The Plumb Line

Amos 7:7-17

I like the leaning Tower of Pisa. I am afraid one day it will collapse. It stands 179 feet high and leans 16 and half feet out of the perpendicular as of 1910 compared with 15 and half feet out of perpendicular when it was measured in 1829.

Let me quote to you from its official site: "The Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of the Cathedral. Its construction began in the August of 1173 and continued (with two long interruptions) for about two hundred years, in full fidelity to the original project, whose architect is still uncertain.
In the past it was widely believed that the inclination of the Tower was part of the project ever since its beginning, but now we know that it is not so. The Tower was designed to be "vertical" (and even if it did not lean it would still be one of the most remarkable bell towers in Europe), and started to incline during its construction." (La Torre Di Pisa)

It seems that the foundation of this tower was not firm enough. I read that they put more concrete to stabilize the structure. The irony is that the tower is part of a church. Although it is beautiful tower, but who wants to be in a tower if it is leaning down?

Today's passage is about a prophet called Amos. God gave him a vision where God is standing by a wall with a plumb line in His hand (7:7). God is checking the wall that is built with the plumb line. God is measuring (testing) His people. The crookedness of the people was reality and everyone could see it.  Like the Tower of Pisa, everyone could see it leaning. It was obvious.  Israel was living in prosperity. They thought everything was going well.  Even their priest Amaziah was ignoring all the injustices that were happening the society.  Yet, the Lord was not silent anymore.

Let me give you some historical background so what was going on makes more sense .

Israel was divided to a northern part (called Israel) and a southern part (called Judah). There were two kings. The northern king's name was Jeroboam son of Jehoash and the southern king's name was Uzziah.

Israel and its neighbors were living in wicked ways. Let me give you some examples from the lives of the neighbors. They sold a whole community of captives (1:9); they ripped open the pregnant women (1:13).

Judah (the southern kingdom) rejected the law of the Lord (2:4). 

Israel, (the northern kingdom) trampled on the heads of the poor and denied justice to the oppressed (2:7). They sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals… they denied justice to the oppressed. Father and son used the same girl and profaned God's holy name…(2:6-8)   God was saying enough is enough, so he gave two tough visions to Amos the prophet. The first one was a swarms of locusts that would eat all the harvest causing a famine. The second was a judgment of fire that would dry the land. Now Amos pleaded for mercy. God said those would not happen and He gave Amos the third vision of 'judgment".   Here is the vision: God stands by a wall and there is a plumb line in His hand(7:7).

The vision is very clear: "Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer." (7:8)

What is plumb line?

According to the Webster dictionary: "a line (as of cord) that has at one end a weight and is used especially to determine verticality." You measure a construction to check if it is a true vertical. I love the imagery that God used to measure where His people stood in their spiritual journey. How close they are to God? How much are they keeping His commandments? Where are they in their spiritual journey?

Please notice the second part of the verse 7:8 is "I will spare them no longer."  In the Armenian translation says, "I will not ignore their sins anymore."  Enough is enough.

But what does this vision mean? Is there any hope in the third vision?

We will continue in English.