Ezekiel 37:24-27           God's Tabernacle With Man

I. The many promises God made with His people Israel.
        A. He would bring them into the land of Israel, and would place
           them in their own land.
                1. About the turn of the century God began to put it
                   into the heart of many Jews to return to the land.
                2. The Zionist movement began to raise money to buy 
                   property in the Sharon valley, and the valley of 
                   Megido, which were both swamps, they established
                   drainage systems, and opened up the rivers to
                   the Mediterranean and began to plant citrus orchards
                   in the Sharon plain, and grain crops and cotton in
                   the Megido.
                3. They established a Jewish quarter in the old city, 
                   and settlement which was outside the old city walls
                   in an enclave they called Mia Shareem.
                4. When Hitler began his deliberate attempt to 
                   exterminate the Jews many of them fled to Israel
                   which at the time was under British control. Britian
                   tried to limit the number of emigrants coming into
                   the land, but the Jews came pouring in. Exodus II is
                   a fascinating book that deals with this period of
                   history.
                5. Those Jews that were suffering persecution in Russia
                   were also anxious to return to Israel but were 
                   prohibited by the Russian government. But in the last
                   few years that barrier has been removed and many more
                   Jews came from the North to resettle in land of
                   Israel.
        B. That when they returned, they would no longer be two nations,
           or divided into two kingdoms, but one nation upon the
           mountains of Israel.
        C. My servant David shall be king over them. That His servant
           David would be their Prince forever.
                1. This portion of the prophecy takes us into the future,
                   it has not as yet been fulfilled.
                2. This is fulfill a promise that God made to king David.
                        a. David had decided to build a house for God, to 
                           contain the Ark of the Covenant which was 
                           still in a tent.
                        b. David was told that he could not build a house
                           because of his bloody hands, but that God
                           would build him a house, and that from his
                           seed, one should rule over Israel forever.
                3. Throughout the Old Testament the many prophets 
                   alluded to this promise of God to David.
                        a. Isa. 9:6,7.
                        b. Jer. 23:5,6 "Behold the days come, saith the
                           Lord, that I will raise unto David a 
                           righteous Branch and a King shall reign and
                           prosper, and shall execute judgment and 
                           justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall
                           be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and
                           this is His name whereby He shall be called,
                           THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
                        c. Jer. 33:15-20. How certain is the promise to 
                           David? If you can break the covenant with day
                           and night, then you can break the covenant
                           God made to David.
                        d. Eze.34:23,24 And I will set up one Shepherd
                           over them and he shall feed them, even My 
                           Servant David; He shall be their Shepherd.
                           And I the Lord will be their God and My 
                           Servant David a prince among them; I the Lord
                           have spoken it.
                        e. Hosea 3:4,5 For the children of Israel shall
                           abide many days without a king, and without a
                           prince, and without a sacrifice. Afterward
                           shall the children of Israel return, and seek
                           the Lord their God and David their King; and
                           shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the 
                           last days.
                        f. Amos 9:11 God promises to raise up the
                           tabernacle of David that had fallen.
                        g. Matthew begins his gospel with these words,
                           The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,
                           the son of David, the son of Abraham.
                        h. Many times Jesus was addressed as the Son of
                           David.
                        i. When Jesus was making His triumphant entry 
                           into Jerusalem Matthew tells us that the 
                           multitudes began to shout, "Hosanna to the Son
                           of David."
                        j. As Jesus closes the book of Revelation to John
                           He declares in 22:16: "I Jesus have sent my
                           angel to testify unto you these things in the
                           churches, I am the root and offspring of
                           David."        
                4. The Jews seemed to have a penchant for missing God's
                   leaders the first time around.
                        a. The Psalmist spoke of the stone that was set
                           at naught by the builders becoming the chief
                           cornerstone.
                        b. God had chosen Joseph to rule over his
                           brothers, but they sold him for 20 pieces of
                           silver to slave traders headed for Egypt, 
                           thinking that they had rid themselves of this
                           dreamer, who in his dreams had seen their 
                           sheaves bowing down to their sheaves. Later
                           they did bow down to him and recognized his
                           authority.
                        c. When Moses came to the camp of Israel in Egypt
                           and saw a Egyptian beating his Jewish slave, 
                           Moses killed the Egyptian and buried his body
                           in the sand. The next day as two Jews were
                           fighting, Moses sought to end the dispute 
                           among them, but they challenged him saying,
                           "Who made you to be ruler over us? Are you 
                           going to kill us like you killed the Egyptian
                           yesterday." And Moses fled to the desert. The
                           Bible tells us that Moses thought they knew
                           that God had chosen him to deliver them. Later
                           Moses came back and led them out of Egypt.
                C. God promises to make a covenant of peace with them, it
                   will be an everlasting covenant. It is quite obvious 
                   that this promise has yet to be fulfilled, it shall 
                   not be fulfilled until He comes whose name shall be 
                   called, Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the 
                   Prince of Peace.
                D. My tabernacle shall be with them. God will dwell among
                   the people.
                        1. John tells us that In the beginning was the
                           word, and the Word was with God and the Word
                           was God, and he declared, and the Word was 
                           made flesh and dwelt among us. The word
                           translated dwelt is the Greek word, skaynoo
                           which means to tent, or encamp. Thus the Word
                           was made flesh and tabernacled among us.
                        2. In John's vision in the book of Revelation, 
                           when he saw the new heaven and the new earth,
                           and the holy city the new Jerusalem, he heard
                           a great voice out of Rev.21:3 heaven saying, 
                           "The tabernacle of God is with men, and He
                           will dwell with them, and they shall be His
                           people and God Himself shall be with them and
                           be their God.
                        3. Thus this portion of the prophecy is still
                           future even beyond the kingdom age, when God
                           has created the new heaven and the new earth.
                        4. Read Rev. 21:4-8
                E. David declared in the scripture reading, "And I shall 
                   dwell in the house of the Lord forever."