“Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” (Jeremiah 3:14, ESV)
In 1973, I entered the United States Army Ranger School. I reported in with 290 candidates and of that number 178 successfully graduated the course. I remember the graduation like it was yesterday. We stood in formation on the parade field as the various officers came to us one by one and pinned the Ranger Tabs on our left shoulder. They encouraged us to look down at our shoulders as they pinned on the tabs. After having our tabs pinned on, we double-timed (jogged) in formation past the bleachers filled with spectators. Graduating the course was one of my greatest life’s accomplishments to that point. We who graduated realized that we were a select few in the entire United States Army. We were the remnant of the 290 who initially enrolled in the course.
In verses 14-18, we see God’s plan for a select remnant of the Nation of Israel. He stated, “I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” There would be a time to come in which the remnant would experience the awesome blessings of God. This remnant would include some from all the tribes of Israel. This would come about at the Millenium, the time when Israel’s Messiah, Jesus, would establish His reign on the earth.
What blessings would this remnant of the faithful experience in this millennial reign of Christ? The Lord listed these, which we can read in verses 15-18. First, in contrast to their current experience, He would provide them with shepherds after His own heart who would with sincerity feed them with the truth of God (v15). Second, the ark of the covenant of the Lord would not be missed, but rather the Lord Himself would be present reigning on the throne in Jerusalem (v17). Furthermore, all the nations would be gathered to the presence of the Lord and no longer following their own evil inclinations (v17). Last, both the remnant of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, Judah, would take possession of the land that God had given to Israel according to the promise as a permanent possession (v18).
Yet what about most of us who have believed in Jesus and were not born as Jews to one of the tribes of Israel? We also will be brought into the covenant promises of Israel. We in a sense are also a remnant, though not of Israel, but a select and special few. All you need to do is look around and you will see very few who have experienced salvation by faith in Christ. Paul indicated that we, believing Gentiles, have been grafted in (Rom 11:17-24). Moreover, we who have believed are considered a chosen people, a Royal Priesthood. Consider Peter’s words on this.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9–10, ESV)
Moreover, Jesus indicated that we will reign with Him in the Millennium.
“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6, ESV)
God has blessed we who have received Christ infinitely more than we ever deserved. We have been granted a special place in in the Millennial Kingdom by God’s grace alone. It will be blessed time like nothing that we can fully imagine. In glorified bodies we shall reign with Christ in a time of peace, righteousness, and absolute truth. We should praise Him for His mercy and grace, and the guarantee of a blessed future.
Renewing the Heart 