Ezekiel 37:24-25 “David My servant shall be
king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in
My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the
land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they
shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children,
forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.”[1]
The promise of a return by Israel includes two inseparable
parts:
1.
They
will serve the LORD and David their king.
2.
They
shall dwell in the Promised Land.
To
interpret this promise, we need to use the spiritual method of the apostles.
The carnal method would lead us to conclude that 1.) The promise is to carnal
Israel. 2.) Their king is literal David. 3.) Their land is literal Palestine.
The spiritual method sees David their King as Christ. If David is a symbol for
Christ, then Israel and Judah must also be figurative for God’s people. God’s
people are His people by any other name. This promise is given to the “Israel
of God.” The Apostle Paul calls the church, “The Israel of God.” “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God”
(Galatians 6:16).
To
which rule is Paul referring? He is referring to the apostolic rule of
interpreting the Old Testament spiritually and not carnally. Paul’s rule is: “…it
is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7 ESV). “And if you
are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise”
(Galatians 3:29 ESV).
Since
Israel is spiritual Israel, and David
is Christ, then do we switch to the carnal method and say the land is
Palestine? The Promised Land was a type and shadow of the whole world. God
promised the land to Abraham, but Paul says God gave Abraham the whole world. “For the promise to Abraham and his offspring
that he would be heir of the world…” (Romans 4:13). Jesus said the true
worshippers do not worship in Jerusalem or in Samaria, but in Spirit and in
truth. The Promised Land is not a geographical location. It is a spiritual
location. It is a place of rest and fulfillment. Those with a “wander lust” are
still searching for it. They who are contented in Christ have found it, no
matter where they live. To be searching for a literal Promised Land is to turn
again to the weak and beggarly elements of the law (Gal 4:9).
[1] Jer 30:9 “But
they shall serve the LORD their God, And David
their king, Whom I will raise up for them.”
Ezek 34:23-24 “I will establish one
shepherd over them, and he shall feed them--My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD,
will be their God, and My servant David
a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.”
Hosea 3:5 “Afterward the children of
Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the
latter days.”
