Amos 5:24 (NRSV)
Read Amos 5:24 on biblegateway.com
Verse 24But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.
Devotion
Of all the prophetic calls to justice, two cry most loudly to us from the pages of Scripture. One is from the prophet Micah: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Amos 6:8). The other is today's verse from Amos 5: "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream."
Amos' words capture our attention and imagination. Here, the prophet uses the cry for justice as a carrot rather than a stick, though the word for "justice" in Hebrew is also the word for "judgment." So Amos is also inviting judgment to roll down like waters. Justice for one is always judgment for another.
Amos' cry for justice and righteousness continues to stir us. God's will for society and creation is impelling. Justice and righteousness invite us to side with the river of life, not the flood of death. Through Amos, we feel justice and righteousness in, with and under our waters of baptism.
Prayer
Change us, Lord! Help us seek justice for all and join with others swept up by your stream of righteousness. Amen.