I have come to believe: “Israel’s election as a nation did not preclude God’s judgment of the unbelievers in it.” (Henry B. Constable) "There is a contrast: Hosea speaks (last post) of the bringing in of Gentile believers; Isaiah of the rejection of all Jews except Jewish believers.”(Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)- a part of the remnant of Israel. In Romans 9:27-28:
"Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: ‘Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea [physical descendants only], the remnant [spiritual descendants] will be saved.' (Isa 10:22)
The remnant shall shine forth as the stars of the sky. (Gen 15:5) Abraham believed the LORD and was credited for righteousness.
"For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.’ (Isa 10:23)
"(He is) completing and cutting short in righteousness; because a work cut short will the LORD do in the whole world.” (Isa 10:22-23, LXX) “The 'short reckoning' seems to mean the speedy completing of His word, both in cutting off the one portion and saving the other." (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown) In Romans 9:27-28: “St Paul adopts nearly the words of LXX... developing a second and deeper fulfilment where the first fulfilment lay in past events of Israelite history.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
"That is, both the ten tribes about to be carried captive into Assyria, which was almost a total rejection, and Judah and Benjamin, which were to be wasted by the Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib, and afterward to be partly destroyed and partly carried into captivity by the king of Babylon: though the children of Israel be as the sand, a remnant only, out of the many myriads of them; shall be saved- shall escape destruction. But few escaped the ravages of Sennacherib’s army, and only a small number returned from Babylon after the Babylonish captivity. These, however, that were preserved, were a type or figure of that small number of converts under the gospel, who escaped the vengeance which fell upon the main body of the Jewish nation from the Romans, and that still greater vengeance which awaits all that obey not the gospel..." (Joseph Benson)
The nation of Israel was accused of “rebellion (1:2), ignorance, lack of consideration (1:3), sin, iniquity, evil-doing, corruption, forsaking God, estrangement from God, backsliding (1:4), revolt, transgression, disobedience, sickness, (1:5) and unsoundness (1:6)… The mention of the ox and the ass (1:3) stresses the truth that even domesticated animals of the type usually cited for their lack of intelligence exhibited desirable qualities that were absent in the behavior of Israel, which seemed to be totally ignorant of the signal blessings they had received from God and his amazing deliverance of them from slavery and oppression.” (Coffman)
“And as Isaiah said before [in the first chapter]: ‘Unless Jehovah of Sabaoth (Host) had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah' (Isa 1:9).” (Rom 9:29)
“And the scope of it is to show that it was no strange thing for God to leave the greatest part of the people of the Jews to ruin, and to reserve to Himself only a small remnant: so He had done formerly [in the Judgments on Israel and Judah], as appears by their own prophets; [and in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah] and they must not wonder if He did so now." (M. Henry)
So there was still a broad path leading to destruction, but also a narrow one leading to life: “There is a little island not yet submerged by the sea of iniquity, and it is to Him [Jesus], not to themselves, that the ‘holy seed’ owe their being kept from following the multitude to do evil. What a smiting comparison for the national pride that is—‘as Sodom,’ ‘like unto Gomorrah’." (A. MacLaren) After identifying the path, the way of life is manifest:
"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow." (Isaiah 1:16) “Moral amendment is demanded of these high-placed sinners and false guides. It is John the Baptist’s message in an earlier form, and it clears the way for the evangelical message.” (A MacLaren)
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