4 O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.
5 And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.
6 O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
- His love for us is constant and enduring, and
- our willingness to receive the gifts He offers is the only variable in the equation.
- “How oft have I gathered you…” Remember all of the times you have been blessed by the Savior. Remember the many gifts you have already received from Him.
- “How oft would I have gathered you…and ye would not.” This is the poignant one, and the one that most closely mirrors the passage in Matthew. Imagine the pain our Savior and our Heavenly Father feel when we fail to accept the blessings they are willing and able to give us!
- “How oft will I gather you…” This is the hopeful part of the passage. If we choose to repent and turn toward Him, we will continue to receive good gifts from Him in the future.
I like what you said about the variable in the equation is our willingness to receive the gifts. There’s a formula indicated for being gathered. First in D&C 10:65 we read the Lord says “I will gather them…if they will not harden their hearts”. Second, in D&C 29:2 we see that we also need to hearken to His voice, humble ourselves before Him, and call upon Him in mighty prayer. We know it is the Lord’s great desire to gather his people, but we must have soft hearts, hearken to His voice, be humble, and call on Him in mighty prayer.
Here’s another great article on this topic https://scripturenotes.com/as-a-hen-gathereth-her-chickens?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=study_topic_1_as_a_hen_gathereth_her_chickens&utm_term=2020-02-17
Thank you for those additional insights. It’s clear that the Lord is always willing to gather us, and that our task is to be “gatherable.” Have a great day!