Thus saith the Lord, remove the diadem and take off the
crown, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it
him.--Ezekiel xxi. 26, 27.
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king,
and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an
image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim. Afterwards
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 latter days.--Hosea iii. 4, 5.
The Jews themselves must confess this prophecy to be in part
fulfilled. They are wanderers from their beloved Canaan, strangers
in a strange land, scattered over all parts of the globe, and
destitute of all the local privileges which constitute a nation,
although they still retain a distinction of character; but it only
tends to make them a reproach, and their name a by-word amongst all
classes. They dwell alone, and are not now reckoned amongst the
nations of the earth. The insignia of royal dignity are useless
to them, having no king or prince on whom to bestow the crown or
diadem. They are deprived of their temple and its services, and of
all the glorious distinctions which marked it from those dedicated
to false or unknown Gods. The latter clause of this prophecy shall
as assuredly be fulfilled, for heaven and earth shall pass away,
sooner than one of the promises of God fail to be accomplished.
Yes, the children of Israel shall return, and seek the Lord their
God, and him of whom David was only a type, even King Jesus,[19]
who is of David's royal line, "and the government shall be upon
his shoulders," for he is the "wonderful counsellor, the mighty
God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace." Hasten, Lord! we
would say, the time "when the deliverer shall arise out of Zion,
and turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Assume the sceptre of thy
power, Jesus, thou king of Zion, thou "Son of the Highest! for the
Lord God has given unto thee the throne of thy father, David; thou
shalt reign over the house of Jacob for ever." "Of the increase of
thy government and peace there shall be no end; upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever. The zeal
of the Lord of hosts will perform this."
[19] Ezek. xxi. 26, 27.