The Remnant of Israel

Isaiah 33:14‑15  •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 9
The remnant of Israel is distinguished from their apostate brethren in Isa. 33:14, 1514The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; (Isaiah 33:14‑15). The sinners in Zion have seen the judgment of God on their enemies and are afraid; fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. They cannot hope to survive the devouring fire or endure the everlasting burnings of the righteous wrath of God. Their question: "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings"? is answered by Jehovah in the following verse, "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly: he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from the holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil." In the latter days the remnant appears, by closed eyes and stopped ears, separated from the mass of the nation.
Identical distinguishing marks appear in the deaf man with a speech impediment, (Mark 7:32-3532And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. (Mark 7:32‑35)), and in the blind men of Mark 8:2323And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. (Mark 8:23) and John 9:66When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, (John 9:6). Each, in their own way, depict the yet-future remnant of Israel. As to the deaf man, he is separated from those around him; he cannot hear the evil and the blood shedding, nor the cries of the victims. Neither is he responsive, for he cannot communicate with the apostates. Further, Jesus took him aside from the multitude and put his fingers into his cars, spit, and touched his tongue saying. "Be opened." The spittle was the efficacy of His own person, but in Jewish eyes it was the cause for ostracizing the man for seven days (Num. 12:1414And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. (Numbers 12:14)).
In Mark 8:2323And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. (Mark 8:23) the blind man, by his blindness, is separated from the mass of the people, and cannot see the evil done in the land. He is led out of the town by the Lord and upon receiving his sight is told not to return to the town (Zech. 14:55And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zechariah 14:5)). In this case, the Lord spit in his eyes and thereby accomplished a further separation of seven days, denoting spiritual completeness.
A third instance, in John 9:66When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, (John 9:6) depicts the remnant as the work of God and for the glory of God. Jesus spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, saying unto him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing." From this example of the remnant the truth goes further: he is excommunicated from the nation and cast out of the synagogue, but found by Jesus.
The deaf and blind remnant had no sin in respect of that from which their condition separated them (John 9:4141Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. (John 9:41)). Their first voice was the voice of Jesus; their first sight was of the man Christ Jesus: then saw they all men clearly.
“And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness." Isa. 29:1818And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. (Isaiah 29:18). "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me. I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained My lips, O Lord, Thou knowest." Psa. 40:7-97Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 9I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. (Psalm 40:7‑9).
Psa. 15 gives the character of the remnant, and Psa. 42, their utterance when cast out of Jerusalem (the town) and derided by their apostate brethren with, “Where is thy God?" The Lord went through it all before them, as a reading of the Psalms will show.
W. N. Bothwell.