdom?
We know this because the first king of the ten-tribe kingdom was Jeroboam, since he belonged to the tribe of Ephraim. Over time, Ephraim became the most influential tribe in Israel, so we must keep in mind that the ten-tribe kingdom did not include kings from the family of David or priests from the tribe of Levi.
4. What did the staging of Ezekiel with the two sticks illustrate? (See the drawing at the beginning).
It illustrated what Jehovah was going to do. Concerning the prophecy of the two sticks, Jehovah declared in Ezek. 37: 17-19 where it says: “I will make one stick of them; they will form one in my hand ”. The prophecy does not refer to a stick that is first split in two and then put back together. If not, talk about two suits that come together and become one. Therefore, the prophecy does not focus on how Israel divided into two kingdoms, but on how those two kingdoms came to be unified or one.
INFORMATIVE BOX 12A: The union of the two suits
Jehovah asks Ezekiel to write “for Judah” on one stick and “for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim” on another
"For Judah"
IN ANTIQUITY
The kingdom of Judah (two tribes)
NOWADAYS
The anointed ones
"For José, the stick of Efraín"
IN ANTIQUITY
The kingdom of Israel (ten tribes)
NOWADAYS
The other sheep
Ezekiel holding two sticks together in one hand.
"May they become a single stick in your hand"
IN ANTIQUITY
537 BCE Faithful Israelites leave the nations and return to Jerusalem to rebuild it, worshiping God as one nation
NOWADAYS
Since 1919, God's people gradually reorganize and unite to serve as "one flock."
Unification is highlighted
The prophecy does not speak of a stick that is first split in two and then put back together. Rather, it speaks of two sticks coming together and becoming one. Therefore, the prophecy does not focus on how Israel divided into two kingdoms, but on how those two kingdoms became one.
5. What did the staging of Ezekiel mean? (See also the box "The union of the two suits").
The meaning of what Ezekiel staged, makes us see that there would come to be "a single nation" made up of exiles who would return to the land of Israel; exiles from both the kingdom of Judah —the two-tribe— and the kingdom of Israel (Ephraim), the ten-tribe kingdom.
6. What two complementary prophecies does Ezekiel chapter 37 contain?
Chapter 37 of Ezekiel contains 2 prophecies that complement each other, for example verses 1 to 14, shows that Jehovah promises to revive his people and in verses 15 to 28, we see that he restores their unity. Therefore the reassuring message of these two prophecies is this: life can be recovered and unity can too.
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