What Or Who Is The Remnant?

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In these difficult times, a period of war, it becomes increasingly imperative that we discover what God says about Israel, and in particular, the Remnant. As those who love the Lord, learning to love those whom He loves is one of life’s challenges, whether they are the unlovely or unlovable of society or perceived as society’s pariahs.

Today’s politics has made Israel into a pariah, and so how do we navigate this issue when what God says in the Bible is no longer respected in our society?

The Bible reveals God’s enduring love and faithfulness for the Remnant. In our current climate of anti-Israelism and anti-Zionism, understanding what God says about Israel and the Remnant is key to Christians being able to respond to these views.

The Bible’s purpose is to reveal who God is and how He acts, and this is foundational to our own understanding of who He is and how He acts in our own lives. The biblical narrative of the Remnant reveals a love story which spans the whole of the Bible.

This love story begins with God’s choice of Israel and His covenant with them. Unlike human love, His unfailing love survived times when Israel fell into apostasy and darkness; however, despite this, His ‘Chessed’ ~ His loving kindness, expressed through loving mercy and faithful love, has never run dry.

The Remnant begins with God’s choice of Abraham, and the covenant He made with Abraham and his descendants, which was not to make them more special, but to make them an instrument of blessing.

Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.

—Genesis 18:18

So, what is the Remnant? In Scripture, the Remnant embodies God’s sovereign preservation of the faithful amidst widespread spiritual apostasy and the people of Israel’s failure to keep His commandments. The Hebrew term “she’ar” and the Greek “leimma” both convey the idea of something precious that remains after a process of purification or judgment.

And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this.

—Ezra 9:13

The evidence of God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel; they continue to exist because He is unchanging and His promises cannot be broken. And His promises are fulfilled in our Messiah and Saviour, Jesus. God promised Abraham that through him and his descendants:

In your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed—because you obeyed My voice.”

—Gen 21:18

God provided more detail about this promise to Abraham, saying that through one of his descendants, blessing would come to all people. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that the promise was made so that through Abraham’s family, there would be one seed, one descendant. The Hebrew also supports Paul’s statement because the word for seed, Zerah, is in the singular form.

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

—Gal 3:16

The Remnant embodies God’s covenant faithfulness, serving as a bridge between His past promises and future fulfilment. They are the living proof that God keeps His word across generations, regardless of human failure. It also demonstrates the unfailing nature of God’s love because, despite Israel’s failures and rebellion, the Lord has always preserved a remnant. Even in the midst of judgment, God’s love ensures the survival of the faithful. The Remnant passes through the fire but emerges purified and strengthened.

“Now in that day the Remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, the Remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.”

— Isaiah 10:20-21

The preservation of the Remnant signifies more than just its survival; it is a vital step in the unfolding narrative of Redemption. It points us toward humanity’s intended purpose, a relationship with God.

The Remnant are those who remained faithful even as the rest of the people rebelled and followed other gods. The Remnant was preserved even during times of judgment. This preservation was not because they were faithful but because they served and functioned within God’s plan of Redemption. The Remnant also has an eschatological purpose. In God’s dealings with the Remnant, we are given a glimpse into a time when all creation is reconciled to the creator.

“In that day the LORD of hosts will become a beautiful crown And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people.”

— Isaiah 28:5

The Apostle Paul develops our understanding of the Remnant, which he describes as ‘chosen by grace’ in Romans 11:5. He identifies Jewish believers in Jesus as this faithful Remnant, directly connecting to Elijah’s and the 7,000 who didn’t bow to Baal.

For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring….it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise.”

— Rom 9:6-8

In other words, only those descendants of Abraham who walk in faithfulness to God amidst apostasy are Israel; these are the ‘children of the promise’. Paul takes this a step further by saying that they are Israel and heirs to the promise made to Abraham through His seed, Jesus.

The ongoing lessons that the Remnant provides are all about the character of God. Despite the failures of His people, God remains faithful to His promises and purpose for the Remnant. This brings together God’s Grace and His merciful love, all wrapped up in His sovereign rule over all things. And because God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, what we learn from His dealings with the Remnant can be applied to our own lives.

The Lord stepped into the history of His people to preserve a Remnant, and He proved His love and faithfulness by acting on His promises so that Jesus is its fulfilment. He is the point of the Remnant. However, not all of the Remnant prophecies have been fulfilled. They point us to the millennial reign. In both Isaiah 2 and Micah 4, the nations will come to learn and worship.

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

— Micah 4:1-2