And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited 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 flock thrown back on God
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.
William KellySo 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.
Not the return from Babylon, and not the church
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.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinAnd 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.
Their own land
The sheep come home to their own land. One writer says it never stopped being theirs.
Numerical Bible NotesThe 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.
How the homecoming happens
One writer follows what the true Shepherd does, from the rescue of the sheep to a homecoming that ends in peace.
A J PollockHow 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.
Why God allows scattering
This verse undoes a scattering. One writer says God sometimes allows scattering, but it is never what He wants.
Numerical Bible NotesTheir 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.
Gathering to a centre
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.
Hamilton SmithThe 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.
Summary
- 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.