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. Then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumbline in the midst of my people israel. Amos the plumb line prophet disciplers bible studies. Lewis johnson who once said, amos is the kind of book that rewards constant study. Amos 7 new international version niv locusts, fire and a plumb line 7 this is what the sovereign lord showed me. A plumb line is a weight, usually with a pointed tip at the bottom for marking a point.
Book of amos bible survey what was the significance of the horns of the altar amos 3. Behold, the lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. It is used by builders as a vertical reference point to make sure what they are building is straight. God gave amos a vision of a plumb line a cord with a lead bob attached to one end, used to determine perpendicularity. Childrens bible talk amos and the plumb line youtube. In the vision, the lord was like a master builder with a plumb line in his hand, inspecting the wall to ascertain whether the wall was standing straight. Feb 24, 2019 amos and the plumb line is a childrens bible talk given by malcolm mackinnon at trinity church of sunnyvale sunday school on february 24th, 2019. When you hold the string at the top, the weight makes the line hang down straight. We find two quotations from the book of amos in the acts of the apostles. The plumbline, with a plumb bob on the end of it, is used to determine the vertical perfection of a wall. By matthew humphrey see i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people. The plumb line was used by builders to ensure that a wall was vertical, that is, that the wall was straight up and down.
Dec 08, 2018 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. Amaziah represents the false religions and amos represents the true religion. Sep 11, 2012 8 and the lord said to me, amos, what do you see. Amos says that god is holding up a plumb line to us, to our structure to our faith, to our devotion. While hosea only prophesied regarding israel amos also prophesied concerning the neighbouring nations of israel. What is upright is righteous, and god will judge according to that standard. Study guide for amos 7 by david guzik blue letter bible. So the lord said, look, i have set 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 was from tekoa, a small town in judah about 6 miles south of bethlehem and 11 miles from jerusalem. Like the apostles, amos had no theological credentials cf.
If they did not line up with this standard, they would be punished. We have seen that already in our word upright, a synonym of vertical. Being plumb is a construction term that refers to being straight up and down. This summary of the book of amos provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of amos. Because israel is chronically crooked against the plumb line of god, israel and her leadership shall be judged with the sword. The plumb line was gods standard by which the people of israel would be measured. Jul 18, 2016 amos pleaded with god to relent his judgment and, in their place, god places a plumb line. Amos with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The prophet amos employs the plumb line as a powerful metaphor for justice in society. International standard version and the lord was asking me, what do you see, amos. The plumb line to which we must measure up today is christ and his word john 12. Amos pleaded with god to relent his judgment and, in their place, god places a 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. In this vision amos sees the lord standing on a wall with a plumbline in his hand.
In the third vision amos saw the lord himself standing beside a wall built with a plumb line hebrew. Amos was a contemporary of hosea, isaiah, and jonah. Amos lived in the kingdom of judah but preached in the. To know the bible is the standard god gives us for living upright lives. Amos 7 niv bible this is what the sovereign lord showed. Amos 7 new international version niv locusts, fire and a plumb line.
Today we use a level instead of a plumb line to be sure that when we construct a building the walls are level. Amos may be announcing and lamenting the tragic break with the covenantal past. 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. The locusts, fire, and plumb line 6 so the lord relented from this plan. I will rise with the sword against the house of jeroboam. Amos and gods plumb line sermon by howard strickland.
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. A plumb line is a string with a weight at the end of it. The first opens with a general title to the work, giving the authors name and the general date of his ministry i, 1, and a text or motto in four poetical lines i, 2, describing under a fine image the lords power over palestine. Painters and carpenters use plumb lines to keep their work straight. Amos and hosea were coworkers and may even have gone on preaching tours through the land together, although hosea continued his work after amos passed from the scene. Amos 7, new international version niv the bible app. A plumb line, also called a plummet, is a cord with a nonmagnetic weight attached to one end.
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. It provides a standard against which one can measure what he has built. 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 wall symbolizes gods remnant people, that wall of living stones that he is building up into a holy habitation for the lord. Jul 11, 2018 then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and the second in the greek septuagint tradition.
Behold, the lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 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. Christ as the plumb line in amos the scarlet thread. 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. It is a simple tool made of a cord with a weight attached to one end. Now in amoss story, the plumb line is also very important if you want to build a straight wall. When the cord is held in such a way that the weight can dangle freely, an exact vertical can be determined. Does god hold the plumb line against amaziah or amos. Then said the lord, behold, i will set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. In amos vision, god was standing with a plumb line by a wall that was level.
This is the third of five visions amos saw concerning the judgment of god against israel. The first thing is this, the plumb line is used in construction. The words of amos reveal jehovahs mercy towards an unworthy people. It is a reference line used by carpenters to keep their work straight. 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. Is it a short name for people who work on water and drainage systems.
Mar 31, 2008 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. The peoples hearts were crooked, and they stopped caring about what god wanted. To remember that amos had a difficult job to do lets turn to amos 7. Comprising only nine chapters of oracles, it was composed during the age of jeroboam ii, king of israel from 786 to 746 bce. He was preparing swarms of locusts after the kings share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. Jan 24, 2011 the plumb line was used by builders to ensure that a wall was vertical, that is, that the wall was straight up and down.
This shepherdturned prophet emerges from south of the border to unleash a fiery word upon israel and king jeroboam. 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. 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. Amos and the crumbling kingdom bible story lifekids youtube. 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. A plumb line or plummet is a line from which a weight is suspended and is used as a vertical reference. Then the lord said, i am setting a plumb line among my people israel.
Having made the covenant, we must remember that 1 privilege brings peril. This three part series on the book of amos was preached at forge road bible chapel, perry hall, md on may 20, 2012 part 1, june 3, 2012 part 2, and june 24, 2012 part 3. The locusts, fire, and plumb line 7 this is what he showed me. Now, this is a dangerous message because it seems to go against our understanding of the gospel. A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure.
Behold, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. It can possibly come across as some sort of works righteousness. Amos 7 locusts, fire and a plumb line this bible gateway. In amos vision, god is standing with a plumb line by a wall that is level. In verse 17, the plumb line is defined as justice and righteousness.
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 is still straight. A teaching outline for the book of amos expository. 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, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, was active c. Amos and the crumbling kingdom bible story lifekids. Behold, said the lord, i am setting a plumb line among my people. 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. He will set us up so that we can seeand he can seehow close we are adhering to godly judgment and right doing. And the lord replied, i will test my people with this plumb line. 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. Amos and gods plumb line sermon by howard strickland, amos 7.
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