Let Justice Roll Like a River

In St. Louis, Missouri, we are accustomed to rivers. We have the Missouri River that joins the Mississippi, making it the 4th most extensive river system in the world. It’s a big river, and it never stops flowing south toward the Gulf of Mexico. Amos, a prophet who delivered some powerful messages to the people of Judah about 750 years before Christ, talked about a mighty river. One of the illustrations he uses is that of a river. He says, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24). The context for this statement is that justice had become scarce in the land of Judah.

There was so much perversion of justice in the way people treated each other in Judah that it repudiated God. The morality of fairness and equality had disappeared. Honesty and integrity were rare, and cheating, lying, and taking advantage of each other was the norm. When the people went to worship—their worship meant nothing to God. He said to them, “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps” (Amos 5:21-23). These words carry deep emotion as God rejects their attempts to worship him without their living righteous lives.

God’s solution was that he wanted transformation of their hearts, “But let justice roll on like a river,

righteousness like a never-failing stream!” He wants justice all the time, not just when it is convenient. Justice is not supposed to be a faucet you turn on and off but a mighty river that runs all the time. Justice is not an option with God but a requirement.

Maintaining this kind of integral consistency seems impossible to many people. The truth is that by ourselves, it is impossible, but it is not impossible with God’s help. If we learn to depend on him, he will help us be just and righteous. That means that we always do the right thing. If we fail to do the right thing in life, we own our mistake and make it right. This is what God wants from us and expects from us.