Let this chapter be a warning to those in leadership positions, for their responsibility is great and God holds them accountable.  Yes, here God charges all of Israel with wrongdoing and everyone has to pay.  Verse nine makes that clear: “And it will be: Like people, like priests.  I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.”  But Hosea goes out of his way to tell the priests not to bring charges against their people because they are the ones who have caused the people in their care to stumble (vv. 4-9); and also says he will not punish the (supposedly cultic) prostitution of unfaithful women because the male heads of household are whoring themselves out to foreign idols (vv. 12-14). The priests, husbands, and fathers of ancient Israel were the leaders of society.  God was especially angry with them for the religious corruption Hosea saw at the time.

There are two things I want to point out in this chapter, important in the fact that they indicate a level of care from God that is tenderly personal and individual: First, that the leading charges against the people of Israel are not only sins against God, but sins against each other: cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery.  “Bloodshed follows bloodshed.  And because of this the land mourns.” God may be angry that Xyr people are hurting others, but as the ones hurt Xe mourns for those same people.  Second, God is angry that knowledge is being withheld from the people at large.  “My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge.” Priest have not taught their followers the proper ways of worship, and fathers have not taught their daughters to love the Lord.  God wants us to know Xyr, to know Xyr ways, and when that knowledge is not transmitted by those who have it, God gets angry.

It has made me consider my own leadership positions and just how many I have, formal or informal. I’m a mother, that’s the big one.  I’m a small-business owner, in charge of interns and employees and answerable to my business partner (also my husband) and customers.  That’s another big one.  I’m an oldest child, which may not matter as much now that we’re all adults, but I think it still matters a little.  I occasionally get paid to give talks related to the farm, which I guess technically makes me a thought-leader, in a small way.  I bet if you thought about it for a minute you’d come up with some leadership roles of your own, even if you don’t feel like you’re much of a leader at all most of the time.  Do you have the longest tenure of your work peers? Are you the most outspoken in your class?  Were you the first to do something in your friend group (i.e., get married, have kids, whatever)?  None of these are formal leadership roles but they do give you a certain seniority.  So like I said, you probably have more leadership responsibility than you even realize.

So how am I doing in these leadership positions?  Am I promoting good values, passing on sound knowledge?  Am I doing God’s work?  I’m not giving long religious lectures to my family and friends, and definitely not to my employees.  That would be entirely inappropriate, and just a lot of empty words.  What is more important is live those values, to lead by example.  I get a lot wrong. I’ve missed opportunities to help neighbors or impart needed knowledge.  I yell at my kids (especially with this current biting phase we’re going through). I can’t pay my apprentices what I think they truly deserve (yet! We’re working on it, and we let them know what they’re getting into before they start), even though I think farming is some of the most important work we can be doing.

But I’m happy to say I’m doing well in a lot of areas.  My regenerative farm is growing.  We’re making more food that is healthier for both consumers and the planet.  I am so proud to be doing this work because I truly believe I am being a good Christian steward of God’s beautiful Earth.  I’ve been writing this blog for almost a year now.  If I can add my voice, small though it may be, to a rising tide of Christian love to fight the hate that is still so rampant in this world, I count that as a win, too.  It helps keep me accountable, that’s for sure.  I never recommend making a donation or calling a Senator without doing so myself, because I don’t want to be an armchair general, so to speak.  Now that my busy season is over and the girls are ever a little older, I’m making an effort to reach out to friends and family more, because sometimes just knowing that someone cares is the most important thing.

Today I invite you to examine what your leadership roles might be, and to think about what sort of values you think God would want you to promote from that role.  I’ll give you a hint: above all else, it is love.  Of course some relationships are going to be more transactional (I think the best way a sales clerk can show me their love is to get me through that line as quick as possible, and the best way I can show love to accounts payable is to pay them on time).  There’s probably not a lot of room for expressing God’s love there. But there are plenty of other ways, large and small, that we can help further the message of divine love.  Let this chapter be our invitation to great responsibility in leadership positions, and may God hold us accountable.

If you are enjoying what you read please follow the blog for more!  Click the folder icon in the upper left corner of the menu, and you can follow via WordPress or email.  And don’t forget to check us out on Instagram and Twitter, too!