A Faithful Remnant Remains - Part 2

20 In that day the remnant left in Israel,
the survivors in the house of Jacob,
will no longer depend on allies
who seek to destroy them.
But they will faithfully trust the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant will return;
yes, the remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God.
22 But though the people of Israel are as numerous
as the sand of the seashore,
only a remnant of them will return.
The Lord has rightly decided to destroy his people.
23 Yes, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
has already decided to destroy the entire land.

24 So this is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, says: “O my people in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you with rod and club as the Egyptians did long ago. 25 In a little while my anger against you will end, and then my anger will rise up to destroy them.” 26 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will lash them with his whip, as he did when Gideon triumphed over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb, or when the Lord’s staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea.

Isaiah uses the image of fire to describe God’s judgment on evil (see Isaiah 10:17-19). But the prophet also uses that image to describe God’s grace. Israel was called to “walk in the light of the Lord” (2:5). A burning coal was taken from heaven’s altar to cleanse Isaiah for prophetic service (6:6-7). God’s purpose from the beginning has been not merely judgment but blessing. And that blessing is for the spiritual descendants of Abraham everywhere (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:26-29).

Through Jesus’ coming, people of all nations receive the gospel blessings promised to Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:16). But has God rejected his people Israel? This is Paul’s question in Romans 11:1, and the answer is “No!” While it is true that most of the children of Jacob rejected Immanuel when he came, there was a remnant who believed. And because they followed Jesus, they were exposed to brutal persecution and even death at the hands of their traditional religious leaders.

Christians disagree today over the meaning of certain passages of Scripture about the future of the Jews. But we need to remember that the first members of the early church were Jewish believers and that there remains today a “remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5). What a powerful sign this is, showing that our salvation is by God’s grace from start to finish!

Almighty God, thank you for bringing together as one body Jews and Gentiles through faith in your Son, Immanuel, our Savior, in whose name we pray. Amen.