1:6
The nation is utterly corrupt, morally and spiritually. “There is no soundness in it”. Ointments had been applied to try and remedy things, but to no effect. In our land it is not that people do not recognise that there are problems (though they do not see the real problems), and they try to fix them, but all to no avail.
1:7,8
It wasn’t just the people who suffered, the whole land displayed the consequences. Invading armies had left the country desolate. “Daughter of Zion”. “Suburbs|” of fortified cities were of the called daughters of the fortified city. Zion was the original fortified city, and Jerusalem had built up around it. The reference to booths and huts signifies the weakness of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem was like a besieged city. We will see this in reality in chapter 36 and 37 when Assyria besieges the city.
1:9
Israel had been judged by God in the form of the many defeats she had suffered, but she had not been completely destroyed, a small remnant had been left. Otherwise they would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah is the archetypal evil city suffering final judgement from God. So Israel could not consider herself any better than them, the only difference was that God had left a small remnant. So all was not lost, but not because of any merit on Israel’s part.
The church today in the West is in s sorry state, but we have not been left totally desolate, there is a remnant. But if we are to be revived we need to turn to God, and on His terms.
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