Justice & Righteousness

I hate, I despise your religious festivals;

your assemblies are a stench to me.

Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them...

Away with the noise of your songs!

I will not listen to the music of your harps.

But let justice roll on like a river,

righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Amos 6.21-24

Clements:

(When God's Patience Runs Out)

If there is one thing that the study of Amos is going to do for us, it is going to make it clear that nothing pleases God more than righteousness and that without righteousness nothing pleases God. What is more, by 'righteousness' God never means mere personal morality; he means the pursuit of social justice too. These Jews were totally ignoring that moral and social dimension of their religion. To them religion was just a hobby....Exploitation and corruption were running rife in their society, but they played church and tried to forget all that nasty, worldly stuff....God expected far more than sacrifice. God demanded a society permeated with justice and righteousness 365 days a year, a justice that rolled on like a river, a righteousness that flowed like a never-failing stream.

Religion which is not interested in immediate justice and righteousness is not true religion at all. It is just escapism.

 Real revival does not just make the church bigger, it makes society better. Historian R.J.Green: "The religious revival in 18th century England carried to the hearts of the people a fresh spirit of moral zeal which purified our literature and our manners. A new philanthropy reformed our prisons, infused clemency into our penal laws, abolished the slave trade and gave the first impulse to popular education." These are the fruits of real revival. Until we see them in our own country, beware of superficial success.

When it comes to the last day, actions speak louder than words. So you had an emotional experience at an evangelistic meeting?...So someone put their hands on you and spoke in tongues? Real religion is not feeling but doing, and that is what Amos is saying to us. Do not tell me you've been filled with the Spirit; so was Saul before he was rejected as king. Do not tell me you have made a decision to be a disciple; so did Judas. Do not tell me you go to church every Sunday; the Pharisees worshipped faithfully every sabbath.

Real repentance shows in our works, in our deeds, in our moral conduct and our concern for social justice.

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This book of sermons on Amos is possibly one of the best books I've read for a while. But it's doing my head in a bit too. How can someone who writes such great stuff have then behaved in the way he did? Was he never a believer?  I just find it hard to work it all out. I feel my best response would be to pray for him to come back to the truth which he once taught so well.