And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the water-courses, and in all the habitable places of the country.
Israel's shepherds were heartless and greedy, and the flock scattered. God now takes the flock into His own hands with four acts — bring out, gather, bring home, feed — and commentators ask two questions about them: who does the work, and when?
The verse keeps repeating "I will." One writer traces that back to the failure of Israel's shepherds. He also says the words are too plain to explain away.
So the complete failure of the shepherds throws the care of the flock onto Jehovah Himself. He does not only hold the men set over the sheep to account for them. He searches for the sheep and seeks them out wherever they are scattered. Verses 13 and 14 spell this out in words so simple and plain that here, as in similar passages, no one can dodge His testimony. He will yet do this work for Israel on earth, once He has finished gathering His assembly for heaven. These words have never been fulfilled; so they must be.
Commentators have taken this promise in more than one direction. One writer names the two main readings, rejects both, and says when the promise will be kept.
And all this has not yet come to pass. Some apply these words to the return of a remnant from captivity in Babylon and see no future fulfilment of these promises. It is clear that the returning remnant did not have these blessings. Others make a spiritual application and claim it means the Church and the blessing Gentiles will receive as the sheep of Christ. This is the common path most commentators follow. It needs no long refutation, for neither Ezekiel nor the other prophets know anything of the Church... When the Church is complete in its full number, when the Lord has come for His saints and the true Church has passed from earth into glory, then the Lord will turn in mercy to His people Israel, and these promises given by Ezekiel will be fulfilled.
The sheep come home to their own land. One writer says it never stopped being theirs.
The land has been their own land in His mind all the way through. For a time it refused to own them as its people, but that cancels nothing: God never goes back on His purposes. The mountains of Israel will welcome them again. Every spring will run for their benefit, and they will fill all the habitable places of the country.
One writer follows what the true Shepherd does, from the rescue of the sheep to a homecoming that ends in peace.
How beautiful to turn from these heartless, greedy and cruel shepherds to see what the true Shepherd would do. He would seek out the scattered sheep. He would deliver them. He would bring them to their own land. No doubt this will happen when the Lord gathers Israel, now scattered among the nations, back to their own land. He will purify the land by the great tribulation. He will give the spirit of grace and of supplication to His ancient people. Then, for the first time, they will truly keep the great day of atonement. They will welcome their Messiah — the Shepherd of Israel — and so He will keep them in peace and security.
This verse undoes a scattering. One writer says God sometimes allows scattering, but it is never what He wants.
Their scattering will stop when they hear the Voice His people know — the Voice that does not scatter but brings together. It brings them together by removing every cause of scattering. Yet at times scattering may be the very thing that is of God, and He allows it to avoid a worse evil. Even then, He allows it only for a short time. What is in His heart is gathering, not scattering.
The verse does not stop at rescue; God also gathers. One writer draws a rule from that for anyone who cares for God's people.
The Lord does not deliver His people from the power of the enemy and then leave them. He also gathers them... "Separation" and "gathering" must go together. Separation without gathering only puffs up and leads to the spirit of the Pharisee, and to further scattering. When the Lord separates His people from evil He gathers them around Himself. Christ is God's great gathering centre. We may get Christians together, but if it is not gathering to Christ and with Christ it will only add to the scattering.
- Failure. Israel's shepherds scattered the flock they should have fed. So the whole care of the sheep falls back on God Himself.
- Promise. Four acts run through this verse — bring out, gather, bring home, feed. God claims every one of them as His own work.
- Timing. None of this has happened yet. The remnant that came back from Babylon never had these blessings, and commentators differ over whether the church is meant.
- Heart. God may allow scattering for a time to avoid a worse evil. But gathering is what He wants, and He gathers by removing every cause of scattering.
- Centre. Rescue is not finished until the sheep are gathered to Christ. Separation without a centre only scatters again.
I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be there shall they lie down in a good fold, and in a fat pasture they shall feed upon the mountains of Israel.
God has just exposed Israel's shepherds. They fed themselves and let the flock scatter. Now He says what He will do Himself: feed His sheep on good pasture and give them a place to lie down.
God names the failure, then announces what He Himself will do:
But Jehovah now points it out to say what He Himself would do. He would seek out His poor sheep. He would judge between sheep and sheep. He would deliver them from the mouth of those that devoured them. And He would feed them on the mountains of Israel, and in rich pastures.
The promise is too detailed to explain away. Nothing in Israel's history has matched it, so it still waits:
Verses 13 and 14 spell this out in language so simple and plain that it is useless to try to escape it. Here, as in similar passages, He testifies to the work He will yet do for Israel on earth, once He has finished gathering His assembly for heaven. These words have never yet been fulfilled; so they must be. Their certainty and security rest on Himself, and on that mercy which endures forever.
Commentators differ over who this good pasture is for. One writer sets out the main views and answers both:
And all this has not yet come to pass. Some apply these words to the return of a remnant from the Babylonian captivity. They see no future fulfilment of these promises. It is evident that the returning remnant did not have these blessings. Others make a spiritual application and claim that it means the Church, and the blessing which Gentiles will receive as the sheep of Christ. This is the path most commentators follow. It needs no long answer, for neither Ezekiel nor the other prophets know anything of the Church. That is unrevealed in the Old Testament. These promises wait while God is still gathering the Church, His body, out from all nations.
