I was finally able to cut and sew a dress by myself when I was 8 years old. My mother took a lot of time to teach me to sew, but the main thing she imparted to my childhood mind was the need for saving every little scrap of cloth for future use in some other necessary project. A favorite dress in her childhood memory had been one that her mother created by putting together 57 pieces of various remnants of cloth. Perhaps her convictions about saving the pieces were established because she had started her family during the Great Depression, but Mother taught me, in practical life as well as in scripture, that the word remnant always had a good connotation. It was more than “something left over” that was worth saving, it was the best of what was saved.
It should be like that with a community or nation that remains after a dreadful judgment or devastating calamity, especially those who have escaped and remain to form the nucleus of a new community (Isaiah 10:20-23). The survival of a righteous remnant rested solely on God's care for His chosen people and His faithfulness to keep His part of the covenant—His promises.
In scripture, the word remnant always described the chosen ones of Israel when the rest were destroyed, the elite of God’s chosen people. Just before his promise to send Christ through David, He promised to gather a remnant of his flock of all countries, make them fruitful and increase them. He promised godly shepherds for his remnant that would feed and protect them so that there would be nothing lacking (Jeremiah 23:2-6).
The
Lord quoted his words to Jeremiah in Romans
9:27
and Romans
11:5; Romans
11:13. Apparently the
“remnant” was the saved of Israel,
without which the entire nation of Israel would have been like Sodom and
Gomorrah. The remnant was the faithful in Israel who were united
with the called out of the Gentiles to make one nation before the
Almighty who created it. He concluded his doctrine of the remnant
with glorious praise. “O the depth of the riches both
of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and
his ways past finding out!” (Rom 11:33).
Praise God for his glorious wisdom and excellent kindness!
Today one would wonder how much of what we know as the church will be left after the people are purged—purified by the fires of temptation. But whatever “remnant” of the brethren that remains, we know they are the elite of the Almighty God. He has deemed it so. May we be blessed to be part of that remnant.
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