Yes, I agree that would normally be the case. But God continued to tell them to repent and return. Had he divorced them completely He would not still be calling to them. In spite of their sin God had an unending love for Israel.
Disagree. Notice in the below, that God tells the Jews, not that He would take earthly Israel back, but instead that He would
take Jews "one of a city", "two of a family". By that, He is symbolically informing that only Jews that were elected to salvation would return to hm, not that earthly Israel would to Him nor be remarried to Him. Given as God cannot have two wives, and He became married to spiritual Israel, a divorced earthly Israel cannot again become His wife. So, earthly Israel has been given a final divorce decree from which as a nation, there is no return.
Don't forget there are two Israels, and sometimes it is difficult to immediately distinguish which one is in view if we're not considering that as a possibility - one can easily be mistaken for the other.
[Jer 3:11-12, 14-15 KJV]
11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; [and] I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I [am] merciful, saith the LORD, [and] I will not keep [anger] for ever. ...
14
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; f
or I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Would you bear with me for a question or two? So as a dispy how did you believe God related to Israel/ the Jews. How does that differ from your belief now? The verses above show you believe God created an elect and others for destruction. So where would the chosen Jews stand? The OT says they are the apple of His eye. The Bible says salvation is to the Jew first. We were grafted in. So you say the elect are assured of salvation, whether they slip and fail or not they "always saved". Would that not even be more so to the Jews whom the covenants were made? How can the elect be always in Gods grace and the chosen Jews outside His grace. Hosea in the end is calling Israel to repent and return to God. Once you divorce a spouse do you keep calling them to return? No, you don't, and you certainly don't make a new covenant with them.
"Would you bear with me for a question or two? So as a dispy how did you believe God related to Israel/ the Jews. How does that differ from your belief now?"
The Jews of Moses's time, as a nation, rejected the gospel of Christ because most had not been given faith and were not of those chosen to be saved (as it happens today too) - they trusted in their own righteousness. That is why, I believe, that God tells us in the below that He purposefully gave to them laws and statutes whereby they should not live. Just my opinion, but because of their rejection of Christ, the die was cast as to where they would end-up (as with all of the unsaved)- it being inevitable even though God had given them frequent warnings and opportunities before He divorced them - but the responsibility for that was upon them. Everyone saved is saved(or not) the same way including the OT/NT Jews - salvation is only given as a gift to some, the others are under judgement -there is no middle ground. Scary, huh?
[Eze 20:24-25 KJV]
24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.
25
Wherefore I gave them also statutes [that were] not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;
"The verses above show you believe God created an elect and others for destruction. So where would the chosen Jews stand?"
First, I'm not sure that I believe that God created anyone for destruction. I believe that judgment came about by Adam, Eve, and Satan, not by God. However, I do believe that God in His mercy and grace had chosen from before the before foundation of the world only certain people whom He intended to save- Jews included - even though they (and we) are completely underserving of it. Since no one deserves it, it is then rightly His prerogative to bequeath to it whomever He so chose for it, which is what He did.
Regarding the Jews, I believe they stand on exactly the same spiritual ground as everyone else does - they were either individually chosen as elect, or they were not - they are either justified by Christ or they're not - no middle ground. I do not believe that a national identity is any factor in it.
"The OT says they are the apple of His eye"
The apple of His eye is the elect. Why? Because God sees them as though He were seeing Christ.
"The Bible says salvation is to the Jew first. We were grafted in."
Certain Jews were the first to become saved/born again(the early rain). Other Jews and non-Jews came afterwards (the latter rain), but the Jews came first. Nevertheless, as it is for one, so it is for the other.
"So you say the elect are assured of salvation, whether they slip and fail or not they "always saved". Would that not even be more so to the Jews whom the covenants were made? How can the elect be always in Gods grace and the chosen Jews outside His grace."
What do you mean by "chosen Jews" ? Do you mean the elect Jews or somehow the Jews of earthly Israel - they can be different sets of Jews? No one is saved because of any earthly affiliation - Israel or otherwise. It is solely dependent upon whether or not God had chosen the individual for salvation.
Slipping and falling has no effect or impact upon one's salvation if of the elect - whether Jews or otherwise - all are under God's grace. Salvation is solely by what Christ achieved, not by what a person might achieve or not.
"Hosea in the end is calling Israel to repent and return to God. Once you divorce a spouse do you keep calling them to return? No, you don't, and you certainly don't make a new covenant with them."
Don't know which verses you have in mind, but generally, the verses having to do with blessing are intended for
spiritual Isarel; the verses having to do with bad things, judgements, etc, for earthly Israel, maybe even for all of the non-elect.
I haven't read that book in quite a while, so it's difficult for me to recall precise details right now.
So, it's kind of late for me and being tired I may not have written everything as I should have.
Therefore, I'll reread maybe tomorrow hopefully with a fresh brain, but might find things that I'll need to revise.