Justice like a river

God says it in the book of Amos, "But let justice roll like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream." He has just rebuked the Israelites for "playing at religion" and He speaks of their impending exile.

All of us would say God is concerned with justice. It seems a given that the great Judge would be interested in righteousness too. The word picture used here helps me see that it is not a first Monday in October type of thing (that is when the Supreme Court goes back to work to hear cases.) It is like a river. It should be always flowing.

I thought about it this morning. What makes a river stop flowing? A dam. Something is blocking water from flowing; or justice. What could that be? The system? The process? The lack of policemen? Or is it the people?

Justice can only roll like a river when the people of a community actively break down the man made dams that get built up over time. Lethargy, indifference, isolation, self centeredness. All of those are dams that focus on the individual and turn a blind eye to justice for others.

In the Christian community we are called to justice for the poor and oppressed. To jump in the river of righteousness we will need to be willing to get a bit wet and exercise our muscles to swim against the current. Our God will have it no other way. So I encourage you to think today about justice. I will too and perhaps we can worship Him well as we remember the One who came and put injustice on Himself to make all things right. Blessings