Isaiah 1:9
Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
The verse describes the chosen nation in the time of Ahaz, only a few short years before the ten tribes of Israel were to be scattered among the heathen. At that time the outlook for Judah was also dark, with the forces for good rapidly diminishing and the forces for evil multiplying. Judah's widespread evil and rebellion would have brought utter ruin and destruction like that of Sodom and Gomorrah. Only the Lord of hosts leaving a very small remnant kept the nation from that fate, so its survival was due to God's preservation.
The remnant left by the Lord was very small, made up of faithful people who remained true to God. The prospect of such judgment threatened to discourage the faithful and make God's purpose for Israel seem likely to fail. That remnant is the seed through whom God preserves His people. God is able to transform both Jews and Gentiles and to grant every believer in Christ the blessings promised to Israel.