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 has been called the plumb line prophet because he had a vision of. In verse 17, the plumb line is defined as justice and righteousness. Thus he showed me, and behold, the lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in his hand. The peoples hearts were crooked, and they stopped caring about what god wanted. A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure. Being plumb is a construction term that refers to being straight up and down. In the biblical book of amos, god describes himself as a plumb line and says, look what ive done. Then the lord said, look, i am setting a plumb line among my people israel. The plumb line to which we must measure up today is christ and his word john 12. Amos plumb line presentation pdf the prophets by abraham joshua heschel. A plumb line is a metal weight on the end of a string which is used to determine if. It can possibly come across as some sort of works righteousness.
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. 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. In the book of amos we see god giving a key vision to the prophet amos to share with the northern kingdom of israel. You can have a square that is not truly square, a ruler that is inaccurate, or weights that are not fair. The plumb line was gods standard by which the people of israel would be measured. Amos the plumb line prophet disciplers bible studies. The wall symbolizes gods remnant people, that wall of living stones that he is building up into a holy habitation for the lord. The book of amos, which is the earliest of the prophetic writings to be preserved in book form, consists of nine chapters. Amos plumb line presentation pdf the prophets by abraham joshua heschel plumb line wikipedia. A plumb line is a metal weight on the end of a string which is used to determine if a wall under construction is vertical or not. It provides a standard against which one can measure what he has built. The prophet amos employs the plumb line as a powerful metaphor for justice in society.
A plumb line is affected by gods creation and his set of rules gravity. In amos chapter seven we find a significant change in the way god related to his. 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. 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 the vision of the plumb line, israel is portrayed as a misaligned wall that is leaning and ready to fall over. The locusts, fire, and plumb line 6 so the lord relented from this plan. We have previously discussed the potential parallels between the book of amos and the recent attacks on the. Ive hung a plumb line in the midst of my people amos 7. To know the bible is the standard god gives us for living upright lives. 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. Behold, the lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. A plumb line, also called a plummet, is a cord with a. A plumb line is a perfect measuring tool for a perfect god.
The plumb line he was referring to was amos himself. A question asked to give occasion for the explanation of the symbol, as in jeremiah 1. Now, this is a dangerous message because it seems to go against our understanding of the gospel. Is it a short name for people who work on water and drainage systems. 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. And the lord replied, i will test my people with this plumb line. Then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of. Amos 7, new international version niv the bible app. Gods people then and today must measure to his standard, not our own.
The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and the second in the greek septuagint tradition. It is used by builders as a vertical reference point to make sure what they are building is straight. Then said the lord, behold, i will set a plumbline in the midst of my people israel. Plumb is also referenced in the old testament book of amos. He was preparing swarms of locusts after the kings share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. Then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumb line in the middle of my people israel. Amos 7 locusts, fire and a plumb line this bible gateway. God spoke to amos, amos in turn, repeated what god said to the northern kingdom israel. Most of us are familiar with the use of a plumb line. Not all of the material found in these chapters came from amos himself. 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. 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. Amos pleaded with god to relent his judgment and, in their place, god places a plumb line.
Finding your personal plumb line the next phase blog. But the book of judges tells us they did not want to live gods way. So the lord said, look, i have set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. Then the lord said, i am setting a plumb line among my people israel. A vision of a plumb line this is what the lord showed me. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. 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. Twice amos saw the judgment of god coming and interceded for israel, and god turned away his judgment. Amos and gods plumb line sermon by howard strickland. The shrines of isaac will be made desolate, and the holy places of.
Editors and copyists added comments to the prophets original oracles that they deemed appropriate in light of events that occurred after his death. In a plumb line, we see how humbling ourselves and returning to the lord is the only way to bring true restoration. Then the lord said, behold i am about to put a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. International standard version and the lord was asking me, what do you see, amos. The plumb line was used by builders to ensure that a wall was vertical, that is, that the wall was straight up and down. But with the third vision of the plumb line, we come to the title of this dissertation. The lord was standing by a wall, with a plumb line in his hand. If they did not line up with this standard, they would be punished.
It is a reference line used by carpenters to keep their work straight. Amos lived in the kingdom of judah but preached in the northern kingdom of. 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. So i scurried home and found information online that amos. Now in amos s story, the plumb line is also very important if you want to build a straight wall. Then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. 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. Behold, said the lord, i am setting a plumb line among my people. The third vision that comes to amos is different in that it does not actually picture destruction.
I saw the lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. 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. Amos chapter 7 explained discover the 66 books of the bible. In amos vision, god was standing with a plumb line by a wall that was level. 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. Metaphorically, god is measuring the actions and intentions of the people with the. I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. Amos and the crumbling kingdom bible story lifekids. The ingenious solution employed by these ancient architects, already by the fourth egyptian dynasty c. A plumb line is a weight, usually with a pointed tip at the bottom for marking a point.
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. 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 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 7 new international version niv locusts, fire and a plumb line.
She mentioned she attended a local church service that discussed the book of amos. A plumb line is a string with a weight tied to one end. It is used by builders as a vertical reference point. Book of amos bible survey what was the significance of the horns of the altar amos 3. 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. Then said the lord, behold, i will set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. Amos says that god is holding up a plumb line to us, to our structure to our faith, to our devotion. 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. 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. Amos, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, was active c. From wednesday, september 2, 2015 at calvary chapel.