ESOCS Devotional 15 December 2024 – Refining the Remnant
MEMORY VERSE: ““And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”Zechariah 13:9 KJV
TEXT: ZECHARIAH 13:1–9
“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
2 “It shall be in that day,” says the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. 3 It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
4 “And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive. 5 But he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’ 6 And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’
7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
Against the Man who is My Companion,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered;
Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Says the Lord,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:
9 I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
The word “remnant” means that which is remaining. It is a small part of the original cut. To remain is to continue in the same state. To be left after removal. It is to be reserved.
Zechariah gave a prophecy of the time when Jesus was struck and the people would be scattered. During this time, two-thirds of the people would be killed off. The last group left would be put through the fire and a major test to build them up. In the end, they would be His people and He would be their God.
God has something special for those who are last or are left. At first glance, it does not look like something good – being put through fire or being tested. No one likes to be put through the fire. It is hot and it burns. The fire that God puts His people through is not a physical burning fire but a spiritual one. It is the challenges of life. It is the allowed attacks of the enemy. The purpose of that fire is to have the person focus more on Him and trust that He will bring him through the situation. It is to burn out any sin in the life of the person.
Every believer, including you, has things in his life that do not need to be there. It could be actions, thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, or physical things. Anything that does not honour God or goes against His commands needs to be removed. God will do whatever it takes to remove any impurities in your life. Being refined like gold through the fire will bring about that. God left you a part of the remnant, the last third left for this reason. He has a purpose for your life. God wants you to have a life that mirrors that of Jesus, perfect, holy and righteous.
God is not surprised by the distrustfulness of His people. It has been there all along. He is not surprised that although He grants His mercy, grace and love to many, only a few return. Jesus experienced the very same thing on earth. The descendants that God promised Abraham are as numerous as the sand of the seashore but only a remnant will return. You have been grafted into the Family of God as a full sibling (Romans 11:17) You are part of the remnant that will return to God if you remain in Him. This teaching is simplistic so much so that many will overlook its significance today and return to the life they live. However, some will see their identity as remnant and be humbled to the point of seeking a deeper connection with the Lord and remaining there forevermore.
You are God’s Remnant. By choosing to live in faithfulness, holiness and obedience to the Lord, you have remained in Him. You will produce much fruit when others fall away. Just hold on tight, God is working to reveal His Glory in His people once and for all. You are His Remnant!
- Is God able to say that you are His child? Can you say that the LORD is your God?
- Father, help me to follow Jesus with all of my life; that I will be made more like Jesus each day. Refine me in your way, so that I will say that you are my God.
Further Reading: Isaiah 30:8–21; Matthew 3:13–end; Revelation 21:9–22
ESOCS Devotional 15 December 2024
