Remnant Theology
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[Jeremiah 40:1-41:15]
A remnant is a group of people who view themselves as swimming against the current. Everyone is against them and they are the ones who make up the minority of true believers.
They are a small group of faithful people.
The problem is that everyone likes to think of themselves as belonging to the remnant. I thought I was a part of the remnant when I kept the 7th day Sabbath, and all the other Jewish holy days.
Promoting yourself as the underdog has become a good business practice. Avis proudly proclaims they are #2 and try harder.
Both the Left and Right routinely point to examples of people on their side who have been banned unfairly from Twitter and Facebook. Although you’d think it was all one sided.
Politicians have learned that presenting yourself as a victim of injustice is a great way to rile up your followers and make money.
So, in America, it seems like everyone is apart of the remnant, that group of people that everyone picks on and is treated unfairly. Hmm...
In Israel, who the remnant is isn’t so hard to see, at least from our vantage point today. The remnant was made up of Jews who had been left behind, not deemed worthy enough to take to Babylon, fortunate enough to have survived the invasion but with little if any possessions. They were literally the leftovers of society and the only thing they had going for them was their humility.
And I think that’s the key. Who are the remnant today? They’re the humble. They’re the poor in spirit. They’re the ones who will eventually be lifted up.
So when we talk about “remnant theology” what do we mean? We mean what the Bible says about the remnant. So let’s find out.
1. God will always Preserve a Remnant
Chapter 40 starts out telling us that God was punishing Israel for their sin. Everyone seemed to know what God was doing. Even the Babylonians knew it (Jer 40:2-3).
The captain of the guards took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God decreed this disaster on this place, and the Lord has fulfilled it. He has done just what he decreed. Because you people have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him, this thing has happened.
But King Nebuchadnezzar had ordered for Jeremiah not to be harmed (Jer 39:13-14). So Jeremiah was sent home to his people (Jer 39:13-14). But on his way home he was captured by some Babylonians who either didn’t know who he was what King Nebuchadnezzar had ordered. (Jer 40:1; 4-5) So Jeremiah was put in chains.
But eventually, the captain of the guard found Jeremiah and released him over to Gedaliah, the Jew who was put in charge of the remnant by the king of Babylon (Jer 40:7-8).
And under Gedaliah’s leadership the remnant was blessed (Jer 40:11-12).
When all the Judeans in Moab and among the Ammonites and in Edom and in all the other lands also heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, over them, they all returned from all the places where they had been banished and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and harvested a great amount of wine and summer fruit.
The point is that God will always preserve a remnant and there are so many scriptures in the Bible that prove this. From the time of Noah, when God saved 8 people, to the passage we read today, to the preservation of the church God has always had a relatively small, humble group of people that he’s called his own (Ezra 9:8-15 Isa 10:22; Micah 2:12; 2 Chr 36:20; 1 Peter 3:20; Rom 11:2-4; Acts 15:17).
Even today, the strength of God’s church is not in her numbers, growth strategies, management techniques, or survival skills but in God’s promise that he will always preserve a remnant.
So, that’s the first thing. The second is...
2. God will Always Provide for his Remnant
God provided for Jeremiah (Jer 40:5). When the captain of the guard sent Jeremiah to Gedaliah he didn’t send him empty handed.
Jeremiah 40:5 (CSB)
So the captain of the guards gave him a ration and a gift and released him.
We don’t know what the gift was but it was definitely God’s special treatment toward him.
And God provided for the rest of the remnant, too (Jer 40:9-10, 12).
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you. As for me, I am going to live in Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil, place them in your storage jars, and live in the cities you have captured.”
Now, remember the Israelites had lost everything. Their homes and their fields had all been destroyed yet God gave them an abundant harvest and met all of their needs.
So the humble remnant prospered because God provided for them, just as he always does.
3. God will always keep his promises to the remnant
The book of Jeremiah contains many promises about the remnant:
Jeremiah 21:9 “Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live and will retain his life like the spoils of war.”
Jer 23:3 ““I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands where I have banished them, and I will return them to their grazing land. They will become fruitful and numerous.”
Jer 31:2 “This is what the Lord says: The people who survived the sword [will find] favor and rest in the wilderness.
Jeremiah 31:7-8 “For this is what the Lord says: Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations! Proclaim, praise, and say, “Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel!” Watch! I am going to bring them from the northern land. I will gather them from remote regions of the earth— the blind and the lame will be with them, along with those who are pregnant and those about to give birth. They will return here as a great assembly!”
And God promises to preserve his church too:
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Notice that doesn’t promise to uphold any institution or group of people except for one: his church. If you want to invest in the future, invest in the church, where the remnant of God is found.
