Unwavering Love
Friday, September 4, 2026 | Brittany Everett
Hosea 1:10-11
At the end of chapter 1, in the same breath that the Lord expresses His detachment from physical Israel, He uses the language of the Abrahamic covenant to describe the basis for restoration: “the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea” (v. 10). Israel’s failure to live up to the covenant at Sinai could not invalidate the promises made to Abraham. Israel’s salvation must be gained just as Abraham’s was: by grace through faith, not by works of the law (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:1–3; Galatians 3:6). The Lord will meet Israel at the same place He met Abraham before, under the same conditions. It is the place of repentance.
Though God has promised judgment, the days of judgment won’t last forever. After judgment, there will come a day of prosperity, increase, and blessing. One day Israel will return to the Lord and once again be called sons of the living God.
Isn’t it amazing how God never stops loving us? Think about what we just walked through before verse 10. Even though Israel continues to rebel against the Lord and He is angry with this nation, He never says, “I don’t love you.” He does say judgment is coming. And when He says in verse 9, “You are not my people,” He is acknowledging that Israel rejected Him. God’s love never stops for Israel, or us for that matter. Jeremiah 31:3 tells us that God loved Israel with an everlasting love.
Hosea was told his life was to be an illustration of God’s relationship with Israel. As I read verses 10–11, I can’t help but think of us and how the Lord continues to show us love when we, like Israel, turn our backs on Him. He knew what we would be like when He saved us, and still He continues to love us and pursue us, just like Hosea pursued Gomer.
I mean, think about this: your spouse has an affair, and you respond, “I will continue to be faithful to you, even though you weren’t faithful to me.” WOW! That is a faithfulness like no other. The Lord is faithful even in our unfaithfulness (2 Timothy 2:13).
God’s love is ongoing. The wickedness of Gomer and Israel was unlovely, yet He still loved them with an everlasting love. What a remarkable thought. When we repent, God is quick to forgive. When we acknowledge our sin, He promises to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
I pray we will open our hearts and minds to what the Lord wants to teach us in this season.