In the book of amos we see god giving a key vision to the prophet amos to share with the northern kingdom of israel. A vision of a plumb line this is what the lord showed me. The lord was standing by a wall, with a plumb line in his hand. Amos has been called the plumb line prophet because he had a vision of god standing by a wall with a plumb line in his hand. Not all of the material found in these chapters came from amos himself. The plumb line to which we must measure up today is christ and his word john 12. It is a reference line used by carpenters to keep their work straight. Amos chapter 7 explained discover the 66 books of the bible. Behold, the lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. In amos we see the prophet describing god as the building inspector and he is examining the wall that has been constructed using the plumb line to see if it.
Amos uses the plumb line as a metaphor to explain that both nation and the religious establishment are under judgment for being out of line. The purpose of the vision was gods desire to show amos that the plumb line was accurate and that it had been used to construct a proper wall. Then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of. We have previously discussed the potential parallels between the book of amos and the recent attacks on the. From wednesday, september 2, 2015 at calvary chapel. In the bible, in the book of amos, the lord used the analogy of a plumb line to admonish the israelites of their sin, saying, i will test my people with this plumb line. Compare your original notes made on first reading through the book of amos with what you now know of the themes and purpose of the book. It can possibly come across as some sort of works righteousness. Amos first presents us with an image of a plumb line, to my knowledge this is the only reference to a plumb line in the entirety of the bible, this plumb line is a device used to determine straight and even lines in a field. Editors and copyists added comments to the prophets original oracles that they deemed appropriate in light of events that occurred after his death. A plumb line is a perfect measuring tool for a perfect god. It is difficult, while in the middle of a project, to determine a true horizontal or vertical line without an objective measuring tool, so a plumb line is employed. God spoke to amos, amos in turn, repeated what god said to the northern kingdom israel.
Now, this is a dangerous message because it seems to go against our understanding of the gospel. In case youre not familiar with a plumb line, it is simply a weight suspended from a string and is used to determine an exact vertical. Being plumb is a construction term that refers to being straight up and down. In the vision of the plumb line, israel is portrayed as a misaligned wall that is leaning and ready to fall over. I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. Then said the lord, behold, i will set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. The locusts, fire, and plumb line 6 so the lord relented from this plan. Amos pleaded with god to relent his judgment and, in their place, god places a plumb line. Metaphorically, god is measuring the actions and intentions of the people with the. It is used by builders as a vertical reference point. A plumb line applies the law of gravity to find right angles, to indicate the most direct route from top to bottom, and to keep things plumb. Amos plumb line presentation pdf the prophets by abraham joshua heschel plumb line wikipedia. Amos 7, new international version niv the bible app. The wall symbolizes gods remnant people, that wall of living stones that he is building up into a holy habitation for the lord.
Then said the lord, behold, i will set a plumbline in the midst of my people israel. A plumb line is a metal weight on the end of a string which is used to determine if. Book of amos bible survey what was the significance of the horns of the altar amos 3. Amos told the people of israel that the god was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. Now in amos s story, the plumb line is also very important if you want to build a straight wall. Metaphorically, when god draws near with the plumb line, he is looking for those people who are living and abiding in his grace and his law. Amos the plumb line prophet disciplers bible studies. A plumb line is affected by gods creation and his set of rules gravity. A plumb line is a weight, usually with a pointed tip at the bottom for marking a point. She mentioned she attended a local church service that discussed the book of amos. We have already seen in the book of amos how the religious houses, which should have modeled how covenant grace was supposed to operate among the people of god, had instead become shrines of selfwill, pride, selfindulgence, and complacency. Then the lord said, look, i am setting a plumb line among my people israel. A plumb line is a string with a weight tied to one end. The plumb line was gods standard by which the people of israel would be measured.
In verse 17, the plumb line is defined as justice and righteousness. The book of amos, which is the earliest of the prophetic writings to be preserved in book form, consists of nine chapters. Behold, said the lord, i am setting a plumb line among my people. If they did not line up with this standard, they would be punished. The plumb line was used by builders to ensure that a wall was vertical, that is, that the wall was straight up and down. We have already seen in the book of amos how the religious houses, which should have modeled how covenant grace was supposed to operate among the people of god, had instead become shrines of. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. The plumb line he was referring to was amos himself. The shrines of isaac will be made desolate, and the holy places of.
So the lord said, look, i have set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. Amos 7 new international version niv locusts, fire and a plumb line. Ive hung a plumb line in the midst of my people amos 7. Twice amos saw the judgment of god coming and interceded for israel, and god turned away his judgment.
Then the lord said, behold i am about to put a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. The book of amos is great stuff, and as the schedule here at the chapel happens to break out, for better or for worse, you and i will be together. In the biblical book of amos, god describes himself as a plumb line and says, look what ive done. Amos sees the lord standing by a wall built true to plumb vertical, and the wall is built true to plumb because the lord built the wall using the plumb line that he held in his hand. The peoples hearts were crooked, and they stopped caring about what god wanted. Amos 7 locusts, fire and a plumb line this bible gateway. Amos plumb line presentation pdf the prophets by abraham joshua heschel. I saw the lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. Amos says that god is holding up a plumb line to us, to our structure to our faith, to our devotion. Then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumb line in the middle of my people israel. Finding your personal plumb line the next phase blog. In amos chapter seven we find a significant change in the way god related to his. Marty solomon and brent billings explore the book of amos on a quest to find the heart of god as expressed in the first of his many mouthpieces. In amos vision, god was standing with a plumb line by a wall that was level.
Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line. Plumb is also referenced in the old testament book of amos. Then the lord said, i am setting a plumb line among my people israel. The ingenious solution employed by these ancient architects, already by the fourth egyptian dynasty c. The prophet amos employs the plumb line as a powerful metaphor for justice in society. A plumb line, also called a plummet, is a cord with a. Then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure. He was preparing swarms of locusts after the kings share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. But with the third vision of the plumb line, we come to the title of this dissertation. And the lord replied, i will test my people with this plumb line.
The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and the second in the greek septuagint tradition. Thus he showed me, and behold, the lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in his hand. The third vision that comes to amos is different in that it does not actually picture destruction. You can have a square that is not truly square, a ruler that is inaccurate, or weights that are not fair. Is it a short name for people who work on water and drainage systems. International standard version and the lord was asking me, what do you see, amos. John ritenbaugh warns us that the book of amos is specifically addressed to us the end time church the israel of god the ones who have actually made the new covenant with god. Amos, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, was active c.
It provides a standard against which one can measure what he has built. But the book of judges tells us they did not want to live gods way. Amos and gods plumb line sermon by howard strickland. In a plumb line, we see how humbling ourselves and returning to the lord is the only way to bring true restoration. Amos lived in the kingdom of judah but preached in the northern kingdom of. From the first chapter of amos through the sixth chapter, the relationship between god and amos, and amos and the people he was sent to, was a simple line of communication.