So remnant theology says:
1. God will always preserve a remnant
2. God will always provide for his remnant
3. God will always keep his promises to his remnant
Now let’s look at some of the opposition to God’s remnant.
Ishmael’s betrayal to the remnant
In verses 13-14 Gedaliah was warned.
Meanwhile, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies in the countryside came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and warned him, “Don’t you realize that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill you?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them.
Trouble was brewing but Gedaliah didn’t believe it. I’m not sure if Gedaliah was just naive or wanting to give people the benefit of the doubt but he didn’t do anything.
Johanan offered to preemptively kill Ishmael but Gedaliah didn’t believe the warnings so nothing was done (Jer 40:14-16).
So, sadly, a few verses later, we read that Gedaliah was assassinated (Jer 41:1-2) by Ishmael while they ate a meal together. Ishmael took advantage of Gedaliah’s hospitality and gentleness and killed him for it.
This makes me angry to think about it. And then before the word of Gedaliah’s death had a chance to spread, Ishmael killed seventy more men on their way to worship at the temple (Jer 41:4-9), took the rest of the remnant hostage (Jer 41:10) and turned them all over to the Ammonites who he was apparently in league with.
This is pure evil. Ishmael murdered Gedaliah while he was showing hospitality and then murdered 70 more while they were on their way to worship.
But there was still a remnant.
So why did Ishmael do all of these horrible things? Jeremiah 41:1 gives us a hint:
Jeremiah 41:1 (CSB)
In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family...
We can guess that when Ishmael, who was royalty from the line of David, saw all of the good things happening with Gedaliah as leader he got jealous and thought this should be me leading the people!
But unlike King David, Ishmael didn’t wait for God to put him on the throne, he took matters into his own hands and tried to set himself up as king.
He didn’t care about the people, he only cared about being in charge at any cost.
A Remnant belonging to Christ
So how does this point to Christ?
Well, there are two ways that an Old Testament example can point to Christ: positively or negatively.
King David positively points to Christ’s humility by waiting for God’s timing with king Saul.
But Ishmael’s negative example, by way of contrast, also points to the humility of Jesus. Jesus didn’t try steal the throne. He waited patiently for his father to work things out. Jesus didn’t kill people in order to get what was rightfully his. Instead, he came into Jerusalem humbly, riding on a donkey.
So Ishmael negatively points to Christ by way of contrast. He forced his way to the throne by killing Gedaliah and using violence in order get his way. But this isn’t Jesus’ way.
Jesus’ way is the way of the cross. It’s the humble way and the way his remnant seeks to follow.
Unfortunately, right now, I am hearing more and more about a growing number of Christians who seem to be increasingly comfortable with using any means necessary in order to save our country from those that are ruining it.
Of course, the vast majority of Christians still encourage peaceful solutions to our differences but increasingly militant language and action seem to be becoming more acceptable.
But violent, militant ways aren’t Christ’s ways. They are the way of Ishmael. Christ’s way is the way of humility and grace, not the way of power grabbing and forcibly controlling those not in power.
Maybe this will be the direction the church goes. I hope not because I think it will be a disaster for our witness and for our country, and because if history is our guide, giving Christians more power rarely results in a peaceful outcome because Christians can be just as corrupt as everyone else.
Freedom for me but not for thee won’t last.
But even if this is the direction the church goes, we can be confident there will always be a faithful, humble remnant of people that belong to Christ. And he will always preserve, protect, and keep his promises.
In Jeremiah’s day God used a man named Johanan to protect his people.
Jeremiah 41:11–12 (CSB)
When Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had done, they took all their men and went to fight with Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They found him by the great pool in Gibeon.
And they won the battle forcing Ishmael to flee back to the Ammonites.
You might ask, but didn’t God use violence against Ishmael? Yes, but there’s a significant difference. God was defending the small, weak, remnant against an evil oppressor.
In much the same way as the world is standing up to defend Ukraine against Russia God will protect those who can’t protect themselves.
Over the centuries many Christians have died fighting for the rights and dignity of people different from themselves. Remember, Christ died for sinners, not for saints.
So God has always defended his remnant against bully's and aggressors and he will always do so. It isn’t necessary for us to take matters into our own hands and become the bully or aggressor. We need stay humble and Christlike.
Who are the remnant?
Romans 11:2 says they are chosen by grace. They don’t bow down to Baal.
Revelation 12:17 says they keep the commands of God. They hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus even when attacked by Satan.
Matthew 7:13-14 says the remnant is made up of those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and King.
Listen to how 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 describes the remnant:
We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.
…because God will always preserve, protect, and keep his promises.