A plumb line is a metal weight on the end of a string which is used to determine if. Studies in the minor prophets amos the country prophet. God shows amos another vision, one which will appeal to all of our craftsmen this time the vision is of god holding a plumb line. To know the bible is the standard god gives us for living upright lives. The plumbline, with a plumb bob on the end of it, is used to determine the vertical perfection of a wall. International standard version and the lord was asking me, what do you see, amos. In this vision amos sees the lord standing on a wall with a plumbline in his hand. I will stretch out over jerusalem the measuring line used against samaria and the plumb line used against the house of ahab. The judgment will involve destruction of her religious and political leaders d.
It provides a standard against which one can measure what he has built. Amos and the crumbling kingdom bible story lifekids. It is a reference line used by carpenters to keep their work straight. Study guide for amos 7 by david guzik blue letter bible. Amos, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, was active c. What is upright is righteous, and god will judge according to that standard. 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. Childrens bible talk amos and the plumb line youtube. Amos 7 locusts, fire and a plumb line this bible gateway. Most of amos prophecy is an indictment of the nations, including israel and judah, for their sins against him and one another.
Amos 7, new international version niv the bible app. A plumb line is a string with a weight tied to one end. This shepherdturned prophet emerges from south of the border to unleash a fiery word upon israel and king jeroboam. I will rise with the sword against the house of jeroboam. Then the lord said, i am setting a plumb line among my people israel. Amos lived in the kingdom of judah but preached in the northern kingdom of. Then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumbline in. The first thing is this, the plumb line is used in construction. In amos vision, god was standing with a plumb line by a wall that was level. The plumb line by stephen hanson his kingdom prophecy. This summary of the book of amos provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of amos. Amos with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The locusts, fire, and plumb line 6 so the lord relented from this plan. 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.
It is used by builders as a vertical reference point. Amos first vision and the power of intercessory prayer. A teaching outline for the book of amos expository. Amos may be announcing and lamenting the tragic break with the covenantal past. Being plumb is a construction term that refers to being straight up and down. A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure. It is used by builders as a vertical reference point to make sure what they are building is straight. The book of amos, the third of the twelve minor prophets, has been one of the most significant and influential books of the bible from the time it was written 8th century bce down to the 20th century.
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. We have seen that already in our word upright, a synonym of vertical. Does god hold the plumb line against amaziah or amos. 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. Then said the lord, behold, i will set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. The prophet amos employs the plumb line as a powerful metaphor for justice in society. Christ as the plumb line in amos the scarlet thread. Lewis johnson who once said, amos is the kind of book that rewards constant study. 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. He was preparing swarms of locusts after the kings share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up.
Amos the plumb line prophet disciplers bible studies. Behold, the lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. Now, this is a dangerous message because it seems to go against our understanding of the gospel. The plumb line was used by builders to ensure that a wall was vertical, that is, that the wall was straight up and down. Amos says that god is holding up a plumb line to us, to our structure to our faith, to our devotion. The words of amos reveal jehovahs mercy towards an unworthy people.
The prophet amos was the prophet of righteousness and he saw the lord god as judging israel by means of the plumb line, signifying the unchanging standards of that righteousness. A plumb line is a weight, usually with a pointed tip at the bottom for marking a point. To remember that amos had a difficult job to do lets turn to amos 7. Is it a short name for people who work on water and drainage systems. Amos pleaded with god to relent his judgment and, in their place, god places a plumb line. While hosea only prophesied regarding israel amos also prophesied concerning the neighbouring nations of israel. 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. 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. Amos was from tekoa, a small town in judah about 6 miles south of bethlehem and 11 miles from jerusalem.
When you hold the string at the top, the weight makes the line hang down straight. Behold, said the lord, i am setting a plumb line among my people. In verse 17, the plumb line is defined as justice and righteousness. This also shows a clear example of the biblical use of a plumb line, a building tool used to determine if an object is upright verses 79. The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and the second in the greek septuagint tradition. 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. So the lord said, look, i have set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. The peoples hearts were crooked, and they stopped caring about what god wanted. God has so measured israel, and found her so defective that he cannot overlook her anymore c.
Now in amoss story, the plumb line is also very important if you want to build a straight wall. Behold, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. Now, on this occasion we have nothing before us but this plumb line, but there is a great deal to be learned from it. 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. In amos prophecy, god was using the plumb line to measure israels faithfulness to his law. And yet again we see its use in the words of amos again this time concerning jeroboam ii. We find two quotations from the book of amos in the acts of the apostles.
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 gave amos a vision of a plumb line a cord with a lead bob attached to one end, used to determine perpendicularity. Behold, the lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. I will wipe out jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down, 2 kings 21. The wall symbolizes gods remnant people, that wall of living stones that he is building up into a holy habitation for the lord. A plumb line or plummet is a line from which a weight is suspended and is used as a vertical reference. It is a simple tool made of a cord with a weight attached to one end. Because israel is chronically crooked against the plumb line of god, israel and her leadership shall be judged with the sword. And the lord replied, i will test my people with this plumb line. 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 plumbline that he held in his hand. A plumb line is used to measure the correctness of any construction b. Amos 7 new international version niv locusts, fire and a plumb line.
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