Jeremiah 2:2

The Lord recalled how His people used to love (Heb. hesed) Him devotedly when they were following Him through the wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land. Those were the days of Israel’s betrothal as a youth, before she settled down with the Lord in the land (cf. Hosea 1-3). Even though the Israelites were not completely faithful to the Lord in the wilderness, their commitment to Him then was much stronger then than it was in Jeremiah’s day. Their error then was mainly lack of faith (unbelief), whereas in Jeremiah’s day it was departure from Him (apostasy).