The last four chapters of this book concern Jehovah’s unchanging love versus Israel’s stubborn unchastity. Israel is depicted as the wife of Jehovah throughout this book (Hosea 2:7, 19). But when God’s everlasting and unchanging love is touched, Israel is called God’s son (Exo. 4:22-23), indicating that in God’s view Israel has the Father’s life (cf. Hosea 1:10 and note Hosea 1:103c). God’s everlasting love is not a love in affection, like the love of a husband toward a wife, but a love in life, like the love of a father toward a son. On the one hand, God loves us as His wife, and the Lord Jesus is our Husband (John 3:29; 2 Cor. 11:2). On the other hand, God is our Father, and we are sons of the Father (Gal. 3:26; 4:6).
Although God is loving, He is also a God of purity and righteousness. He cannot tolerate any kind of uncleanness or unrighteousness. Wherever these things are found among God’s people, God comes in to chastise them. Nevertheless, when God’s people are chastised by Him, they are still loved by Him (cf. Heb. 12:6; Rev. 3:19). God’s everlasting love (Jer. 31:3) is always victorious. Eventually, in spite of our failures and mistakes, God’s love will gain the victory (cf. Rom. 8:35-39).