DAY 26: The results of injustice

Reading: Amos 5:6-15
‘Hate evil, love good; maintain justice’ v15

Seek the Lord and live,
    or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;
it will devour them,
    and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

 There are those who turn justice into bitterness
    and cast righteousness to the ground.

 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
    who turns midnight into dawn
    and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.
With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
    and brings the fortified city to ruin.

 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court
    and detest the one who tells the truth.

 You levy a straw tax on the poor
    and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
    you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
    you will not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your offenses
    and how great your sins.

 There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes
    and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,
    for the times are evil.

 Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good;
    maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy
    on the remnant of Joseph.

 In the time of Amos, there were many who abused their positions and
crushed the poor. They weren’t too keen on those who pointed out
the error of their ways either. So for Amos it was a tough time. He
made it clear that by denying the poor grain, they were trampling on
them and that there would be a day of reckoning. So he called upon
all those who would listen to seek the Lord and find life. He makes the
call several times. Then at the end of the passage he calls on people
to seek justice, because to seek justice is to do the will of God. If
people seek good and hate evil, God is with them.
As Christians, part of our stewardship of our time and talents is to seek
justice for those who are pushed to the margins of society. It may
mean giving money but it could also mean lifting our voices in support
of the cause of justice. To do so is to be obedient to the call of God on
our lives and we will find life and freedom.

 For further reading: 1 Kings 21:1-19 - God's anger at Ahab's murder and theft of
Naboth's vineyard.
To ponder What is your reaction when you hear or read about issues of
injustice in your local community? What practical steps can you
take to address such issues?
To pray: Lord Jesus, shine the searchlight of your Spirit upon the issues
of the day. Keep me sensitive to the needs of others and aware of what practical 
steps I might take to love good and hate evil and to seek justice for all. Amen.
x

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