“But let justice roll out like waters, And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” – Amos 5:24, NASB
Yearning. Thirsting. Hungry. For justice. Does longing for justice sound foreign to you?
It shouldn’t.
In this broken world that awaits redemption, we often find ourselves frustrated by injustice. We see the tears of the oppressed and see that power is on the side of the oppressor. We wonder where God is (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3). Yet there is a godly yearning for justice that is a longing of the righteous.
Have you considered it a blessing to be in this longing state, yearning to see God’s justice revealed?
In one of the “blessed” pronouncements in the Beatitudes, Jesus says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6, ESV.) The Greek word dikaiosuné can be translated “righteousness, rightness, justice, and lawfulness.” This is a wonderful promise. Those who long for dikaiosuné will be happy and satisfied. Another version says “they will be filled.”
Dr. John Frame explains the root word covers both righteousness and justice. We don’t get the justice sense of the word in many modern English translations. But it would be fitting to create a new word “righteousness-justice” to cover the breadth of the word. Dr. Herman Ridderbos argues the righteousness of Matthew 5:6, “must not be understood in the Pauline sense of imputed righteousness, but as the kingly justice which will be brought to light one day for the salvation of the oppressed and the outcasts, and which will be executed especially by the Messiah.” (Thanks to Daniel Kleven for pointing these sources out.)
Do we long for righteousness-justice? The justice of God is a comfort to Christians because we know that he will right all wrongs. Knowing the end gives us strength to pursue righteousness-justice today. It means we may need to take a stand when it is unpopular to do so. In the language of Matthew 5, we act as salt and light, wherever we are.
What a different take we would have on other verses in this passage if we understood justice to be a component of righteousness. Matthew 5:10 could be translated: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness-justice (for standing against injustice and standing for the oppressed), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Be glad for you walk in the footsteps of the prophets before you! Or consider Matthew 5:20, where Jesus tell us our righteousness or practice of justice must exceed that of the Pharisees if we are to enter the kingdom of God. Despite a good façade, the Pharisees were neither righteous or just. They neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. (Matthew 23:23-25, 27-28.)
Will you stand for righteousness-justice when the going gets tough? I was recently encouraged by Ann Maree Goudzwaard’s blog post: “Stand”. The opposite of standing firm against injustice is to give way, to go with the flow and to be polluted. “Like a trampled spring and a polluted well, so is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.” Proverbs 25:26. (NASB)
The prophet Amos considers the importance of orthopraxy, not just orthodoxy. “I hate all your show and pretense- the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies…. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” – Amos 5:21,24 (NLT)
My prayer is that we yearn for righteousness-justice, demonstrating God’s heart for the oppressed. May we do right and seek justice (Isaiah 1:17). And in doing so, may we find our thirst quenched by the Holy Spirit, our comforter and our living water. (John 7:38-39, John 16:8-11)
When we pray for justice we should also pray for wisdom and courage in whatever else our roles in it ought to be.
— Robert Haviland (@Moon_light2106) August 6, 2024
