Part of the Remnant

“But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.”

Zephaniah 3:12-13a

In some of the Prophetic Books, we hear of this “remnant theology,” where the Prophets speak of a “remnant” of God’s people who will remain, the few that remain faithful, whose descendants will see the Messiah. As we may recall in Biblical history the Israelites repeatedly turned away from God and when the Prophets came to encourage them to return to the Lord with their hearts, some did but even more ignored them. As a result of their self-righteousness, pride, and idolatry, the Israelites fell into the hands of foreign powers, being exiled from their homeland. While in exile, some continued to turn away from God, while others came to accept the gods of their captors, but there were some who remained faithful to the Lord, the God who made His covenant with their ancestors. These faithful few became the remnant, the remnant through whom Salvation would come.

This notion of the “remnant” is not foreign to us today. To be Christian is to be countercultural. While Christians fight to defend life the world is calling all to embrace a culture of death. How is it that we live in a world that seeks and pursues death and not life, hatred and selfishness and not love and selflessness? Those who choose life and those who pursue the Truth are in the minority; they are the remnant of God. They will be ridiculed, persecuted, and even killed for their beliefs. Despite these hardships, the faithful remnant will continue to defend all that is good and all that is true because they know and believe that ultimately God is in control, that God is the Creator and that no creation can ever outmaneuver or triumph over its Creator. No matter how bad things may seem or be, we must always remind ourselves that God has the final say, and that God will bring good out of evil and life out of death. The faithful remnant will see the face of God and will inherit the earth.

In many ways the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-12) outlines the way of the remnant. They are poor in spirit and meek, merciful and pure of heart, pursuers of righteousness and peace, and persecuted for speaking and defending the truth. Yet in all of this, they are the victors because they are blessed, not only in this world, but also in the life to come. Just as through the faithful remnant of Israel came the Messiah and Savior of the world, so too will many souls be saved from the sacrifices and suffering of the faithful remnant of today.

Will we choose to be a part of the faithful remnant of today?