We thank God for Jesus through whom we may be spared from due condemnation and through whose Spirit we may attain His standard of holiness
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Visitors to Coventry Cathedral will have seen an art work inspired by these verses. A model of the city sits under a large plummet, suspended by a fine cord attached all the way up to the high vaulted ceiling. The roof is so high and the line so long that it seems to hang from heaven itself. The sculpture reminds us that every city, every community and every individual who has ever lived will be judged according to God’s standard of uprightness.
In the first two visions (Amos 7:1-6) God announced the desolation of the land of the northern kingdom of Israel, firstly by locusts then by fire. In both cases the prophet prayed and through his intercession disaster was averted. In this third vision there is no prayer because Amos now sees that the persistent transgression of the nation has gone too far:
“For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment” (Amos 2:6)
Transgression means to cross a boundary, and the ‘three and four’ is a way of saying that they just kept adding to their list of sins.
There is general agreement that the wall in the vision is the nation of Israel which had been built by the Lord using His plumb line. Now the Lord is checking to see if the wall is still upright, and all that is now out of true will be brought down. The message is being delivered in Bethel where Jeroboam I had set up golden calves for the people of the north to worship so they wouldn’t have to travel down to Jerusalem for the festivals. A hundred years on and the hostility between north and south continues, Jeroboam II and his apostate priest Amaziah still lead the people into false state-sponsored religion. The Lord will no longer tolerate it; the high places and the sanctuaries will be made desolate and laid waste, and the dynasty of Jeroboam is coming to a violent end.
When the Lord asks Amos what he sees in the vision it is the plumb line that stands out. So what does this plumb line represent? It is God’s measure of uprightness.
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| dailyverses.net |
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. (Prov 11:3)
The plumb line in the vision is God’s law written in His Word. He sets this standard of holiness in the midst of Israel (v8-9) and refuses to overlook the transgression of the nation. The high places were sites of depravity, the sanctuaries had become centres of empty religious practice, and the king and his regime controlling and corrupt. All these spheres of life – leisure, religion, government – are found wanting and will be brought down by God’s authority. In the event within one generation the northern nation of Israel was no more, having been defeated and deported by the cruel and ruthless Assyrian empire. The southern kingdom of Judah, the home of Amos, was to survive for another 150 years.
Whilst it is helpful to understand the context of these words we cannot think that the warnings were only for that people in that time, rather the narrative is a model for how God works throughout history. We can see the intimate relationship that the Lord has with this simple man, formed amongst the flocks and fields of his homeland, even responding to his prayers for mercy over a nation. We also see the wrath of God ready to be poured out over an arrogant and avaricious society that has abandoned theocratic rule and abused its privileges.
We cannot but consider our own nation and the plumb line of God’s Word that hangs from heaven in our midst. We thank God for Jesus through whom we may be spared from due condemnation and through whose Spirit we may attain His standard of holiness. May we too represent the plumb line of God’s standard.
Author: John Plumb
May God bless and enrich your life
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