What Does It Mean to Preach to the Remnant?

The late Albert J. Nock in an article called “Isaiah’s Job” describes this as follows,,,

‘The Lord instructed His servant Isaiah to go forth and warn the people of the wrath to come.’ He instructed Isaiah to “Tell them what is wrong, and why, and what is going to happen unless they have a change of heart and straighten up. Don’t mince matters. Make it clear that they are positively down to their last chance. Give it to them good and strong and keep on giving it to them. I suppose perhaps I ought to tell you,” He added, “it won’t do any good. The official class and their intelligentsia will turn up their noses at you, and the masses will not even listen. They will all keep on in their own ways until they carry everything down to destruction, and you will probably be lucky if you get out with your life.”

Isaiah had been very willing to take on the job—in fact, he had asked for it—but the prospect put a new face on the situation. It raised the obvious question: Why, if all that were so—if the enterprise were to be a failure from the start—was there any sense in starting it?

“Ah” the Lord said,” you do not get the point. There is a Remnant there that you know nothing about. They are obscure, unorganized, inarticulate, each one rubbing along as best he can. They need to be encouraged and braced up when everything has gone completely to the dogs, they are the ones who will come back and build up a new society, and meanwhile you’re preaching will reassure them, and keep them hanging on. You’re job is to take care of the Remnant, so be off now and set about it…”

And What If there is No More Remnant?

Nock, in the same article, discusses a similar “Preach to the Remnant” mission fastened to the prophet Elijah. Elijah, after having attempted to count up the Remnant, subsequently fled from persecution into the desert. “The Lord presently overhauled him and asked what he was doing so far away from his job. He said that he was running away, not because he was a coward, but because all the Remnant had been killed off except for himself. He had gotten away only by the skin of his teeth, and he being now all the Remnant there was left, if he were killed the True Faith would go flat. The Lord replied that he need not worry about that, for even without him the True Faith could probably manage to squeeze along somehow if it had to; and as for your figures on the Remant,” He said, “I don’t mind telling you there are 7,000 of them back there in Israel whom it seems that you have not heard of, but you may take My word for it that they are there.” (Note 7,000 of a population then estimated around one million)

Just as seeds continue to grow after they are no longer visible, having been planted deep in the soil, the human heart has always yearned for freedom, relearned that freedom does not sustain without pruning and nurture, and despite some of the darkest days in human history, freedom has always eventually rebounded. Fear no measure of lies and darkness, for light and truth are strong and eternal. Tend to the remnant with care, with honor, and with love.

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