Ezekiel was the younger contemporary of Jeremiah who was brought to Babylonh when Jeremiah was still in Jerusalem. When Ezekiel got to Babylon, God gave him some heavy assignments to proclaim the will and word of God to the stubborn and unbelieving Jews. These are some of the things that God told Ezekiel to tell to the Israelites who were still in the captivity.
Ezekiel 34:22-23 says “Therefore will I save flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them and he shall be their shepherd.” The contrast in this passage is that there will be a good shepherd who shall feed the flock in Israel. He will save the flock from all dangers and from all bad shepherds. The Lord Jesus Christ in His first coming to this earth has declared and confirmed this truth to Himself that “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). In other word, when Jesus said this truth to the unbelieving Jews, He was saying that all the Jews must read the book of Ezekiel for the Lord has told hundreds years before concerning Jesus Christ is the good shepherd. Thus Ezekiel further said in verse 24 “And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.” Everything will be fulfilled according to what the Lord has said. Nobody ever wrote prophetic Scriptures by his own will but holy men (men who were set apart by God) spoke by the Holy Spirit. That is why the writers of the Scriptures wrote the same identical message, not the same identical word but the same identical purpose and plan in the mind of God.
2. Ezekiel 37:24-28
Ezekiel 37:24-25 “And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.” This is another prophecy concerning the coming King that will sit on the throne of David. On the other hand we can see the promise of the Lord to the people of Israel that God will fulfil when the King comes. The people of Israel will dwell in their land forever and ever and the servant of the Lord, the coming David will be their prince forever. This prophecy has not fulfilled yet but in the fullness of time the Lord will do it for His glory.
On this regard, the question is asked, how can a perfect Prince rule over the deprived people in this wicked world? Is possible for one person to rule over the world? To those who did not fully believe in the Lord they may be doubt about it. However because the coming perfect Prince was not only human but also God, thus there is nothing impossible to God for He Himself created the world out of nothing. So how will He rule over the world? Let us note Ezekiel 37:26-28 “Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.” This is the detail of how the Lord will rule the world. The Lord has chosen the nation of Israel as the most special nation for the whole world when the Lord Jesus Christ comes. In that time the Lord also will build the Temple of God whereby the people of Israel will offer sacrifices to the Lord to commemorate what Jesus Christ has done for them. Right now the people of Israel were far from the Lord. They still reject the gospel of Salvation that preached to them. However one day the Lord will show mercy to Israel and all Israel will be saved.
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