24 I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
I the Lord will be their God, and my Servant David a Prince - Here we find God and his Christ are all in all in his Church, and Jesus is still Prince among them; and to him the call and qualifications of all genuine pastors belong, and from him they must be derived. And he has blotted out what is called uninterrupted succession, that every Christian minister may seek and receive credentials from himself. Here is the grand reason why the uninterrupted succession cannot be made out. And here is the proof also that the Church that pretends to it, and builds upon it, must be a false Church; for it is founded on a falsity; an uninterrupted succession which does not exist either in history or in fact.
And I the Lord will be their God,.... The God of them Christ is the shepherd of, and whom he feeds; the sheep and poor of the flock: this is the great blessing of the everlasting covenant, and than which there cannot be a greater, to have the Lord, the everlasting and unchangeable Jehovah, to be a covenant God and Father:
and my servant David a Prince among them; who should reside among them, dwell with them, by granting them his spiritual presence, and so rule over them, protect and defend them; even he who is the Prince of the kings of the earth, and is exalted, a Prince and a Saviour of his people Israel; he is such a Shepherd as that he is a Prince; and such a Prince as that he is a Saviour and under whose princely government is the greatest safety:
I the Lord have spoken it; and therefore it shall assuredly be. The Targum is,
"I the Lord have decreed it in my word;''
he had determined it within himself, and promised it in covenant, and spoke of it in prophecy, and it should be fulfilled.
my servant--implying fitness for ruling in the name of God, not pursuing a self-chosen course, as other kings, but acting as the faithful administrator of the will of God; Messiah realized fully this character (Psalm 40:7-8; Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 49:3, Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 53:11; Philippians 2:7), which David typically and partially represented (Acts 13:36); so He is the fittest person to wield the world scepter, abused by all the world kings (Daniel 2:34-35, Daniel 2:44-45).
My servant - Christ was in this great work his fathers servant, Isaiah 42:1.
*More commentary available at chapter level.