The God Who Never Lets Go (Part 3): The Covenant That Cannot Be Broken
The Tragedy of Betrayal
By now in Ezekiel 16, the abandoned child has been rescued, covered, and crowned. She has risen to royalty. She has been given beauty, honor, and even a kingdom.
But the story takes a devastating turn:
“But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his.” (Ezekiel 16:15)
The imagery is gut-wrenching. The one who was once despised, then rescued and adorned, turns from her covenant love and gives herself to others. She forgets the One who covered her shame and made her queen.
My Encounter at the River
This part of Ezekiel hit me hard one day as I sat by a river, spending time with Him. Once again, He brought me to Ezekiel 16. And it was that but that sharp turning point that captured me.
What shook me was the word He highlighted: prostitute. Not worldly. Not materialistic. Prostitute.
That word is the ultimate in betrayal. It is worse than an adulterous wife. In the passage, she isn’t even selling herself for money. She is doing the opposite she is paying her lovers. She is giving away what was meant for covenant, stripping herself of dignity, and handing over the splendor He had given her.
The fine jewelry He had placed on her would be taken away. The royal robes stripped off. She would once again be naked.
Why This Hurts God’s Heart
This isn’t about rules being broken. It’s about a relationship betrayed. God’s love is not transactional it is covenantal, like marriage. So, when His people turn from Him, it is not just rebellion; it is heartbreak.
Think about it: the same God who spoke Live! in the field, who covered and adorned His bride, now watches her run into the arms of other lovers. This is the depth of His grief.
And yet, even in His righteous anger, His covenant remains.
The Power of Yet
As I kept reading through the many verses that follow the shame, the stripping, the painful reality of betrayal I reached verse 60, and there it was:
“Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.” (Ezekiel 16:60)
Even in the but, there is still a yet.
And that yet is where mercy triumphs. That yet is where grace breaks through. It brought to mind Hebrews 4:16:
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
His covenant love means we can still come. Even when we’ve wandered. Even when shame has stripped us bare. Even when we’ve betrayed Him. There is still a throne of grace. There is still mercy. There is still the yet.
The Redeemer Who Came
This covenant faithfulness points us straight to Jesus. Israel’s unfaithfulness was great, but God’s plan was greater. Through them the very nation that turned away came the Redeemer who would make a new and everlasting covenant in His blood.
At the cross, Jesus bore the weight of betrayal. He became the faithful Bridegroom who took the unfaithfulness of His bride upon Himself. And in His resurrection, He sealed the covenant that cannot be broken.
Now, no matter how far we wander, His voice still calls us back. His love still covers. His covenant still holds.
My Reflection: When I Strayed
This part of Ezekiel pierces me because I know what it’s like to stray. Even after hearing Him whisper Live, even after being covered, I have had seasons where my heart drifted. Where I trusted in my own strength, or looked for love in places that could never satisfy.
And yet, every single time, He has remembered His covenant. His whisper has always come back to me: “You are Mine. Come home.”
That’s why this chapter undoes me. Because even in the betrayal, God’s love does not let go.
For Us Today
Ezekiel 16 shows us the full arc of the gospel:
From abandoned → to covered → to crowned → even through betrayal → to restored in everlasting covenant.
Our failures don’t erase His faithfulness.
His covenant love is stronger than our wandering hearts.
For women in midlife and beyond, this truth is such a lifeline. We carry regrets. We carry places of wandering. But God still says: “I remember. My covenant stands. My love will not let you go.”
Reflection
Where have you felt like you’ve betrayed God’s love? What parts of your story still carry regret, failure, or shame?
Hear Him say to you today: “Yet I will remember My covenant. You are Mine. My love will never let you go.”
“The covenant love of God is not fragile it is everlasting.”
