One of the ways the God of the bible is differentiated from the false gods of this world is the fact that God is a truly relational God. God has great affection for his creation and is active in his sovereign providence over everything in the world. He continuously orders all things toward the culmination of his great plan for an everlasting creation that will eternally reflect his glory. Through his redemptive purpose in Jesus Christ, God has ordained the reconciliation of a sin cursed creation. This is God's everlasting plan. More than this, it is God's everlasting love.
The people of Israel were called to be God's people in a world of darkness. They were rescued from slavery to be a nation of light to the nations of the world. They were to be a beacon of holiness as a people who lived with and for their God. They were to be a continual reminder to the world that there is one true living God who blesses his people through his saving promise. Israel were brought into covenant relationship with God and given the law that they might show God's holiness as a peculiar people in a sinful world. Israel failed and broke covenant with God as his people.
The one consistent theme we see in Scripture is that while God's people fail and break covenant with him, God is unchanging in his eternal plan and everlasting love. That doesn't mean that God simply overlooks sin. God judges sin, and he judged Israel in their sin. God scattered Israel among the nations and took them into exile. If you were in exile because of your covenant-breaking disobedience, you might be tempted to think your plight was completely hopeless. But God's response to Israel is that they had a particular hope that they could still hold on to. It ends up being the same hope for the entire world.
Isaiah 54:4-10 "Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. 5 For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. 6 For the LORD has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. 7 For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer. 9 "This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. 10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Look at what the Lord is saying. His love is everlasting and his compassion enduring. Israel has not lost the hope of salvation. God is a redeemer, and his promise of redemption is for the entire earth. God told Israel that their situation is no different to the commitment he had made to Noah. God told Noah that he would be patient and not again destroy the earth with a global flood. He told Israel that this was called a covenant of peace. When God told Noah that the earth would be preserved, he was saying that he was not going to bring the immediate judgment that we deserve every day. God would be patient and compassionate upon a sinful humanity. This is the same promise for a disobedient Israel.
God's promise to Noah is still in place for us today. While there is peace on the earth (while God is holding back his righteous wrath on human sin) salvation is available to all who will repent of their sin and trust in the Savior - Jesus Christ, who died in our place and rose to give us new life.
We have broken covenant with God, but God has preserved the world and kept his promise to Noah. God's promise to preserve the world was never separated from his promise to save his people. Isaiah 54 tells us that the motivation behind God keeping his promise to preserve the world is found in his everlasting love and compassion to save. If you have faith in Jesus, you now live in an everlasting, unbreakable covenant - BECAUSE - God is a God of everlasting love.