I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly. The idea of “a remnant” is a common theme among the prophets of Israel. They consistently critique the people for their infidelity and backsliding. The solution they imagine is not a mass conversion to the ways of God but rather a remnant, a core group of believers who demonstrate and inspire right living. Jesus had a very similar idea in the image of his followers as yeast, suffusing the whole loaf. In our day when we see Church and nation riven by division and discord it is easy to lose hope. The role we can play in helping to improve things is to be a remnant who demonstrate love and forgiveness.
