"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 to fulfill a promise that God made 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.
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 an 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.
D. 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.
E. 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 F. David declared in the scripture reading, "And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
