Midras Hosea 11:1: Pesikta DeRav Kahana, Aggadat Bereshit, Devarim Rabbah & Shir HaShirim Rabbah

"King Solomon made for him a palanquin" (Songs 3:9). "Palanquin" -- that is the Tent of Meeting. "King Solomon (Shlomo) made for him" -- the King to whom the peace (shalom) belongs (i.e., God Himself). Said Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai: There was a king who had a young daughter. Before she had grown up and developed signs of puberty, he would see her in the marketplace [and] speak with her, in alleyways [and] speak with her. As soon as she grew up and developed signs of puberty, he said, "It is not honorable to my daughter that I speak with her in public; rather, make for her a partition and I will speak with her from within the partition." Thus in the beginning [it says], "When Israel was a youth, then I loved him" (Hos. 11:1). In Egypt they saw Me -- "and I will pass through the land of Egypt [on that night]" (Ex. 12:12). At the Sea they saw Me -- "and Israel saw the great hand [that God had wrought against Egypt]" (Ex. 14:31). At Sinai they saw Me -- "face to face the word of God was with you" (Deut. 5:4). And as soon as they received the Torah and became a full-fledged (sheleimah) nation to Me, I said, "It is not honorable to My children that I should speak with them in public; rather, make for Me a Tabernacle and I will speak from within the Tabernacle." Therefore it says, "When Moses would come to the Tent of Meeting [to speak with Him, he would hear a voice speaking to him from above the cover that was atop the Ark of Testimony]" (Num. 7:89).
"Of wood from Lebanon" (Songs 3:9) -- [those are] "[the boards of] acacia wood, standing upright" (Ex. 26:15); "Its posts he made of silver" -- "the hooks of the columns" (Ex. 27:10); "Its back-support of gold" (Songs 3:10) -- "the boards you shall overlay with gold" (Ex. 26:29). "Its seat of purple gold" (Songs 3:10) -- "and you shall make a curtain of blue and purple" (Ex. 26:31). "Inside it was joined together with love" -- Rabbi Yudan says, that is the merit of Torah and the righteous. Rabbi Azariah in the name of Rabbi Yehuda b'Rabbi Simon says, that is the Shekhinah. Said Rabbi Acha bar Kahana, it is written, "I will meet with you at appointed times there" (Ex. 25:22), to teach that even that which is behind the Ark-cover is not unoccupied by the Shekhinah.
A certain Gentile inquired of Rabban Gamaliel. He said to him, "For what reason did the Holy One Blessed be He conceal Himself from Moses in a bush?" He said to him, "If He would have concealed Himself on a certain carob tree or on a certain fig tree, what would you have said? Rather, [it was to show] that thee is no place on Earth that is unoccupied by the Shekhinah.
Rabbi Yehoshua of Sakhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: To what can the Tent of Meeting be compared? To a cave that is situated on the seashore, and the sea rose up and overflowed, and the cave became filled up by the sea, but the sea was not lacking. Thus is the Tent of Meeting -- it is filled up by the radiance of the Shekhinah. Therefore it is said, "And it was on the day that Moses completed (or 'fulfilled'), etc."

Chapter 5 of the Prophets. [1] "Ephraim is a dear son to me" (Jeremiah 31:20). It is written (Proverbs 4:3), "For I was a son to my father," and come and see that even though the children of Israel are a thousand thousand and myriad myriads, they are not important before the Omnipresent except like an only son. As it is written, "The Lord, your God, has multiplied you" (Deuteronomy 1:10). And when they were in Egypt, what is written? "And the Children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly" (Exodus 1:7). "Fruitful," like Adam and Eve, and "increased," that they multiplied more than fish. "And multiplied" - more than the blessing of Noah and his sons. "And grew strong" - they grew strong from the strength of the Patriarchs. "Exceedingly, exceedingly" - there was a woman who gave birth to sixty myriads at one time, like fish that give birth to sixty myriads, so too they. And Jacob blessed them, "And let them grow into a multitude" (Genesis 48:16), just as the fish were blessed, so too were they. And Ezekiel says, "As the produce of the field, so have you multiplied" (Ezekiel 16:7). All these were not important before Him except like one only, as it is written, "My firstborn son is Israel" (Exodus 4:22), and it is written, "Let My son go, that he may serve Me" (Exodus 4:23). Therefore it says, "For I was a son to my father," just like a son of man when he is a small child, if he sins, his father does not remove him because he is small. But when he grows up and stands on his own feet, if he sins, his father removes him. Similarly, Israel, even when they sin unintentionally, it is counted to them as if they are like small children, as it is written, "When Israel was a youth, then I loved him" (Hosea 11:1). "Ephraim is a dear son to me." (Jeremiah 31:20)

Another interpretation, “judges and officers you shall place” – Rabbi Levi said: To what is this matter comparable? To a king who had many children, and he loved the youngest more than them all. He had a certain orchard, and he liked it more than all his possessions. The king said: ‘I will give this orchard that I like more than all my [other] possessions, to my youngest son, whom I love more than all my children.’ So, too, the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘From all the nations that I created, I love only Israel, as it is stated: “When Israel was a lad, I loved him” (Hosea 11:1). From everything that I created, I love only justice, as it is stated: “For I am the Lord, who loves justice”’ (Isaiah 61:8). The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘I am giving what I love to the people that I love.’ That is, “judges and officers.”
The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘My children, by your lives, in the merit of your preserving justice, I am exalted.’ From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “But the Lord of hosts will be exalted through justice” (Isaiah 5:16). [God said:] ‘And as a result of you exalting Me through justice, I will perform righteousness and rest My sanctity in your midst.’ From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “And the Holy God will be sanctified through righteousness” (Isaiah 5:16). [God said:] ‘And if you keep both of them, righteousness and justice, I will immediately redeem you with a full redemption.’ From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “So said the Lord: Maintain justice and act with righteousness, for My salvation is soon to come, and My righteousness to be revealed” (Isaiah 56:1).