Who is the “remnant of my flock” that the Lord says he will gather and bring back to the fold so that they can be fruitful?
Ultimately, it is the Lord who will be the true Shepherd to his people. He will gather the remnant
of his flock from the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold.
In the previous verse (Jeremiah 23:2) the Lord condemns the kings of Judah for scattering the flock and driving them out of the land. Yet here the Lord says that he is the one who drove them out. It was indeed the Lord who judged his people and sent them into exile, but this happened largely because of the kings who failed. But in the same way, it is now the Lord who will bring them back into the fold. The remnant spoken of here are the faithful Israelites in exile who will be restored as the Lord’s people. These words would have been of great comfort to them.1
When the Lord brings his people back, they shall be fruitful and multiply.
This is the language of Genesis 1:26–28. This promise is repeated to Noah in Genesis 9:1 and again in the Lord’s promises to Abraham (Genesis 17:6; Genesis 22:17). The restoration of the Lord’s people from exile in Babylon is rooted in his purposes for creation and goes beyond just Judah and the people of Israel. His ultimate purpose is to restore a fruitful and prosperous humanity living in faithfulness to him in the new creation.
3 Et je rassemblerai le reste de mes brebis De tous les pays où je les ai chassées; Je les ramènerai dans leur pâturage; Elles seront fécondes et multiplieront.