Isaiah 10

“On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on the one who struck them, but they will faithfully depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.  The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.  Israel, even if your people were as numerous as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return.” Isaiah 10:20-22a (HCSB)

God hates pride.  It was pride in the later years of King Uzziah that caused judgment to fall upon him.  Judah, too, was filled with arrogance, thinking they knew better than God’s prophet.  And disgrace was sure to follow. (Proverbs 11:2)

But once more, Isaiah brings into focus the mercy of God.  A remnant will return.  The clouds of God’s anger against sin are lined with the silver thread of His covenant promise: a Remnant will come forth.

The idea of a “Remnant” is something we believers should strongly consider…especially when sharing the gospel with Jewish non-believers.  Some Church leaders suggest we should not bother sharing the gospel with the Jewish people because God’s Word says that all of Israel will be saved.  But shouldn’t we consider Paul’s words, (directed by the Holy Spirit) when determining exactly what spiritual “Israel” means to the Lord?  

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed.  For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.  Neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants.  On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac. That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring.” Romans 9:6-8 (HCSB)

Those who are “Israel” are not strictly those of physical descent from either Abraham or Jacob…rather, they are those who faithfully BELIEVE the promise of God, that is, in the promise of Messiah Jesus, whom Isaiah called “Immanuel.”  Today’s passage defines the “Remnant” as those who faithfully depend on the Lord, the faithful One of Israel, Immanuel, Jesus.  Consider the apostle John’s words within the context of Isaiah’s prophecy.  The Remnant is expanded to contain both Jew and Gentile: EVERYONE who believes.  Also, those appointed for destruction are people of unbelief: Jew and Gentile.

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.  This, then, is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.  For everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed.  But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”  John 3:16-21 (HCSB)