They shall serve David their king

30:3-11 They shall serve the Lord their God and David their king
3 For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.  
4 And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.  
5 For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.  
6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?  
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.  
8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:  
9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.  
10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.  
11 For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

This is the beginning of the Return and Restoration section. And what a wonderful beginning!

I think it is clear that the first thing that would come to anyone’s mind is the return from Babylon. I will bring again the captivity of my people...and I will cause them to return to the land. Amen. They did return from Babylon and Jerusalem was restored. Ezra and Nehemiah record it. As did Haggai and Zechariah. But there is something in this passage that hints at a greater fulfillment:

9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.  

Jacob shall return to the land, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid, AND they shall serve David their king. That means Christ. This most definitely is not what is described in Ezra and Nehemiah. This is the last days.

This puts verses 5-7 in a new light: voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace; as a woman in travail; time of Jacob’s trouble. This is the final conflict described in Zechariah 12-14. But he shall be saved out of it. How? David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. This is Christ. Now, Christ has come and brought salvation, yet this has not been fulfilled. This refers to the end times, the last days, the second coming of Christ. Yes, the second coming of Christ ushers in the millennial kingdom, the thousand year reign of Christ on the earth, when Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.

What? Do I really believe in a one thousand year kingdom on the earth, with Israel back in the land, believing in Jesus and serving Him. Yes. Some might object, But I thought all the blessings of the gospel were spiritual. Let’s just take a brief look at the story of salvation:

Creation – God creates the earth. Man is created as body, soul, spirit so he is fit for life on earth and fellowship with God. They sin. What is the punishment for sin? Physical death.

Abraham – God calls Abraham and from him creates a nation, Israel, through whom the Deliverer can come. He gives them a land and promises related to this land.

Incarnation – The Deliverer comes. How? By becoming a man. He didn’t sit on a cloud and issue new commandments, no, he took on flesh, became one of us.

Ministry – The ministry of Christ included healing the sick, raising the dead, restoring sight to the blind, hearing for the deaf, healing the paralyzed and lame, casting out demons, feeding the hungry. Not simply spiritual platitudes, but ministry to the needs of the body.

Resurrection – After dying on the cross, he was raised from the dead. His body of flesh raised.

Holy Spirit – Now the Holy Spirit comes to live in our bodies; he quickens our mortal flesh; he heals us; he leads us to minister to the sick, hungry, thirsty, naked, needy.

Second Coming – Jesus returns to the earth with the body that died and rose. Then he will raise our bodies from the dust.

The story of God’s salvation is definitely a physical one. Even the last chapter of the story is a new heaven and a new earth. Besides all this, He made promises to Israel which have not yet been fulfilled - that they will serve Messiah, they will dwell in the land, they will be at peace. That’s the millennium, the thousand year reign of Christ on the earth.

Adam Clarke, while definitely not pre-millennial, was nevertheless faithful to the Scriptures. Here is his introduction to Jeremiah 30:

"This and the following chapter must relate to a still future restoration of the posterity of Jacob from their several dispersions, as no deliverance hitherto afforded them comes up to the terms of it; for, after the return from Babylon, they were again enslaved by the Greeks and Romans, contrary to the prediction in the eighth verse; in every papistical country they have labored under great civil disabilities, and in some of them have been horribly persecuted; upon the ancient people has this mystic Babylon very heavily laid her yoke; and in no place in the world are they at present their own masters; so that this prophecy remains to be fulfilled in the reign of David, i.e., the Messiah; the type, according to the general structure of the prophetical writings, being put for the antitype. The prophecy opens by an easy transition from the temporal deliverance spoken of before, and describes the mighty revolutions that shall precede the restoration of the descendants of Israel, Jer 30:1-9, who are encouraged to trust in the promises of God, Jer 30:10, Jer 30:11. They are, however, to expect corrections; which shall have a happy issue in future period, Jer 30:12-17. The great blessings of Messiah's reign are enumerated, Jer 30:18-22; and the wicked and impenitent declared to have no share in them, Jer 30:23, Jer 30:24."

"This and the following chapter to refer to the future restoration of both Jews and Israelites in the times of the Gospel; though also touching at the restoration from the Babylonish captivity, at the end of seventy years. Supposing these two chapters to be penned after the taking of Jerusalem, which appears the most natural, they will refer to the same events, one captivity shadowing forth another, and one restoration being the type or pledge of the second."

And then his comments on v 9:

"But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their King - This must refer to the times of the Messiah and hence the Chaldee has, "They shall obey the Lord their God, and they shall obey the Messiah, the Son of David." This is a very remarkable version; and shows that it was a version, not according to the letter, but according to their doctrine and their expectation. David was long since dead; and none of his descendants ever reigned over them after the Babylonish captivity, nor have they since been a regal nation. Zerubbabel, under the Persians, and the Asmoneans, can be no exception to this. They have been no nation since; they are no nation now; and it is only in the latter days that they can expect to be a nation...

Christ is promised under the name of his progenitor, David, Isa 55:3, Isa 55:4; Eze 34:23, Eze 34:24; Eze 37:24, Eze 37:25; Hos 3:5."


But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. 
Hallelujah! When? When Christ comes again and establishes his kingdom on the earth. Yes, we inherit the promises of Christ, kingdom, salvation, but we don't exhaust them.

Next: 31:31-34 The New Covenant