Ezekiel 37:15-28, One Nation, Under David

When the nation of Israel split into two nations, Israel and Judah (the northern tribes and the southern), it was a rejection by the northern tribes of the Davidic kingship. The northern tribes selected a king who was not from the line of David. They also created a form of Yahweh worship with two temples meant to compete with Jerusalem. All of this was contrary to Yahweh’s will, who had established David’s house on the throne of Israel (2 Samuel 7) and had selected Jerusalem as the place where Israel should worship (Deuteronomy 17; 2 Samuel 6). The northern kingdom, Israel, fell into idolatry and was judged by God through being conquered by Assyria in 722 B.C. Judah also fell into idolatry and fell to Babylon in 586 B.C. Ezekiel has been prophesying the doom of Judah, but with her doom accomplished, has now been prophesying her restoration.

15 The word of Yahweh came to me: 16 “Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.’ 17 Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.

Judah, the southern kingdom, had Israelites associated with him, and Joseph (the northern kingdom Israel) dominated by the main tribe Ephraim, also had Israelites associated with him. All these Israelites were meant to be one kingdom, not two, so God is saying here that He will rejoin them as one “stick” so that they will be, once again, as in the days of David and Solomon, one kingdom.

18 “When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?’ 19 say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.’ 20 Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on 21 and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

Not only will Yahweh return the Israelites to their homeland, He will restore their rightful government and their rightful worship. They will once again be His people and He will be their God.

24 “‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. 25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I Yahweh make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’” (Ezekiel 37:15-28)

The Davidic kingship will be restored. Does God mean that a resurrected David will literally rule his people, or is this a reference to the Messiah? Revelation 20 depicts Jesus being the ruler over God’s kingdom, and not David. But we can conceive of a resurrected David ruling with Jesus in the millennial kingdom. The Sanctuary, the temple, will also be restored, where alone the true worship of Yahweh is to be conducted, in regards, that is, to sacrifice and observance of holy days (Passover, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles).

This prophecy was only partially fulfilled with Israel’s return to the land under Persian rule. It will be fully fulfilled in the millennium.