Visions of Judgment

Amos 7:1–9
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One of the secrets of being an effective communicator is to have compassion for those we hope to reach. We may not like everything that they do but we must care about them. The compassion Amos felt toward those to whom he had been sent permeates this passage. When the Lord showed him a series of visions foretelling the destruction of Israel, Amos pleaded with God on Israel’s behalf. In the first vision he saw a swarm of locusts ready to destroy the harvest (v. 1). Instead of rejoicing because God’s sinful people were getting what they deserved Amos cried out in anguish and begged God to forgive (v. 2). The Lord granted the prophet’s request (v. 3). The next vision Amos saw was “judgment by fire” to destroy the crops and dry up the underground water supply (v. 4). Once again Amos pled with God to relent, and judgment was delayed (vv. 5-6). 

Twice the Lord relented of his judgment, but the third judgment would stand. Amos was given a third vision of a straight wall. The Lord was standing beside the wall with a plumb line in hand (vv. 7-9). A plume line was a tool used to see whether a wall was truly straight. The plume line God uses is the law of Moses. Because Israel’s conduct didn’t “square” with God’s laws, they would experience God’s wrath. The Lord would not use locust or fire to judge but rather the swords of the Assyrians. The “high places of Isaac” and the “sanctuaries of Israel” refer specifically to the worship sights at Dan and Bethel built by Jeroboam I. The Lord is like a master builder who grows weary of walking past a wall about to fall over. A leaning wall will inevitably fall, causing more damage in the process. And so, the Lord knocks down the wall to rebuild it a new in the future. 

Application

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have a plumb line by which I can evaluate my life. It is the Word of God with its principles and commands.