What lessons can we learn from the "gleanings" left in Isaiah 17:6? Setting the Scene Isaiah 17 speaks of God’s judgment falling on Damascus and on the northern kingdom of Israel. Verse 6 narrows the focus to what is left afterward: “Yet gleanings will remain, like an olive tree that has been beaten—two or three berries on the very top, four or five on the fruitful branches—declares the LORD, the God of Israel.” Gleanings in Ancient Harvest Practice • Farmers beat olive trees with poles; nearly all fruit dropped, but a handful of olives clung to the highest or outermost twigs. • Mosaic Law required those leftovers to remain for the poor and the foreigner (Leviticus 19:9–10; Deuteronomy 24:19). • “Gleanings” therefore carried two ideas at once: severe stripping and merciful provision. What Isaiah’s Olive Gleanings Teach • God Always Preserves a Remnant – Even in sweeping judgment, He keeps “two or three…four or five.” – See Isaiah 10:20–22; Romans 9:27: a remnant survives by God’s choice. • Mercy Shines Through Wrath – Judgment is real and devastating, yet the same hand that shakes the tree refuses to strip it bare (Habakkuk 3:2). • Small Does Not Mean Insignificant – From a handful of olives comes future harvest. God often starts anew with the few (Zechariah 4:10; Matthew 13:31–32). • A Call to Humble Dependence – Israel’s alliances (vv. 3–4) failed; those who remained had only God. Crisis exposes false supports and drives hearts back to Him (Isaiah 17:7–8). • Provision for the Needy – By law, gleanings were the poor person’s sustenance. Even in chastening, the Lord remembers the vulnerable (Psalm 146:7). Supporting Scriptures • 1 Kings 19:18—7,000 who had not bowed to Baal • Micah 2:12; Jeremiah 23:3—promise to gather the remnant • Joel 2:32—“everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved…among the survivors” • Luke 12:32—“Do not be afraid, little flock” Living These Truths Today • Take heart when culture seems stripped bare; God still preserves a people for Himself. • Examine where trust lies—politics, resources, relationships—or in the Lord alone. • Cherish faithfulness over numbers; God can multiply obedience far beyond its size. • Reflect His compassion by leaving “gleanings” in your budget, schedule, and talents for those in need (2 Corinthians 9:6–8). Takeaway in a Sentence When God shakes the tree, He leaves just enough fruit to show that judgment is just, mercy is real, and hope for new growth rests in the faithful remnant who cling to Him. |
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