"The remnant of Jacob"
Text: Micah 5:7
THE DOCTRINE OF “THE REMNANT”
The true prophets of God knew that if the LORD had not left “a very small remnant”, Israel would have been totally destroyed (Isaiah 1:9). The false prophets continued to preach that God would deliver them out of their troubles miraculously! The battle between the two groups raged on from the time of Isaiah (Micah and Hosea) to the days when Jeremiah saw the fall of Jerusalem.
A GENTLE WORD ABOUT THE REMNANT
Micah softened as he wrote about the remnant that God had left for Israel.
“Then the remnant of Jacob
Shall be in the midst of many peoples,
Like dew from the LORD,
Like showers on the grass,
That tarry for no man
Nor wait for the sons of men.”
Micah 5:7
1. “Then the remnant of Jacob”
a) These were not sinless by any means.
b) They were well-described as “the remnant of Jacob”.
c) They too had sinned grievously as Jacob did.
d) But they had been repentant as Jacob was.
e) This remnant would be like the new Jacob that had met the LORD.
2. “Shall be in the midst of many peoples”
a) This was a veiled reference to the captivity they would experience.
b) “Many peoples” is a phrase that is a cryptic reference to “Gentile nations”.
3. A gentle description of the remnant
a) They are compared to the dew.
b) And like the dew they will be “gentle”.
c) They will be a refreshing difference from the rest of Israel who had become hard-hearted.
4. “Like showers on the grass”
a) The grass without the gentle rain would become brown.
b) The grass would be parched and in need of the refreshing rain.
c) The faithful remnant would become like showers that revive the grass.
5. “That tarry for no man nor wait for the sons of men”
a) The remnant would be a different group of people.
b) They would not be like the fawning sycophants who waited on the rich and the powerful.
c) The faithful remnant would be people who would wait on the Lord alone.