MERIDIAN MINUTE
no. 5
“But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Amos 5:24.
~Justice and Righteousness~
Beautiful words, powerful, gentle, true, just lovely. The imagery is what caught my attention, why I wrote it down to remember for future reference. Not long ago I was doodling on scraps of paper
with an objective in mind. I was trying to find a title for the book I was writing. A title I
considered was The River Flows for it
represents an on-going sensation both powerful and causal. It was quickly
abandoned as an idea after I inserted the name in Amazon books and saw that
many other authors also find it to speak. “But
let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing
stream, gives movement to two words of truth: justice and righteousness. Even
in childhood we understand these concepts at a very basic in-born attitude.
“Not fair” is something even a very young tot will understand when they are the
recipients of unfair treatment by another child or an adult. In adulthood it is
quite easily recognized in the workplace when favoritism or prejudices impact
choices or preferences. Humans can hardly escape this even with laws on the books to prevent it. Justice requires certain dynamics. It demonstrates a relationship between two agents whether it is a person to an event, a person and the law, a child and the expectation, a people and its
governing rule, the list goes on. In its pure form, justice will be fair and right.
Truth, in simultaneous
blend with righteousness, is intertwined with the laws of God. God? How can that be? Without a
standard for truth it is not possible to define what is right or even wrong for
that matter. The value we put on human life is part of this sense of right and
wrong. Unbelief in regard to religious matters cannot disregard this inner sense of
rightness. No one needs to be taught that it is appalling to physically
harm another person. The conscience knows this. The conscience can be hardened against this knowledge, it can become duplicitous, choosing when and when not to apply it. But, in its original state, the conscience is alive, giving out signals to the brain that create an awareness in the human's mind.
Justice and righteousness can be developed over time and through spiritual ministrations. An awakening happens
in the sensitivity part of a person when God arrives on the scene and starts
calling their name as He brings them closer to His being and His love. When
this happens, the soul comes alive and truth in the spiritual realm becomes
understandable. Simply stated, the blindness becomes sighted. Because truth originates in God, righteousness and justice will come from Him. Anyone who has received the touch of God in their life will never be the same, even if they choose to ignore it. The verse referenced above is when God's ministrations in a person, people, or land is allowed to flow unrestricted. God will always be this way. I have learned through trial and error that even in the hard things, God offers a sweetness that is unbelievably and unalterably pure and good.
When my
youngest child was a baby just over a year old, we were visiting at Grandma’s house. My mother and I were having a conversation when we lost track of my daughter. I
didn’t see her in the dining room where we were visiting and it was a cold day, she couldn't wander far.
I knew she had not gone out the house. Then I noticed
the hall door ajar. There she was, sitting at the end of the long dark hallway
in that old farmhouse. Caught in the act! Sticky fingers and a mouth full of
candy told it all! She was eating candy she had sneaked out of the candy jar.
It made me smile inside, how devious is the human nature and how young one is
when it becomes apparent, when they figure out it’s best to hide so they won’t
get in trouble. For a little child, it is the parent or teacher who is the
person who administers a code of justice and provides a parameter of righteous
boundaries seen in the allowable actions versus non-allowable actions by employing a
consequence factor. Always the hard part of parenting.
It is interesting how
hard we as humans resist having
boundaries. “I’d rather do it myself.” That is how we are. The will of a person seeks to dominate even when it knows better. To center this "will" and put it where it
should operate takes a lifetime of practice. The good news is that God understands this
nature. He sees our self-actualized bent for He made us this way. To work with us and to help us,
He uses situations and people plus the beauty of His creation in combination with our
intellect and will; all of these put together to bring us to an awareness of
Him. When the person submits their self-centered will and gives up their independent nature (
where it operates apart from God), then justice will roll freely down and
righteousness will flow, a supernatural enabling from the Father
God who loves His creation.
Another offering from Lookout Point. 2011 ~ NLB
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