ESOCS Devotional 27 February 2026 – Justice and Righteousness
MEMORY VERSE: “But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.” Amos 5:24(KJV).
TEXT: AMOS 5:16-END
Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, says this:
“There shall be wailing in all streets,
And they shall say in all the highways,
‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmer to mourning,
And skillful lamenters to wailing.
17 In all vineyards there shall be wailing,
For I will pass through you,”
Says the Lord.
18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
For what good is the day of the Lord to you?
It will be darkness, and not light.
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion,
And a bear met him!
Or as though he went into the house,
Leaned his hand on the wall,
And a serpent bit him!
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light?
Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I despise your feast days,
And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs,
For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 But let justice run down like water,
And righteousness like a mighty stream.
25 “Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings
In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26 You also carried Sikkuth your king
And Chiun, your idols,
The star of your gods,
Which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus,”
Says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
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This is a call for justice and righteousness to flow abundantly and powerfully, much like water from a mighty stream. It is a condemnation of Israel’s hypocritical religious practices, because they do not follow a good commitment to justice and righteousness. The scripture is a plea for justice to be a constant and overwhelming force in the lives of the people, not just a ritual or an occasional act. They were performing outward religious acts while being unjust, corrupt, and exploitative.
Righteousness is about having a right relationship with God, others, and creation. It is expressed through kindness, generosity, and living with integrity, not just in worship, but in all actions. God is not pleased with a worship that is not backed by a life of compassion and integrity.
James 1:27 says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” The message is that true worship is inseparable from justice. It is a call to prioritize righteous behavior, fairness, and the protection of the poor and the weak in daily life, not just in prayer or religious ceremony.
Whenever God’s people lose their focus on the needs of the world, the Word of God always calls us to pursue justice and righteousness. One way we can understand what God’s Word means by that is Justice means not just us. God called His people to look outside their comfortable group, to the needs of the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the strangers. Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, means we understand that God has put His church in the world so that He can bring peace and healing and restoration to others through us. It’s not about us; or at least—it’s not just about us.
God doesn’t want a flood of our worship and offerings and praise unless we’re letting justice roll down like waters from our lives and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream from our churches.
Reflection
- Are you involved in hypocritical Christianity?
Prayer
- Lord Jesus, make me an instrument of Justice in my generation.
Further Reading: Micah 4:1-7; Luke.8:16-25; John 9:1-25
ESOCS Devotional 27 February 2026
