Observation: God promises to take a remnant of those in Israel who were cast off and driven away, and make a strong nation of them. God continually reaches out to those on the margins of society, who are excluded or ignored by human systems of power.
Application: It's too easy to immediately identify with the "good guys," the "chosen", or at least the people getting the good news in any Bible passage. If God promises to make a remnant of "the lame," and those who are "cast off", my mind starts to go to my own obstacles, my own perceived limitations, ways I don't fit "the norm", or ways I've felt pushed out or cast off in the past. That's too quick and easy of a way to read passages like this. What if I'm not actually part of this special "remnant"? What if my job is to look for ways God welcomes in people not like me? What if it's time for me to step back, and share the voices of those whose experience has been all but ignored up to now?
Prayer: God, you gather remnants, and make strong communities and nations by lifting up those we reject. Remove from my heart any barriers to accepting people who are different from me. If I am part of their "casting out," help me repent and welcome them as I would welcome you. Amen.
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