Ezekiel 34:23-24

Ezekiel 34:23-24

[23] And I will set up  one  shepherd  them, even my servant  David;  he shall feed  [24] And I the LORD  will be their God,  and my servant  David  a prince  among  them; I the LORD  have spoken  it.

What does Ezekiel 34:23-24 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Lord promised to set over His sheep one shepherd, His servant David, who would personally feed them (cf. John 10:9; John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Yahweh would be their God, and His servant David would be prince (Heb. nasi", namely, king) among them. This the Lord assuredly promised (cf. Ezekiel 37:22-26). As mentioned before, Ezekiel customarily used nasi" in place of melek, the normal Hebrew word for "king," to stress the fact that someone had put the nasi" on his throne.
"The term "prince" is probably used here to facilitate a contrast with the "princes" (i.e, kings) of the Davidic dynasty who are denounced in earlier oracles (see Ezekiel 7:27; Ezekiel 12:10; Ezekiel 19:1; Ezekiel 21:25; Ezekiel 22:6; Ezekiel 22:25)." [1]
In view of the promises that God Himself would shepherd His sheep and the promises that His servant David would shepherd them, it seems clear that a god-man is in view (cf. Ezekiel 37:24-25; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Jeremiah 30:9; Hosea 3:5; Micah 5:2; John 10:30; 1 Timothy 2:5). Twenty out of Ezekiel"s38 usages of nasi" refer to the coming Messiah. [2] Did God mean that He would raise David from the dead to lead the Israelites again? No, He probably meant that someone from David"s descendants would lead them (cf. 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 55:3-4; Jeremiah 30:9; Hosea 3:5). However a few interpreters have concluded that resurrected King David is in view here. [3] David was the model shepherd of sheep and the model king of Israel (cf. 1 Samuel 13:14).
". . . David was the man whom God chose and in whom He delighted; the king who triumphed against all his foes and who extended his kingdom in all directions; the man of Judah under whose genius the whole nation was for a time united." [4]
Though the identity of this "David" may have been obscure to Ezekiel"s audience, history demonstrated that it was one of David"s descendants who proved to be the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ ( John 10:11; John 10:14).
"In a sense Jesus, the Good Shepherd and the Son of David, is in view here, but the eschatological orientation of the whole passage removes the setting from the period of His earthly ministry in the first century to that of His second advent when He will come to sit on the throne of David." [5]