God had indeed prepared the hearts of the chief men of Judah to lead out in a decided reformatory movement, that the tide of apostasy might be stayed. Through His prophets He had sent to His chosen people message after message of earnest entreaty--messages that had been despised and rejected by the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel, now given over to the enemy. But in Judah there remained a goodly remnant, and to these the prophets continued to appeal. Hear Isaiah urging, "Turn ye unto Him from whom 334 the children of Israel have deeply revolted." Isaiah 31:6. Hear Micah declaring with confidence: "I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness." Micah 7:7-9.

Gud havde i sandhed påvirket de ledende judæeres hjerte og tilskyndet dem til at gå i spidsen for en effektiv reformbevægelse for at standse frafaldets fremtrængen. Gang på gang havde han indtrængende kaldt på det udvalgte folk ved sine profeter, mens Israels ti stammer, som nu var i fjendens vold, havde foragtet og forkastet disse budskaber, Der var dog nogle få gudfrygtige tilbage i Juda, og profeterne vedblev at appellere til disse. Hør Esajas sige: "Vend om til ham, hvem Israels børn faldt fra så dybt!" Es. 31,6. Hør Mikas tillidsfulde ord: "Jeg vil spejde efter Herren, jeg bier på min frelses Gud; min Gud vil høre mig. Glæd dig ej over mig, min fjende! Thi jeg faldt, men står op; om end jeg sidder i mørke, er Herren mit lys. Jeg vil bære Herrens vrede jeg syndede jo mod ham indtil han strider for mig og skaffer mig ret; han fører mig ud i lys, jeg skal skue hans retfærd." Mika 7,7-9.