328. One Shepherd King
Ezekiel 37:24 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.
The Messianic Prophecy is that a Descendant of David will rule on the throne of the people of God forever. This came true. The Promise for us is that this Servant Jesus will be our king; He will rule; He will be our one Shepherd. Because the Kingdom has come with Jesus the King, God’s people will obey and keep and do the Law of God. This is the real surprising result of the coming of the Son of David: believers in Jesus will be sanctified and live holy lives.
This holy living, of course, is impossible and it has never come true in even one individual person since Adam. “There is not a just man on earth that does good and sins not.” But our failure does not nullify the Promise of God. We will become a finished work of perfection and holiness, completely obedient to the Law of God. That will be Paradise when all God’s people are just so.
We are declared holy and righteous, forgiven of all sins. The duration of our earthly lives after coming to faith in Christ is a process of sanctification: the Spirit is molding us more and more into the image of God, walking in His Commands, observing His Laws, and actually doing what God says. The Final Step will occur in our own bodily death and bodily resurrection. Then we shall all willingly and gladly and perfectly do everything the King rules. And we know that Jesus will always rule as king for our good, our benefit and wellbeing. Hang on to this promise and wait for it. Meanwhile, Jesus is presently ruling over the Kingdom in our hearts as the Davidic Shepherd. You can trust Him. And that’s a good thing.