Hope From Afar

“Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.” (Eze 14:22-23 AV)

What a picture of the evangelizing saint!  The context here is a small remnant whom the king of Babylon leaves behind to tend the land.  The vast majority of Israel and Judah are carried away to Assyria, then Babylon, as captives for their sins against God.  Yet, there is a small number of the poor and humble who remain free to serve the king by farming the land and sending back to Babylon fruits of the fields.  Their job is to continue to keep the land cultivated so it does not go back to its natural state.  It appears from the text above this remnant could communicate with their captive brethren.  It even appears they could visit if they so choose.  This would mean they had some kind of passage that allowed them to go freely.  Like an ambassador who would send word from the home country, they would encourage those held in captivity of the goodness of the land.  It was a message of God’s grace.

The church has been called to reach a lost and dying world.  This message of hope comes from people just like them.  The remnant was not the remnant because they were better than those who were not.  The king chose them because they were willingly humbled.  They identified with the sins of the nation and their forefathers and did not rebel when judgment came.  Because of this humility, the king felt they could be trusted.  They were no less sinful than those who would not be humbled.  The found grace because of their willingness to respond to the correcting hand of God.  The same is true of the N.T. saint.  We are no better than the worst of society.  God considers all sin equally wicked when compared against His holiness.  There are no degrees of holiness.  There are no such things as mortal or venial sins.  They are all mortal.  We are all in need of forgiveness found only in Christ.  We are all in desperate need of God’s mercy.  We have not earned it.  We don’t deserve it.  But we need it more than our minds can comprehend. 

This remnant would come and go at intervals according to the Spirit’s leading.  They would leave their fields and homes to come and visit with their countrymen in captivity.  They would send correspondence when they could.  They would not sit, busy with their own lives, never having thought about those held in the grasp of an ungodly king.  Their minds were on those held in bondage.  Their message was one of hope.  God had not forsaken the land.  God was still honoring the covenants.  The LORD was still interested in the nation whom He had planted and is counting down the days when they could reunite.  There is a message of hope for those held in captivity.  That message of hope for a lost and dying world is that Jesus Christ died for them.  All they need to do is repent of their sin and place their faith in what He has already done on His cross.  Calling out to Him, they can be saved from their sin and the hell that awaits them.  There is also a message of hope for those saints who are going through deep waters.  It is those who are not in those deep waters who can be of great encouragement.  There is hope on the other side.  This captivity will not last and when it ends, they can join those who are not in those waters.  It is so important to have a tether to the land of hope.  To hold back that tether because we are too busy or we feel too disconnected is not right.  When one thinks about it, it is actually cruel.  Send out the lifeline!  There is someone struggling today.