The Remnant

Again and again, when the many fall away, God keeps a remnant: eight souls through the flood, seven thousand who never bowed to Baal, a stump from which a shoot will grow after the exile. The prophets promise that "a remnant will return," and Paul sees the believing remnant of Israel as proof that God''s word has not failed. The theme assures us that God''s purposes never depend on the crowd — he always preserves a people for himself.