This is jarring to read! Not just because the Israelites had found themselves in a dire situation, but also because we are guilty of the exact same disloyalty against God. We may not be worshipping physical idols and statues instead of God, but we place greater importance on plenty of other people and things. It might be a job, a relationship, money, status, another person, a hobby, and the list goes on. When we make another person or thing more significant than God in our lives, we are guilty of idolatry and prostitution. Yikes.

When I read this passage most recently, this was not the most jarring thing, though. In Hosea 4 and 5, it is quite clear who God places the blame upon for the people’s failure to acknowledge God above all—the priests. Check this out: 

Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, royal house! This judgment is against you.” -Hosea 5:1

“Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful. They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness. And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.” -Hosea 4:6b-9

God specifically said the people were destroyed “from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6a). Who was supposed to give the people the knowledge they needed in order to properly worship God? The priests. But they failed, and now God was holding them responsible for the people’s spirit of prostitution against Him.

Why did this hit me so hard? Well, in this Old Testament book of the Bible, priests were the official go-betweens, bridging the gap between God and humans. Priests made sacrifices on behalf of the people and talked to God on behalf of the people, too. They were able to enter areas of the tabernacle that the people were not allowed to step foot in. The priests were God’s appointed leaders. Any privileges they held came with increased responsibilities. 

But later in the Bible, Jesus came to earth and made the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Then, He rose from the dead and eventually ascended back into Heaven. After Jesus returned to His Father, the Holy Spirit descended and entered into the hearts of all believers. At this point, and still today, priests and pastors still have hugely vital roles as spiritual leaders. But they are no longer the sole intermediaries between God and humans. We no longer need them to make sacrifices on our behalf since Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice was once for all, and we no longer have to go through them to communicate with God. God Himself lives in believers’ hearts as the Holy Spirit. 

The New Testament still talks about a royal priesthood, though. Guess who is included in this group of people? Anyone who believes in Jesus. That’s me. And maybe you, too. How do I know this? The Bible tells me so. Take a look: 

Isaiah previews the transfer of priesthood: 

“And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God.” -Isaiah 61:6a

Later, Peter confirms it: 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. -1 Peter 2:9

So what the appointed priests did in the Old Testament, now all believers are charged to do. If you want to dig into the details of this, The Bible Project has an entire series of videos about priesthood throughout Scripture. This one specifically discusses how “followers of Jesus carry that responsibility forward into eternity, reclaiming humanity’s calling to represent God and rule the world on his behalf.”

But for now, I will simply share with you my conviction. Remember those priests who were called out in Hosea? Yep, that’s us now. If you call yourself a believer in Jesus, then you are a priest tasked with making sure other people know about Him. The responsibility lies on your shoulders—our shoulders as the people of God. 

Are you representing God with zeal and integrity? Are you reading the Bible so you know God’s laws and commands and can abide by them? …and lovingly help others abide by them, too? Are you also reading God’s promises and record of faithfulness in Scripture so you can use it to encourage yourself and the world around you? Have you done anything in the past week to plant a Jesus seed in a nonbeliever’s heart? When was the last time you reached out to that friend or family member who has lapsed in her faith? 

We are God’s chosen instruments. We are His ambassadors! He invites us into His work on earth, which is such a privilege. Is today the day when you will step up into your role as priest? May it not be said of us that the people in our circles “are destroyed from lack of knowledge” because we didn’t tell them.

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. -1 Peter 2:9-10, The Message