VotD 4/5/19
I immediately think of Martin Luther King, Jr when I see this verse. It reminds me that he didn’t do his work alone – justice rolled like a river, not like a firehose. It reminds me that justice is worth every effort: let it wash over everything. MLK’s use of the phrase makes me think also of Revelation, and Jesus’ condemnation of the lukewarm church. I am a very lukewarm Christian, and it’s hard for me to get out of that mode. I don’t want to rock the boat. But Amos (along with Jesus and MLK) is reminding us to go ahead and rock the boat for the sake of justice and righteousness. Go ahead and condemn even your own church, even your own religion if it means that you’ll be reminded to actually serve God and not just go with the flow. Let justice roll on like a river, washing over everything powerfully, without end. Don’t try to swim against that tide, because God is always on the side of those suffering injustice.