Ezekiel 37:15-28

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:21-28

explain how the unification of the two kingdoms should be brought about. The first step should be the bringing of the people home to their own land ( Ezekiel 37:21 , Ezekiel 37:22 ); the second, their purification from idolatry ( Ezekiel 37:23 ); the third, the installation over them, thus united and purified, of one King, the ideal David of the future, or the Messiah ( Ezekiel 37:24 , Ezekiel 37:25 ); the fourth, the establishment with them of Jehovah's covenant of peace ( Ezekiel... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:21-28

The blessed kingdom. Understanding this Divine promise to find its true and complete fulfillment in the kingdom of Christ, we may recognize some of the features of that kingdom as it will one day be constituted. I. ITS ONE ACKNOWLEDGED HEAD . The ideal " David " ( Ezekiel 37:24 , Ezekiel 37:25 ) is found, not in any future ruler like Judas Maccabaeus, but in Jesus Christ; in him who is exalted "to be a Prince and a Savior," the Lord and Sovereign of his people... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:23

The dwelling-places wherein they have sinned , from which Jehovah premises to save them, are in accordance with the views expressed above, not, as Hengstenberg and Hitzig conjecture, the dwelling-places of the exile in which the people then were, but the dwelling-places in Canaan in which they had formerly transgressed, but would in future be preserved from transgressing. The idea is, as Schroder suggests, the localization of transgression which is viewed as proceeding from the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:23

The fascination of idolatry. Idolatry was a besetting sin of Israel. No sooner were the people delivered from Egypt by the great unseen God than they made a golden calf. Intercourse with the Moabites led to idolatry in a later stage of the wilderness-wanderings ( Numbers 25:2 ). The story of Micah and his god gives us a glimpse of the gross popular superstition that was to be found in Israel during the days of the judges ( 17:4 ) Solomon in all his glory was lured to idolatry by... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:24-25

Christ the King. I. THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST IS A GLORIOUS FACT . In Ezekiel it is only predicted. To Christians it is an accomplished fact. Christ has come and has realized the ideal of ancient prophecy. 1. He is of the line of David . He was welcomed as the Son of David ( Luke 18:38 ). He gathers up the old traditions of Israel's golden age, and lifts their promises to a higher fulfillment. 2. He is a Shepherd . Aristotle quoted Homer to show that the true... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:25

The phrase, my servant David (comp. Ezekiel 34:23 , Ezekiel 34:24 ; Jeremiah 33:21 , Jeremiah 33:22 , Jeremiah 33:26 ; Psalms 78:70 ; Psalms 89:3 , Psalms 89:20 ; Psalms 144:10 ), goes back to the Messianic promise of 2 Samuel 7:12-16 , and cannot be satisfactorily explained as signifying the Davidic house (Smend), or as pointing to "a line of true rulers, each faithfully representing the ideal David as the faithful Ruler, the true Shepherd of his people" (Plumptre, on ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:26-27

With the people thus gathered ( Ezekiel 37:21 ), united ( Ezekiel 37:22 ), purified ( Ezekiel 37:23 ), and established under the rule of Messiah ( Ezekiel 37:25 ), Jehovah makes a covenant of peace (see on Ezekiel 34:25 ; and comp. Psalms 89:3 ), further characterized as an everlasting covenant ; or, covenant of eternity (see on Ezekiel 16:60 ; and comp. Genesis 17:7 ; Isaiah 55:3 ; Jeremiah 32:40 ); which guarantees the continuance between him and them of undying... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:27

God's tabernacle. I. GOD IS IN THE MIDST OF HIS PEOPLE . He is not a distant divinity seated on cloud-capped Olympus or hidden in remote heavenly regions. He visits the earth and even dwells there. We recognize his presence in the beauty of spring and the wealth of autumn; we hear his voice in the thunderstorm, and we see his glory in the sunshine. He haunts the cathedral aisles of the forest; he unveils his glory beneath the blue dome that covers the fair fields of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:27

The tabernacle of God with men. There can be no question that one great purpose of the appointment, first of the tabernacle, and then of the temple, as the center of the national and religious life of Israel, was to familiarize the people with the thought of God's constant presence in the midst of them, as well as to provide means and opportunities for special intercommunion between the Divine King and his subjects. The coming of Christ whose body was the temple of Deity, the coming of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 37:28

describes the effect which such a glorious transformation of Israel's character and condition, should produce upon the heathen world. They should recognize from his presence amongst his people, symbolized by the establishment in their midst of his sanctuary, that he had both the power and the will to sanctify them, by making them inwardly as well as outwardly holy; and, recognizing this, they would seek admittance to the congregation and fellowship of God's spiritual Israel. read more

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