Writers also draw a lesson from the good pasture for Christians now. Food is not only supply. It shapes the one who eats it:
Having led His flock into their own land the Lord feeds them "with good pasture." The true food for the Christian is in the heavenly country... We need to feed on all the glories and perfections of Christ in the place where He is. And what we feed on forms us. To feed on Christ in His earthly path of humiliation will win our affections. But to feed on Christ in His glories will change our characters.
The verse says they will feed, and also that they will lie down in good grazing land. That rest is a test. A hungry sheep in rich grass does not lie down. It eats:
Hungry sheep will not lie down in a rich pasture, they will feed. If they lie down it is a sure proof they are satisfied. The great Shepherd of the sheep leads them into a region of satisfied desire.
The same principle is drawn out elsewhere from the shepherd psalm, where being made to lie down carries no idea of compulsion:
A sheep only lies down when satisfied. When it says "He makes me," the idea is not force, but the result of satisfaction because of the Shepherd's care.
This picture is not only about God's own care. It sets the standard for anyone who leads others:
In the verses that follow we have a magnificent description of how God shepherds His flock. And as the Chief Shepherd acts, so should the under-shepherds. So in these verses (11–16) we have the perfect example for the true-hearted shepherd, whether in Israel or among God's people today.
- The Shepherd acts. Israel's leaders failed. God does not appoint better ones. He says He will feed the flock Himself on the mountains of Israel, in rich pasture.
- The Shepherd promises. The wording is too plain to explain away. Nothing in Israel's past has matched it. So the promise still waits.
- The Shepherd's own flock. Some limit the promise to the return from exile. Others apply it to the church. But the returning remnant never had these blessings, and Ezekiel knows nothing of the church.
- The Shepherd feeds. Good pasture does more than fill the sheep. What the flock feeds on is what the flock becomes.
- The Shepherd satisfies. Lying down is the proof that the sheep are satisfied. Full sheep rest; hungry sheep keep eating. That same care is the pattern for anyone shepherding people today.
I will myself feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord Jehovah.
Israel's shepherds fed themselves and left the flock scattered. From verse 11 on, God answers that failure by taking the flock into His own hands. This verse is the heart of that answer. Who is this "I," and when does the promise come true?
The force of the verse lies in the repeated "I myself." The appointed shepherds failed, so the care of the flock passes to God.
So the complete failure of the shepherds casts their care on Jehovah Himself. He does not only hold those set over the sheep to account for them. He searches for the sheep and seeks them out wherever they are scattered. In verses 13 and 14 He says this so simply and plainly that no one can dodge it, here or in similar passages. He testifies to the work He will yet do for Israel on earth, once He has finished gathering His assembly for heaven. These words have never yet come true; so they must still happen. Their certainty and security rest on Himself, and on that mercy which lasts for ever.
Commentators differ on how far this reaches. Some say the return from exile in Babylon already fulfilled it. One writer looks instead to a morning still ahead for Israel.
"Behold, I myself, even I, will search for My sheep and will seek them out." Jehovah rises up on behalf of His scattered sheep. He will Himself carry out the work of a true shepherd, seeking out His flock. The cloudy and dark day is gone and another morning breaks, the morning His people have waited for so long… And all this has not yet come to pass. Some apply these words to the return of a remnant from the Babylonian captivity. They see no future fulfilment of these promises. It is clear that the returning remnant did not have these blessings.
At times God Himself allowed the scattering. So what does He want for His people?
Their scatterings will stop when they hear the Voice His people know — a voice that does not scatter, but brings together. It gathers them by removing every cause of scattering. Yet scattering may at times be the very thing that is of God, and He allows it to avoid worse evil. Even so, He allows it only for a brief time. What is in His heart is gathering, not scattering.
"I myself will make them lie down" sounds like something done to the sheep. So consider what actually makes a sheep lie down.
A sheep only lies down when it is satisfied. When it says "He makes me," the idea is not force, but the result of satisfaction because of the Shepherd's care.
Where they lie down matters too.
Finally, in that heavenly land He gives His people "Rest": "I myself will make them lie down" (v. 15)… And when God brings His people to rest it is "on rich pasture" (v. 14). Hungry sheep will not lie down on rich pasture; they will feed. If they lie down it is sure proof they are satisfied. The great Shepherd of the sheep leads them into a region of satisfied desire.
The chapter goes on to say more about who this Shepherd will be.
He Himself will both search for and seek out His sheep, gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own land… More than all, He will set up over them one shepherd who will feed them, His servant David, who is no less Jehovah than Himself.
This picture is not only prophecy.
But if God is against the shepherds, He is for the sheep… And in the verses that follow we have a magnificent description of how God shepherds His flock. And as the Chief Shepherd acts, so should the under-shepherds. So in these verses (11–16) we have the perfect example for the true-hearted shepherd, whether in Israel or among God's people today.
- Failure — when the shepherds collapsed, the care of the flock did not stop. It passed to God Himself, who says "I myself will."
- Gathering — God may allow scattering, but only for a short time. His heart is set on gathering.
- Feeding — He does not simply rescue the sheep and leave them; He brings them to good pasture and feeds them there.
- Rest — lying down is the last step and the proof of the others. A full sheep lies down, and no one forces it.
- Fulfilment — the promise has never yet come true in Israel's history, so it must still be ahead. The one Shepherd who carries it out is God Himself.
I will seek the lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up the broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong I will feed them with judgment.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.