Jehovah the God of hosts will be heard, and verses 2-3 declare His word concerning the house of Israel, that “the virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more arise.” There is no hope now of recovery.
Yet there is an offer of mercy: “Seek ye Me, and ye shall live” (verses 4-9). In verses 10-13 a further exposure of the national sins is made, with warning of certain judgment, and (verses 14-15) a call to repentance follows, but (verses 16-17) mourning and wailing everywhere are assured. How plainly all this testifies of the love of God for man! God is beseeching and man is refusing His goodness to this very day.
In verses 21-27 God declares His full rejection of His people’s gatherings, supposedly in His honor, and will have none of their offerings, will not hear their songs, and reminds them of their sad history in the wilderness journey of 40 years from Egypt to Canaan. Verses 25-27 were quoted by the martyr Stephen (Acts 7:42-4342Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? 43Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon. (Acts 7:42‑43)) from the translation which was in common use when the Lord was on earth —the Septuagint.