A Remnant In A Remnant
Dr. Mary Sue Davis
ms_davis@bellsouth.net
“The concept of the Remnant is found all throughout the Scriptures. In fact, the word “Remnant” is found 92 times within the King James Version of the Bible. The Hebrew words She’eriyth and She’ar are translated as the Remnant in the Bible and can be defined as “rest, residue, or remainder.”
However, it should be noted that there is a greater prophetic meaning for the concept of the Remnant (especially in the last days). There are two basic definitions that I see God revealing regarding the Remnant.
The Remnant is comprised of those that have a true heart for God and a deep desire to be faithful to Him alone – regardless of the cost. There will be an accelerated growth in the Remnant that: (1) will produce a mature and balanced understanding of the Word of God that has great depth, (2) will enable them to accurately hear the voice of God with a proven track record, and (3) will allow them to become highly proficient in prayer and declaration of the Word of God.
The remnant as “a group within God’s people” whose purpose is to call God’s people back to faithfulness. We see example of this in the OT.
Is there a need for a smaller group, symbolized by the 144,000, among the larger multitude from every nation, kindred, tongue and people? Could there be a remnant within the remnant such as the Elect, manifested Sons of God, 144,000, Joel’s Army etc.?
A remnant is a left-over amount from a larger portion or piece, whether it is food, material from which a garment is fashioned, or even a group of people. Although remnants could be looked upon as worthless scraps, God assigned high value to those of His people whom He had set aside for holy purposes, those He labels as “remnants” in several places in the Bible.
“In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God” Is.10:20-21.
Noah and his family were the remnant saved out of the millions on the earth before the flood (Genesis 6). Only Lot and his two daughters survived the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, a very small remnant, indeed. (Gen. 19) When Elijah despaired that he was the only one left in Israel who had not bowed down to idols, God assured him that He had reserved a remnant of 7,000 “whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him. (1 Kings 19)
During the days of the Prophet Isaiah, God gave Isaiah a vision of Israel. The vision was told by Isaiah in Isaiah 1:1-9. Isaiah said the nation had become “a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.’ Isaiah went onto say in verse 9, “Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a SMALL REMNANT, we should have been as Sodom and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.”
Remember also, Gideon’s army.
Judges 7:1-8 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’”
Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained. 4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”
5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, everyone who kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.
7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
Summary of OT Examples:
Noah – Noah’s family was a faithful remnant supernaturally preserved through a divine cataclysm on the basis of divine grace (Gen. 7:23).
Abraham – From out of all the nations God sovereignly and graciously chose Abraham with whom to make an unprecedented covenant (Gen. 12:1-3).
Lot – Lot’s family was a faithful remnant supernaturally preserved through a divine cataclysm on the basis of divine grace (Gen. 19:29).
Isaac – Abraham had two sons, but only one was sovereignly and graciously chosen as a child of promise (Gen. 17:19).
Jacob – Isaac had twin sons, but only one was sovereignly and graciously chosen as a child of promise (Gen. 28:13-15).
Joseph – Joseph was sovereignly and graciously chosen in order to save the family of Israel from disaster (Gen. 45:7).
A remnant of Israel was sovereignly preserved from divine judgment following the young nation’s apostasy at Sinai (Ex. 32).
Caleb and Joshua were the only members of the Exodus generation to enter the land of promise, following divine judgment (Num. 14:38).
Moses prophesies to Israel that when following eventual divine judgment, a remnant will be sovereignly and graciously preserved and will return to the land (Deut. 30:1-10).
Elijah was reminded that the Lord had sovereignly and graciously preserved 7,000 Israelites who had not apostasized (1 Kings 19:18).
Upon the divine judgment of Assyrian conquest of Israel, the Lord sovereignly and graciously preserved a remnant from the northern tribes (Ezek. 37:19).
Upon the divine judgment of Babylonian exile, the Lord sovereignly and graciously preserved a remnant from the southern tribes and oversaw their return to their land (Zech. 8:5).
God has sovereignly and graciously called a remnant from Israel to receive salvation through the Messiah (Rom. 11:5).
God has sovereignly and graciously called a remnant from the nations as His people to receive salvation through the Messiah (Acts 15:14).
Upon the divine judgment of the Roman dispersion, the Lord sovereignly and graciously preserved a remnant of Jews.
During the divine cataclysmic judgment of the Tribulation, the Lord will sovereignly and graciously preserve a remnant (Rev. 7:4).
We who believe in Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha’Masaich as our Lord and Savior can, with great peace, rest in the fact that we belong to the “remnant.”
The New Testament tells us in Romans 11:5, “Even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”
Again, what is a remnant?
· God’s remnant are those who acknowledge God in all their ways.
· God’s remnant are those who know they are righteous because all things have been given to them that pertain to life and godliness. 2 Pet. 1:3
· God’s remnant are those who are blessed beyond measure. They are blessed because they are pleasing to God because of their faith.
· God’s remnant are those who stand on God’s word and not the word of man, politicians, the media and hirelings.
· God’s remnant are keenly aware that they are saved by grace and not by any merit in themselves.
Other Examples of a Remnant:
God has sovereignly and graciously called a remnant from Israel to receive salvation through the Messiah (Rom. 11:5).
God has sovereignly and graciously called a remnant from the nations as His people to receive salvation through the Messiah (Acts 15:14).
Upon the divine judgment of the Roman dispersion, the Lord sovereignly and graciously preserved a remnant of Jews.
During the divine cataclysmic judgment of the Tribulation, the Lord will sovereignly and graciously preserve a remnant (Rev. 7:4). (Dispensational View)
So, I submit to you that there is a remnant, but there is a remnant within a remnant and perhaps a remnant, within a remnant, with a remnant.
