THE REMNANTS: Jesus Multicultural
When Israel was scattered across the earth (Deut. 28:64;
Psalm 106:27; Ezekiel 12:15...), the chosen and holy seed was perhaps in part given
up, to become all things to all men so that in gathering he will not be alone
but multitudes from all nations of the earth. Zechariah 10:9 says “Though I have scattered them like seeds among the nations,
they will still remember me in distant lands. They and their children will
survive and return again to Israel.” Like Naomi, God in His infinite
wisdom had already planned to engraft Ruth into the Jewish fold and nothing
Naomi could have done to leave Ruth behind. As a matter of fact, three Hebrew
men – Naomi’s husband and two sons died leaving Naomi as the sole remnant in a
foreign land. But God would ensure that Naomi did not return to Israel alone, no,
not without Ruth (see the book of Ruth), not without bringing another nationality,
a Moabite into becoming one with the Jews.
“Entreat me not to leave you, Or
to turn back from following after you; For wherever
you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall
be my people, And your God, my God.” ~ Ruth
Mahlon, later: Ruth Boaz
Ruth 1:16
In the new dispensation, so it is that we all were raised up together with Christ in His resurrection from death (Romans 6:4). So, God never just cast away His holy seed, He had always all the nations of the earth in mind and would never intend for Israel to return or be alone. And to make real and complete fulfilment of this original plans – from when the earth was founded, He sent His Son Jesus Christ of the Jews/Israelis in the flesh to die on the cross for the whole world. Like the scattered Israel, Jesus also felt abandoned and forsaken by the Father (Matthew 27:46). But He must die for Him not to abide alone (John 12:24); and by His death and resurrection, we have been raised up together with Him, to be joint heirs with Him and the remnants of God Almighty from all the nations of the earth.
That’s sort of the background for
the song. In writing the song, although word like “different” could still be
used in place of, or, as alternative to “many” without any change in arrangement
or how the song is sung, this was deliberately avoided because, though we are
many colors, many tribes, many sizes, many cultures, and of many other uniqueness
in the multitude; we are certainly one people in Jesus Christ, one people of
God Almighty. In one of his worship songs: We Are One Body; Tom Inglis wrote
“though we are many, we are one body in Christ…” We are one people under God:
The Remnants. And even in the present world’s circumstances, we are still
together in the spirit, bowing and worshipping The Most High God.
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