The Remnant

The word remnant is not used much in our conversations. When was the last time you used that word? Webster's dictionary defines remnant as something left over; a remainder, or a surviving trace, or vestige. The word remnant is used many times in the Bible however it is a nuanced word.

 It refers to a group of people who survived, or are left over, or who were reserved, or who have a special purpose. In many cases the remnants are those God uses for his special purposes. Reading through the Bible you begin to see a pattern as it relates to the remnant. For instance in the old testament book of Judges chapter 7, Gideon is called upon by God to face the enemies of Israel, the Midianites. They have a vast army, much larger than Israel. From Gideon's perspective the odds don’t look good. 

Here is where the remnant factor comes into play. God says you have too many men in your army. I’m sure for just a moment Gidion thought he was hearing God wrong. As it turns out God was serious about this strange plan. Gideon tells his men if any of them want to go home and not fight they are free to leave. Twenty two thousand men headed home that day. Gideon was left with ten thousand men. Next God told Gideon, you still have too many men. Take them down to the river. We are going to thin the ranks out some more. Gideon was instructed to take note of how the men drank the water from the river. The men who put their heads down and drank water like dogs were instructed to go home. Those who knelt down and drank water from cupped hands were to stay. 

This left Gideon with 300 men. God said, okay, you are now ready for battle. From our perspective this sounds like a ridiculous plan. I’m sure it seemed that way to Gideon. This is the short version of what happened. Israel defeated the Midianites with a lot of help from God. 

My question is, what was God trying to prove? What was the point he was trying to make?

The answer is found in the second verse of Judges 7. The Lord said to Gideon, “you have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ We don’t handle glory very well. That is reserved for God. God wants us to depend on him. This is why God often uses the remnant to accomplish his purposes. 

So what or who qualifies as the remnant today? The church! When you consider how many Christ followers there are in proportion to the general population of our country we definitely qualify as a remnant. When I see things trending downwards in regards to people going to church or studies about people abandoning their faith it feels like we're losing. I have to remind myself that God has always done his best work through the remnant. If you are feeling discouraged about the state of the church today I hope you will take courage in being God’s special remnant.  I’m not sure how God is going to work through the church in the coming days but if I were a gambling man I wouldn’t bet against the remnant. 

Stay close to Jesus

Steve

From the original post on January 2022.