#1144 Amos 7 Plumb Line

 

This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. 2 When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,

“O Lord God, please forgive!

How can Jacob stand?

He is so small!”

3 The Lord relented concerning this:

“It shall not be,” said the Lord.

4 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5 Then I said,

“O Lord God, please cease!

How can Jacob stand?

He is so small!”

6 The Lord relented concerning this:

“This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.

7 This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

“Behold, I am setting a plumb line

in the midst of my people Israel;

I will never again pass by them;

9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,

and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,

and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Amos Accused

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said,

“‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,

and Israel must go into exile

away from his land.’”

12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.

“You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,

and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’

17 Therefore thus says the Lord:

“‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,

and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,

and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line;

you yourself shall die in an unclean land,

and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’” Amos 7 ESV

Amos 7

1-9 He was forming locust when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout - God was preparing to shut down their pride of life with a famine. It was the people's harvest since the king had already received his payment, his portion had already been mowed down for gathering. This means that he and his governing body had received and split the taxes among themselves, so they were fed, their stores were full, and rather expensively. It is the larger body of people who will go hungry, the ones that worked the crops, unless those that govern are willing to share from theirs.

O Lord, please forgive - The prophet ask for God's forgiveness on behalf of the people. He is not just a speaker, but like Abraham and Moses, he is an intercessor. He hears what God says, repeats what God says, but then he also petitions God for mercy. Moses was very meek in this office since the origin of the discipline often included his being disrespected by the people, yet love will put aside personal offense in order to lead well and rescue. This is only a foreshadowing of the ministry of Christ, Who, unlike Moses, knew no sin, yet took the insults of sinners all the way to the cross. He stepped down from heaven, added humanity to His deity, was rejected by mankind, just as the OT prophets foretold, yet He atoned for the sins of all who believe, though many came from prior unbelief and none came without sin. Christ was the only One who ever suffered in a manner that was uncontestably unfair. Everyone else shares the commonality of a sinful nature, so we should all approach others as we would ask God to approach us, with mercy. 

…4And suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three, come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three went out, 5and the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them had stepped forward, 6He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.…

…7But this is not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. 8I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?” 9So the anger of the LORD burned against them, and He departed.…

…10As the cloud lifted from above the Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was leprous, 11and said to Moses, “My lord, please do not hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed. 12Please do not let her be like a stillborn infant whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”…

…13So Moses cried out to the LORD, “O God, please heal her!” 14But the LORD answered Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.” 15So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until she was brought in again.… Numbers 12: 4-15

The Lord relented concerning this - God did not proceed with their complete annihilation, which speaks to His promise of a remnant, and will give hope to those of a penitent heart in the captivity. It is very reminiscent of Abraham's pleas for God' mercy concerning the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, where only Lot and his daughters survived.

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home. Genesis 18: 16-33

Behold, I am setting a plumb line - A plumb line tells you whether a wall is straight, if something is out of line. God is going to put up His own standard which Israel will be measured against, the law and the prophets, but also their neighbors, for if God, as we have seen previously, did not tolerate the sins of the pagans, who had less light, then His justice will demand a response to those same sins amongst His people.

10-17 Amaziah the priest of Bethel - A priest of Bethel would be an apostate, for the place of true worship was at the temple which was in Jerusalem, and God had prescribed the approach to Himself which was through His priest, which had to be from the tribe of Levi. This heritage, in itself, being a Levite, was not the soul guarantee of a proper approach, as Aaron's sons were taken abruptly for the use of strange fire. 

48 For the Lord had spoken to Moses, saying, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not count, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel. 50 And you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over everything that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the tabernacle. 51 So when the tabernacle is to move on, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But the layman who comes near it shall be put to death. 52 So the sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own flag, according to their armies. 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be no divine wrath against the congregation of the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be responsible for service to the tabernacle of the testimony.” Numbers 1: 48-53

So the Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood. 2 But also bring your brothers with you, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, so that they may join you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 And they shall perform duties for you and the duties of the whole tent, but they shall not come near the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They shall join you and perform the duties of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an unauthorized person shall not come near you. 5 So you shall perform the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6 Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 7 But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything that concerns the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as a service that is a gift, and the unauthorized person who comes near shall be put to death.” Numbers 18: 1-7

Sent to Jeroboam king of Israel - This is Jeroboam II, and he was not a godly king by any stretch, but the northern kingdom had enjoyed some victories and prosperity during his reign.

Amos has conspired against you - He is most probably referring back to Amos's words in verse 9, but this is drama on the part of the fake priest, for this is not a conspiracy, it is what God says is going to happen, it is a warning. A conspiracy is the secret plan of a group to do something unlawful or harmful; I looked that up. This would be like the pope or Benny Hinn complaining to Joe Biden about John MacArthur offending people by teaching the word of God. 

Oh seer go...prophesy there - He wants Amos to go home, and he has no good answer to the things that the prophet says, so please leave, you are frightening the people. Most hate the message, but God says to give it regardless, like the gospel it will always be an offense and foolishness to those who are not being saved.

…28“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.” 29But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree.… Acts 5: 28-30

For it is the king's sanctuary and a temple of the kingdom - This time the priest speaks correctly, for this is not God's house and He will never approve of what is going on here. Even the temple of Jerusalem, sanctioned by God, became detestable to Him and His glory departed.

37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! 38Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”… Matthew 23: 37-39

1As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look at the magnificent stones and buildings!” 2“Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” Mark 13: 1-2

I was not a prophet, nor a prophet's son - Amos is not here because this is what he was trained for, nor is he here because of his own desire. 

I was a herdsman and a dresser of Sycamore figs - He was a sheep herder and breeder, who also took care of an orchard of Sycamore figs. This is what he knows and what he is comfortable with.

Go prophesy to My people Israel - This is why I am here, I am not here of my own, I am here out of obedience to God, but then you wouldn't understand that. 

Do not preach against the house of Isaac - I have had people get angry with me over discussions about false prophets, and they will say, "touch not God's anointed", as if they were, and they say they are so that is enough for people who want their ears tickled, but God has a high standard for prophets which they don't live up to. You can't make yourself a prophet anymore than this Amaziah can make himself a real priest. It is not up for vote, God has said what a priest is and what a prophet is, He has a standard, and one can say what God says, yet still forfeit his life.

1If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, 2and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” 3you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.… Deuteronomy 13: 1-3

4To Titus, my true child in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. 5The reason I left you in Crete was that you would set in order what was unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.… Titus 1: 4-6

1This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.… 1 Timothy 3: 1-3

False prophets

Your land shall be divided up with a measuring line - They put much on their wealth, but now his wife will support herself as those that the wealthy have taken advantage of, and the priest will lose his estate to die in a strange land. Assyria is coming, and that is what God says, whether Amos says it or not, it shall come to pass. They always hate the messenger, think that shutting him up will change the outcome, they really just hate God, but it is not His time for the cross yet, so they must disrespect Him through His prophets until then. Even after He gives Himself they will hate those that truly come in His name.

17This is My command to you: Love one another. 18If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.… John 15: 17-19