Remnant: A Daily Verse-by-Verse Devotional

Paul asks and answers "Why?" in verse 32, explaining how the people of Israel had gone wrong. We talk about the stumbling stone analogy and other stone and rock analogies in the New Testament.

Paul gives the flipside of verse 30, which is that while the Gentiles received a righteousness they did not endeavor pursuing, the people of Israel failed to reach the law they valued greater than faith.

Paul asks his frequent question to start verse 30 of "What shall we say then?". But instead of a question, he offers a true conclusion: that the Gentiles received righteousness by faith, despite not striving to attain it.

Paul quotes Isaiah again in today's verse to make the point that none of us deserve God's mercy, but instead deserve to be wiped off the planet for our sin.

Paul continues his quotation of Isaiah to make the point that not everyone will be saved. We talk about that truth, and how we, the remnant, should respond.

Paul quotes Isaiah in telling us that though God's calling is open to everyone, only a remnant will respond. I finally get to dig into the namesake verse of this devotional and why I feel strongly about our role as God's remnant here on Earth.

Paul offers a second quote from Hosea to make his point that God is always seeking to reconcile and restore His called people. We explore the point Paul makes through Hosea.

Paul quotes a verse from Hosea to help make his point about calling all walks of people to Him. We talk about Hosea and the verse that Paul quotes, and what it means for us.

In verse 24, Paul finishes the sentence he started in verse 22, but he really is introducing the next topic he intends to cover: our calling. We back up and talk about us calling to God, and introduce how he calls us too.

Paul gives the counterside to God's wrath that was discussed in verse 22. We explore how much greater God's mercy is when we know we deserve only wrath.

Paul starts a critical question here in verse 22 that he'll carry on for the next couple of verses. That question compares God's wrath with God's mercy. We start by talking about God's wrath, God's purpose for wrath, and how we deserve nothing but His wrath.

Paul carries forth his potter-clay analogy in verse 21. We look at that and step back to explore the predestination hints in Paul's message in general, and what it means for our lives.

Paul begins to answer his question from verse 19 by extending an analogy that has been made famous by Isaiah and Jeremiah. We talk about the clay-potter analogy and how Paul means it to answer the question he's asking.

Paul anticipates an objection at this point from some readers that, if God sets our steps, why does God find fault with those steps? We set up that question that we'll answer in the days to come.

Paul concludes his examples of Moses and Pharoah by stating that God chooses to have mercy on some and to harden others. We briefly cover that conclusion.

Paul quotes Exodus in yet another example of how God uses all of us differently. We dig into the story of Pharoah and how God hardened Pharoah's heart.

Paul loops back to an earlier point about earning salvation to merge the concepts of mercy, justice, and the fact that none of us can earn God's love through works.

Paul explains God's just ways by citing to God's response to Moses's intercessory prayers on behalf of the people of Israel. We start by exploring who Moses was, why God chose him, and how Moses interceded for Israel, along with God's response.

Paul is transitioning from Jacob to Moses, but before he does, he voices a potential objection some readers may have from the Jacob v. Esau example. Does God's favoring Jacob over Esau before their births mean God is unjust? We answer that and preview Paul's explanation coming in the next verses.

Paul finishes his example of Jacob and Esau by quoting Malachi. We dig into the context of this seemingly harsh verse and what Malachi meant by it.

Paul continues his Jacob-Esau example in verse 12, and we talk about how Rebekah must have felt when her family was split by the Jacob-Esau rivalry, and how good came out of that for God's kingdom. We explore another case of seeming disappointment in the line of Jacob and how it teaches us to be patient and trust.

Paul carries on his example of Jacob and Esau here in verse 11. We go over the backstory of Jacob and Esau from Genesis 25, and we talk about how God isn't constrained by our earthly sense of time, and how the things that happen in this world aren't because of our good works, but because of God's plan for us.

Paul now switches to a second example of his point that God's love doesn't spread about on people in a perfectly even manner. Today, we set up the example of Jacob and Esau by first talking about how Isaac became married to Rebekah.

Paul closes his first example with the Word of the promise, showing that from Genesis God never promised to spread his promise to each and every descendent of Abraham. We talk about what this means for us today.

Paul further explains his Isaac v. Ishmael example here in verse eight by making clear that faith beats lineage in the eyes and ears of God. We explore that concept and its roots in Abram's righteous moment from Genesis.