Referred to by Martin Luther as "a divine covenant with six precious stones", the prophetic words written by the prophet Hosea in verses nineteen and twenty of the second chapter of the Book of the Elder Testament that bears his name is the epitome of true romance. It speaks of the believer's eternal engagement with God accomplished through Christ. God's steadfast love for His children is illustrated through Hosea's marriage to Gomer, an adulterous woman and prostitute. However, the relationship between the prophet and his unfaithful wife is not the main theme of the book, but rather their marriage is the symbol of the covenant relationship between the divine bridegroom (Yahweh) and his unfaithful wife (Israel). Over a period of sixty years, through God's revealed revelation, Hosea prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel during its decline and subsequent fall to the Assyrians in the 8th century BC. The people of Israel were the means by which God chose to reveal Himself to all humanity. They were to be set apart as a holy nation that would reveal the nature of the one and true God to the surrounding nations in a very unique way. Instead of remaining faithful to their covenant after entering Canaan, the Israelites began mixing elements of the Canaanites' fertility religion with the worship of Yahweh by engaging in sexual rites and drunken orgies that were supposed to guarantee the supply of rain and the fertility of the land for their crops. The immorality of Gomer/Israel echoed the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 31:16: "And the LORD said to Moses, 'You will rest with your fathers, and these people will soon play the whore to the foreign gods of the land in which they enter. . They will forsake me and break the covenant I have made with them” ...... middle of paper ...... and cannot be swayed by passion or turned away by disobedience. Israel's unfaithfulness has no effect on God's steadfast commitment to. This is a love based not on conditions, but rooted solely in the character of God. It was conceived in eternity past and was initiated in the Abrahamic Covenant and continued to propagate to the Mosaic Covenant through the Davidic Covenant until its final fulfillment. in the New Covenant, which would replace all others. The dowry itself is the greatest expression of God's love, although undeserving, Israel is promised to be treated with tender affection by Jehovah. God's love and mercy for his people are. linked to one another insofar as his mercy is the visible expression of his love. He will view his wife's suffering with empathy as he is driven to alleviate the distress caused by her waywardness..