Word In Life Study Bible
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN THE MINORITY?
Mic.5:3
If this is your experience, you have plenty of company! The Bible describes numerous followers of God who were assigned minority status because of their faithfulness and spiritual integrity. In the Old Testament, Micah and other writers refer to these faithful few as a “remnant” (Mic. 5:3, 7–8).
Technically, the term “remnant” describes survivors who remain after a devastating calamity and form the nucleus of a new community. Applied to Israel, the remnant were those who held onto their faith despite opposition at home and persecution abroad. Thanks to them, the faith was preserved until Jesus came into the world.
The Bible has much to say about believers living in the minority, and about the preservation of a godly remnant:
• Moses warned
the Israelites that they would be scattered among the nations if they disobeyed
God. However, the Lord would not utterly forsake His people. He would still
hear their prayers when they finally turned to Him, as He would not forsake
His covenant with them (Deut. 4:27–31).
• Isaiah foresaw a day when a remnant of Israel would finally learn to
depend on the Lord rather than alliances with pagan superpowers (Is. 10:20–23).
• Amos urged the people of his day to change their ways, particularly in
the marketplace, because that might cause the Lord to be “gracious to the
remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5:14–15).
• When Jesus announced the kingdom of God and began the training of His
disciples, He warned that those who followed His ways would encounter opposition
and persecution (Matt. 5:1–16).
• Peter, writing primarily to Hebrew Christians who were living in cultures
that did not share their beliefs or values, reminded them of their calling to
holiness, and pointed out that they were “sojourners and pilgrims”
(1 Pet. 1:15–16; 2:11–12). In a second letter, he said that “the
Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations,” and used the examples
of Noah and Lot—two people of faith living in corrupt societies—to
support his point (2 Pet. 2:4–11).
• Paul described the church as a “remnant according to the election
of grace,” not unlike the 7,000 faithful Israelites in Elijah’s day
(Rom. 11:2–5). He urged the Philippian Christians not to be terrified by
their adversaries as they suffered for the sake of Christ, but to maintain conduct
worthy of the gospel (Phil. 1:27–30).
Following God will often mean trials and testing at the hands of those who do
not know Him. Are you experiencing that kind of opposition? If so, you can take
heart in the fact that this is part of your calling in Christ (Phil. 1:29; 2
Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 2:19–24).
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