Commentary - Ezekiel 37:24-28

Bird's-eye view

Following the breathtaking vision of the valley of dry bones, where God promises to resurrect His spiritually dead people Israel, the prophet Ezekiel is given a glorious glimpse of what this restored nation will look like. This passage is a dense concentration of covenant promises, a cascade of divine commitments that outline the shape of the new covenant era. The central theme is unification and purification under one king, the greater David. God promises to gather His scattered people, give them a new heart to obey His laws, plant them securely in their land forever, and, most climactically, to dwell among them in His sanctuary as their God. This is not just a political restoration; it is a complete spiritual renovation. The ultimate goal of this grand project is the glory of God among the nations. When the world sees God's sanctified people with God's own sanctuary in their midst, they will know that Yahweh is the one true God.

These promises find their ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of His church. He is the true David, the one Shepherd-King who unites all of God's people, Jew and Gentile, into one flock. Through the new birth, He gives us a heart of flesh to walk in His ways. The land promise is escalated to encompass the entire world, which we inherit in Christ. And the sanctuary is no longer a building of stone, but is Christ Himself, and by extension, the church, the temple of the Holy Spirit. This passage is a glorious charter for the kingdom of God, a kingdom that is everlasting and will fill the whole earth.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

Ezekiel 37 is the high point of the book's second major section, which contains prophecies of Israel's future restoration (chapters 33-48). This follows the grim first section (chapters 1-24) detailing the sins of Judah and the impending judgment, and a section of oracles against the nations (chapters 25-32). After the news of Jerusalem's fall arrives in chapter 33, the tone of the prophecy shifts dramatically from judgment to hope. Chapter 34 denounces Israel's false shepherds and promises the coming of the true shepherd, "My servant David." Chapter 36 promises a radical inner transformation, a new heart and a new spirit. Chapter 37 then provides two powerful visions to illustrate this restoration: the valley of dry bones (vv. 1-14) and the joining of two sticks representing Judah and Israel (vv. 15-23). Our passage (vv. 24-28) serves as the grand conclusion and summary of these restoration promises, explaining the nature of the unified, resurrected nation under her true King.

Key Issues

The Davidic King and His Kingdom

The Old Testament is a book of promises, and at the heart of those promises is the coming of a king. After the catastrophic failure of Israel's shepherds, God promises to step in and shepherd His people Himself, and to do so through a new David. This is not a promise that the historical David would be reincarnated, but that a son of David would arise who would fulfill the Davidic covenant in a way David himself never could. This is, of course, a messianic promise of the highest order. Jesus of Nazareth is this promised Son of David. He is the one shepherd who gathers the one flock. The entire structure of the new covenant reality is monarchical. It is a kingdom, and Christ is the king. All the subsequent promises in this passage flow from this foundational reality. Because the King is everlasting, His people's possession of the land is everlasting, His covenant is everlasting, and His presence is everlasting. The stability of the entire new creation rests upon the shoulders of this one Shepherd-King.

Verse by Verse Commentary

24 “And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My judgments and keep My statutes and do them.

The first stroke in this portrait of the restored people is their leadership. After centuries of division and faithless kings, they will have one king, one shepherd. And this king is identified as "My servant David." This is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. His rule is not like that of the old kings. Under His shepherding, the people will actually do what the law requires. This is not a promise of sinless perfection, but it is a promise of a new heart, a regenerated nature that desires to obey God. The problem under the old covenant was not with the law, but with the stony hearts of the people. The new covenant, established by the new David, solves this problem by writing the law on their hearts (Ezek 36:26-27). True obedience flows from the inside out, and it is a direct result of being under the authority of the one true Shepherd.

25 They will inhabit the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, which your fathers inhabited; and they will inhabit it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever.

The promise of the land was central to the Abrahamic covenant. Here, God reaffirms it with breathtaking scope. This is not a temporary leasehold; it is a permanent, multi-generational, eternal inheritance. They will dwell in the land forever. And just as their possession is forever, the rule of their prince, David, is also forever. The two promises are linked. Now, how is this fulfilled? The New Testament takes the land promise and explodes it. The meek do not just inherit Palestine; they inherit the earth (Matt 5:5). Abraham was promised that he would be the heir of the world (Rom 4:13). So the fulfillment is not a simple return to the old geographical boundaries, but the expansion of God's kingdom, under Christ the King, to fill the entire globe. The church is the Israel of God, and our inheritance is the new heavens and the new earth.

26 And I will cut a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will give them the land and multiply them and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.

Here God names the instrument by which all this will be accomplished: an everlasting covenant of peace. This is the new covenant, sealed with the blood of Christ. It is a covenant of peace (shalom) because it resolves the hostility between God and man caused by sin. This covenant is the foundation for all the other blessings. On the basis of this covenant, God will "give them" (the verb here is often translated "place" or "establish" them), multiply them, and set His sanctuary among them. The multiplication of God's people is a key theme of the Abrahamic promise, and it is fulfilled in the Great Commission as the gospel goes out and disciples are made from every nation. And the centerpiece of this restored, multiplied people is the presence of God Himself in His sanctuary.

27 My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.

This verse is the very heart of the covenant. The Hebrew word for "dwelling place" is mishkan, the same word used for the tabernacle in the wilderness. God is promising to tabernacle with His people again. This is the ultimate goal of redemption: restored fellowship. This promise is followed by the classic covenant formula: "I will be their God, and they will be My people." This is the relationship that was broken by sin in the garden and fractured throughout Israel's history. In Christ, this relationship is restored perfectly and permanently. God is not a distant deity; He is our God, and we are His people. This is fulfilled first in the incarnation, where the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14), and it is fulfilled now as the church becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16), the place where God dwells on earth.

28 And the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.” ’ ”

The final verse reveals the grand, evangelistic purpose of this entire restoration project. It is not just for Israel's benefit. It is for the sake of the nations. When the pagan world sees a people set apart (sanctified) by the presence of the one true God dwelling in their midst, they will be forced to recognize who Yahweh is. The church, as the dwelling place of God, is meant to be a city on a hill, a light to the nations. Our corporate life, our worship, our love for one another, this is the sanctuary of God on display. And as the church fulfills its commission to disciple the nations, this knowledge of Yahweh will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. The ultimate end of our salvation is the glory of God's name throughout the whole world.

Application

These promises from Ezekiel are not dusty relics of a bygone era. They are the constitution of the kingdom to which we belong. We live in the age of fulfillment that Ezekiel could only see from a distance. So how should we live in light of this?

First, we must live as loyal subjects of our King. Jesus is not a president or a prime minister; He is David our King, and His rule is absolute. We are to walk in His judgments and keep His statutes. This means our lives, both personal and corporate, are to be governed by the Word of God, not by the shifting opinions of the culture.

Second, we must live as confident heirs. We have been given an everlasting inheritance. This world is not our final home, but it is our Father's world, and we are destined to inherit it. This should give us a robust, long-term optimism. We are not fighting a losing battle. Our King is on the throne, and His kingdom is advancing and will never end. This frees us from short-term panic and empowers us for faithful, generational work.

Third, we must live as the sanctuary of God. The church is the place where God dwells by His Spirit. This means our corporate worship is of central importance. It is where we meet with our God and where His presence is manifested. But it also means our lives together, our fellowship, our mercy, our pursuit of holiness, are part of this temple. The world is watching. They need to see a people so transformed by the presence of God that they are compelled to ask, "What God is like your God?" Our lives are the showcase for the glory of Yahweh who sanctifies us.