The Plumb Line

The Plumb Line

(Amos 7:1-17)

Yearly Theme:  “Joy is…”

Series Title:  “Joy in Correction”

May 24^th, 2020

Something to think about:

As we continue our series this morning, we come to a passage in the book of Amos in the Old Testament that talks about alignment (strictly speaking, plumb lines).

If you remember from last week, Amos was a shepherd from Judah who had been called by God to prophecy judgment on the Northern Kingdom of Israel who was under the leadership of King Jeroboam II.  The Northern Kingdom had become so corrupt and wicked that they had dismissed God completely from their worship.  As a matter of fact, King Jeroboam had led the people to worship golden calves in the centers of worship in Gilgal and Bethel, the most holy places of worship to Yahweh in the Northern Kingdom.

In Amos 5 God laid out His case against Israel, but by the time we get to Amos 7 (our passage for today) God indicates His judgment through destruction.

Let’s take a closer look today…

Turn in your Bibles to:  Amos 7:1-17

So, what’s the practical takeaway this morning from this passage of Scripture?

Key Point:  “When God’s people are out of alignment with His Word, judgment is inevitable.”

How does this play out in the visions that Amos saw?

• There is a standard for God’s judgment.

The plumb line for God’s people is His Word.  The Word made flesh (Jesus, the living Word), and the written, inspired Word of God we call the Bible.  These standards are the measurement of truth.  These plumb lines are the standards for determining right from wrong, good from bad, truth from fiction, and so on.  We do well to remember Jesus’ testimony of Himself when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”[1]  Jesus is the standard, and His Gospel is the covenant.

• There is deception that comes in rejecting God’s warnings.

There are numerous people and groups even within churches today that reject solid Biblical doctrine and truth from the Word of God, claiming to have a greater truth from a greater standard only to come up empty handed and even more lost than before.  Where there is no plumb line, the people perish.  And, the plumb line of truth is, and always has been, God’s Word.

Something to take home:

There is a tipping point, a point of no return, that happens when things get out of balance.

We’ve all seen movies where a car is precariously teetering on the edge of a cliff, and one false move will send it careening.  Inevitably, something like a bird landing on the hood, or a leaf falling off a tree and onto the bumper, is just enough to change the balance and push it beyond the point of no return.

In Amos’ case, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was out of plumb, and there was no way to fix the problem, except to tear down the structures and rebuild. 

Is this where we are today?  Are we beyond the tipping point?  Are we so out of plumb as a church or a society, that judgment is imminent?  Is there any hope for repair or restoration at this point?  Are things too far gone in our culture that the structures need to be laid waste in order to be rebuilt again?

Or, maybe, just maybe, is there still time for repentance?  Is there still a chance for redemption?

I believe so!  I believe that, though things seem stark and dreary, there is still time to change, and time to grow.  I believe that God’s patience isn’t so spent that a sincere change (especially from the church) would change the course of the trajectory of our nation and of its people.  However, I do believe we’re close to the edge.  The warnings are stark, but God’s love abounds for those who come to Him with broken and contrite hearts.

Key Point:  “When God’s people are out of alignment with His Word, judgment is inevitable.”

[1] John 14:6.