January 18, 2021
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.15 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. – Amos 5:14-15
If you have time, I would invite you to read the full passage of Amos 5:14-24
“Let Justice roll like a mighty river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
These words taken from Amos are more known to us because of their use by civil rights activist and preacher Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In several of his speeches, including his most famous “I have a Dream” speech. These words indicate to those who listen that there is justice, and this justice coming, in spite of any difficulties we may face in the present age, because there is a God who believes in justice, equality, and those will bring them with the coming kingdom.
King shares that our God believes in justice. Yet, we should also remember that these words are much older than the civil rights movement of the American 1960’s. The same God whom King proclaims is for justice in our modern times is the same as the one who spoke for justice in the times before Christ through the prophet Amos.
In the days of Amos, the land was dry and parched, and there was need for rain, there was need for justice of those oppressed by a system that did not work, and there was a need for righteousness on the part of Israel because they were not seeking the good that was shown to them by God. They had forgotten to show the loving acts of mercy that was shown to them by the God who saved them out of oppression in Egypt and given them a promised land.
The image used for God’s mercy, righteousness, and justice, is this: 24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
We need to be reminded that the perversion of justice to our own benefit agers God, but as believers we are called to take a serious look at the way we construct our society, and our church. We are challenged to ask whether “the noise of our songs,” or “our solemn assemblies” are honoring God because of the righteousness they call our lives to, or are they taking place in the glaring absence of the justice of our God for those who are overlooked, excluded, slighted, and violated in our community? We need remember that our God desires mercy, love, acceptance, because those are what were offered to us, when we were on the outside. And our response is to offer in the humility of Christ by which we are called. The words, again, of Martin Luther King Jr, as borrowed by many who came before him; do still apply here, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
Justice will not fail, though wickedness appears strong, and has on its side the armies and thrones of power, the riches and the glory of the world, and though poor men crouch down in despair. Justice will not fail, nor perish out from the world, nor will what is really wrong and contrary to God’s law of justice continually endure.
God’s words though Amos are a call, that God has the final word, it is not ours. And on the cross as the sixth hour approached, that final word was “it is finished.” Death and destruction, oppression and inequality were over at that point. For us, as Christians, our call is to remember that the one who saves us, saved the world, and we are the workers called to offer that love, bringing justice and righteousness to all, in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Grace & Peace,
Sam