As his parents were leaving after a brief visit, they paused for a moment at the front door. Turning to their son and daughter-in-law, who was holding their son’s newborn daughter, his father said, “She is our heritage!” Meaning that one day their lives will end, but her life will continue to honor our family.
But, what if that precious little life should grow to make poor choices? The remnant they’d hoped would carry on the good family name would become a disappointment.
God had chosen Israel for the purpose of taking His good name to all the world. In Jesus, that was accomplished. Israel failed God by becoming like the nations around them (read about it in your Bible: 1 & 2 Samuel; 1 & 2 Kings; 1 & 2 Chronicles).
Saul was chosen by God to become the first king of Israel. At first, he was humble, but because of his many failures as king, Saul lost his high position (“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” Proverbs 16:18).
The apostle Paul quotes God’s prophet, Isaiah, saying, “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, ‘Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.’” And just as Isaiah foretold, “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity, we would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah” (Romans 9:27-29).
King Saul’s attitude, which once was humble, became prideful having a personal sense of absolute authority. Regardless of birth, or having been chosen by God for greatness, some will choose to fail anyway, but God won’t fail! Saul failed God, and he failed God’s people.
The prideful religious leaders in Jesus’ day declared to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do” ( John8 :39-40). The Jews claimed greatness through their claim about Abraham. He is the father of faith. They boasted of their faith by declaring Abraham to be their father. Not true!
Jesus told them that making a claim doesn’t make that claim true! Jesus was saying that true people of faith will behave faithfully! The Jews trusted their birth line as a claim to faith.
Who do you trust to declare you to be a person of faith? Choose to be a part of the remnant, that is – what’s left after others are gone!