Headline after headline, we see another one of our black neighbors become a victim of gross injustice. Ahmaud Arbery shot during a jog, Breonna Taylor while the police raided her home and now George Floyd after police pinned him down to suffocation. Some people look at these incidents and say "Please don't make this a race issue. It's merely a common decency or humanity issue." While it is true that we cannot assume the motives of their actions, the statistics of racial disparities show that our black and brown neighbors experience disproportionally aggressive policing, brutality, and harassment. (Statistics) I do not know if it is helpful to ignore this piece in our interpretation of these events and to isolate them from the broader narrative of the history of racism in America. In any case, racism is sadly still an issue that we face today. And the footage after footage of these incidents going viral, the prevalence of these injustices can lead to much confusion, frustration, and anger. "How many times is this going to happen? When will it come to an end?" We can even become jaded and doing justice may seem like fighting a losing battle.
Though Christians cannot expect perfect justice to be established on earth until Jesus returns, we can and should continue to work towards a more just society as part of our call to discipleship. In fact, Christians are to be the ones taking the charge in grieving and lamenting over and in recognizing and standing against all forms of injustice, including racism and impartiality in justice wherever it occurs. (Ps 82:3; Isa 1:17; Mic 6:8; Lu 11:42) However, doing justice is not only our duty. It is bound up with our worship to God. Righteous living and doing justice is so important to God that without them, God finds great displeasure with the worship that we bring to Him. Hear these sobering words of the prophet Amos.
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:21-24)
Amos was speaking to the OT church which had confused assurance with complacency. In verses 21-23, the prophet pronounces God's distaste and disgust at the worship offered by His people. Their burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, God will reject them all. Why? One commentator J. A. Motyer says, "What was the use of consecration offerings which did not issue in the consecration of the life to righteousness, or of fellowship offerings which did not issue in a fellowship of justice? It was all pointless because it stopped short at the gate of the sanctuary; it did not come back into the home; it did not enter the place of business." The meaning of burnt offerings is total consecration to God but their consecration was not actually total as they ignored the social ills of their day. The meaning of peace offerings is fellowship with God and with others with special reference to the lowly but they neglected justice for the poor. As is true today, in those days, the poor were disproportionately vulnerable to injustice. They were easier targets of robbery because they had no money or social status to defend themselves.
Justice and righteousness were to be the hallmark of God's people. While the gods of every other religion of the ancient near east identified themselves with the powerful and ruling class, the God of Israel identified Himself with the weak and lowly. Yahweh delivered His own people from the oppression of slavery showing that he exercised care for the poor and vulnerable and hence God wanted His people to reflect His character of compassion, justice, and mercy. But they ignored the poor. And their sacrifices and songs did not arise from hearts and lives committed to acting in love, justice, and righteousness.
Conversely, the kind of worship that pleases God is justice and right living rather than empty religion. One commentator defines justice in verse 24 as “reparation for the defrauded, fairness for the less fortunate, and dignity and compassion for the needy” and righteousness as "attitudes of mercy and generosity, and honest dealings that imitate the character of God” The word justice as more to do with social ethic (outward) and righteousness has more to do with moral principles. (inward). And when Amos says justice rolling down like waters, he is using an expression to describe an abundance of justice. When he says, righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, he is speaking of a constancy of righteousness. This picture of an overflowing stream would have been vivid to the original audience. The stream refers to wadi which is typically dry but during rainy seasons, it gushes with torrents of water. The imagery teaches us that God is seeking worshippers whose lives never run dry and instead overflow with an abundance and constant acts of justice and righteousness! Where there is true God-pleasing worship there is a torrent like gushing of justice and righteousness which is evident in the lives of His people.
As I was preparing my own heart for worship this Sunday, I was particularly struck by the prophet's sobering warning to the church. How will God view the worship that we as a church bring to Him? With pleasure or with displeasure? Our passage reminds us that our worship is inextricably bound up with our social ethic. It reminds us that justice for the underprivileged is not simply a social issue but a religious and worship issue. It is that important to God because doing justice evidences that we have truly believed and embraced the God of the Gospel which supremely and gloriously reveals Him as both the God of justice and mercy. In the midst of the injustices that we see in our world today, what are you doing to prepare for worship? Let's begin by exercising self-examination and engaging in repentance. Let's pray that New City would hear God's call to the church to "Let justice roll down and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Written by Elder Soo Bin Lee
