LET JUSTICE ROLL ON

Passage: Amos 5:14-27

Key verse: 24

NIV

14 Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.(A)
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil,(B) love good;(C)
    maintain justice in the courts.(D)
Perhaps(E) the Lord God Almighty will have mercy(F)
    on the remnant(G) of Joseph.

16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says:

“There will be wailing(H) in all the streets(I)
    and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers(J) will be summoned to weep
    and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing(K) in all the vineyards,
    for I will pass through(L) your midst,”
says the Lord.(M)

The Day of the Lord

18 Woe to you who long
    for the day of the Lord!(N)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?(O)
    That day will be darkness,(P) not light.(Q)
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
    only to meet a bear,(R)
as though he entered his house
    and rested his hand on the wall
    only to have a snake bite him.(S)
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,(T) not light—
    pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(U)

21 “I hate,(V) I despise your religious festivals;(W)
    your assemblies(X) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(Y) and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.(Z)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.(AA)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.(AB)
24 But let justice(AC) roll on like a river,
    righteousness(AD) like a never-failing stream!(AE)

25 “Did you bring me sacrifices(AF) and offerings
    forty years(AG) in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
    the pedestal of your idols,(AH)
    the star of your god[a]—
    which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile(AI) beyond Damascus,”
    says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.(AJ)

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Footnotes
  1. Amos 5:26 Or lifted up Sakkuth your king / and Kaiwan your idols, / your star-gods; Septuagint lifted up the shrine of Molek / and the star of your god Rephan, / their idols
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

14 (A)Seek good, and not evil,
    that you may live;
and so the Lord, (B)the God of hosts, will be with you,
    as you have said.
15 (C)Hate evil, and love good,
    and establish justice (D)in the gate;
(E)it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
    will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore thus says the Lord, (F)the God of hosts, the Lord:

“In all the squares (G)there shall be wailing,
    and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
    and (H)to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
    for (I)I will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord.

Let Justice Roll Down

18 Woe to you who desire (J)the day of the Lord!
    Why would you have the day of the Lord?
(K)It is darkness, and not light,
19     (L)as if a man fled from a lion,
    and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
    and a serpent bit him.
20 (M)Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?

21 (N)“I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 (O)Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
    I will not look upon them.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to (P)the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25 (Q)“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 (R)You (S)shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 (T)and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is (U)the God of hosts.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

The Lord definitely judges all sin. But there is a way to receive his mercy. When we seek good and not evil; when we hate evil and love what is good; when we maintain justice—God’s mercy comes to us. But for those who continue to live unrepentant lives and who keep seeking evil and perverting justice, God’s judgment will come. At that time there will be wailing in the streets and anguish in every public square as the Lord passes through their midst.

The people of Israel professed to longing for the day of the Lord. Yet because of their unrepented sin, the day of the Lord would be for them a day of darkness and judgment, not of light and rejoicing. People might think they are escaping a roaring dangerous lion, only to meet an equally dangerous bear. Because of their sin, the Lord despised all of their religious rituals. Their festivals and assemblies, their burnt offerings and grain offerings were useless because the Lord would not accept them. The Lord wanted them to pursue justice and righteousness. Many times, we become concerned only about our own lives of faith and we don’t think about justice and righteousness. The Lord wants to cover the whole land with justice and righteousness. Let them roll on like a river.

Prayer: Father, justice and righteousness can only be found in you. Have mercy on your people and may you bring justice and righteousness to the world through your people.

One Word: Let justice roll on like a river