Plumb Line Prophecy
Sermon
Two Kings And Three Prophets For Less Than A Quarter
First Lesson Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (First Third) Cycle C
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon. Just what is an inch, foot, or yard anyway, or a gallon or millimeter or milligram? It is a nationally-accepted standard of measurement, the perfect example of which is stored intact at the Federal Bureau of Standards in the nation's capital. Every weight and measure we have finds its final proof in those offices, and all are judged by the perfect measurements that are stored under protection there.
Amos did not come from the capital city. He was a herdsman and fig farmer from the farm country south of Judah. But he knew a false measurement when he saw one. The nation of Israel was intoxicated with optimism -- but it was optimism based on false standards. The people were happy. They had plenty of money, nice homes, beds carved of ivory, and lives of leisure. Business was booming and national boundaries were expanding, but it was all a fa ade based on false confidence. Behind it, there was spiritual rot at the nation's heart. Spiritually and morally the people of Israel were rotting away at the center. Amos could see it. He knew counterfeit security from the real thing. God called Amos to take the message of impending judgment to the nation's capital. It was a heady assignment for a country preacher, but one he had no choice about accepting. Time after time in his prophecy he told the Israelites how they were measuring success by false standards. He warned them about the consequences of not returning to that which has validity, but the people paid no heed. It is no wonder he was not popular.
God gave Amos three visions of judgment. In the first, a swarm of locusts would come to devour Israel's crops unless the people returned to their religious roots. In the second, a fire would come and leave their beautiful cities lying in rubble. In each case the people were unmoved by the message. Amos didn't like to be a bad news bearer (what preacher does?) and he begged God to relent and spare the people. God heard him and held back the judgment of locusts and fire. Now, God came with a third and final prophecy vision for Amos. The first two threats took the form of utter ruin through an unstoppable disaster, an act of God. The third vision Amos had was not so much a judgment as a measurement of where they were spiritually. God said he would send a plumb line to demonstrate the spiritual state of the nation. "I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel" (Amos 7:8).
What is a plumb line? It is a weight suspended from a line for fixing or measuring vertical direction. Most often it is used to determine the straightness of walls. It can also be used to measure the depth of water. A plumb line is not a judgment but a test. It tells whether a wall is really true or not. When a builder wants to check his work, he uses a plumb line to see if it's true to the vertical. A plumb line's greatest strength is that it never fails. It is as certain as the law of gravity by which it works. This spiritual plumb line would measure whether or not the Israelites were truly upright. It would measure the true depth of their commitment to God and expose just how shallow they really were. God's plumb line would make evident to Israel how far they had deviated from righteousness.
I. An Out-Of-Plumb Society
Have you seen the polls? Time and again we read that America is a very spiritual nation. We even brag about it on our coins: "In God we trust." We bandy phrases about spirituality and about God on the television talk shows, but one sometimes wonders which god is meant. In America we speak of God when we pledge allegiance, and we speak to God when we get into trouble or when we want to impress the masses. But, how much of it is legitimate? How much has validity? How much has depth? How is it that while the polls show the number of "born-again Christians" increasing, morality in America is at a low ebb? Is it not that we are morally and spiritually a nation adrift? In many ways we reflect eighth century B.C. Israel. We are economically prosperous. We have more money than any nation in history. The worst of our houses luxurious by standards in many other countries. Militarily, we are strong and secure. We live lives of luxury and leisure, but our commitment to God is often casual and half-hearted. How is it they describe us overseas? "In America, Christianity is 3,000 miles wide and a half-inch deep!" We are not at all what we like to think we are. We are out of plumb with God's design for us. The words of another ancient prophet need to be sounded again in America:
When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors ... a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant -- and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord.
-- Deuteronomy 6:10-12
Even in the church we are leaning out of plumb. Our theology tends to be shallow and our sermons are often designed to be inoffensive. Oh, we don't mind speaking out against issues, so long as we are reasonably certain that what we say will not offend the people of power in our congregations. A friend of mine heard about one preacher who apologized to a prominent person in her congregation by saying, "Well, had I known you might be here today I can assure you I would have never said what I did." It reminded me of those television and movie disclaimers that say, "Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental." Ecclesiastical success often is judged by all the wrong standards, and we strive for warped goals. We worry about temporary prosperity symbols and seek them over that which is eternal. God calls us to repentance, beginning not in the White House but in the church house: "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
II. What A Difference A Call Makes!
How far different Amos was from the run-of-the-mill preachers of his time! There was a reason why God had to reach down into the hinterlands to raise up a prophet for the capital city. It was simply that the capital city prophets were wimpish and ineffective. Notice, for example, Amaziah, the chief priest of Bethel. Bethel means "God's house."
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.' "
-- Amos 7:10-11
Amaziah had lost all interest in hearing God's word. Already he had sold his soul to King Jeroboam II, one of the cruelest leaders in all history. Jeroboam II held the throne for more than forty years and was credited with the wave of economic and military prosperity Israel enjoyed while he was in power. Amaziah, whose name means "God is strong," had forgotten the message that was in his name. Lacking the intestinal fortitude to speak out against Jeroboam's cruelty and interested only in maintaining his position, he did more than simply stay silent. He became a traitor against God's servant Amos. He twisted what Amos said and reported to the king what was, in fact, a lie. What is it they say? "The first casualty in every war is truth." This was one more example of the truth of that old adage. It is amazing how we can misquote and reform the words of another when we feel a need to save our own positions. Next Amaziah came to confront Amos in the name of the king -- although, interestingly enough, Scripture never records an actual meeting between Amaziah and the king. "Amaziah said to Amos, 'O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom' (Amos 7:12-13).
What Amaziah did not count on was that Amos would not back away. Whether or not Amaziah had a commission from his king to run Amos away, we do not know. This we do know: Amos had a commission from the King of kings.
"I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.' Therefore thus says the Lord: 'Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.' "
-- Amos 7:14-17
This was one major difference between Amaziah and Amos. Amaziah pursued position, while Amos was in a position that pursued him. "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' "
There is another significant difference too: Amaziah pursued his own agenda. He was concerned about his position. Amos pursued God's agenda. "The Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' " The focus of Amos's message was God, not himself.
"We do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5). Paul was telling the Corinthians that the focus of preaching is Christ, not himself. When you talk about religion, tell people who Christ is and what he did more than you tell about your own accomplishments. He was God. He came to earth because God loved us. He died on the cross for us. He rose again and conquered death. Take on the mindset of another great man of God, John the Baptist: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Make God's Son, Jesus, your focus.
Amos was not a preacher but a layman. It's amazing to see how many times in Scripture and in the history of the church that God bypasses the clergy and raises up a layperson when he has a really important task to do. What images flood your mind when you hear the term, "a great Christian"? Do you immediately think of a famous evangelist, a missionary, a well-known theologian or some "professional" Christian? Amos the herdsman stands in the company of David the shepherd lad, Rahab the harlot, Nehemiah the wine steward, Charles Finney, the lawyer, Dwight L. Moody the shoe salesclerk, and thousands of other people the world calls "ordinary." With God there are no "ordinary" people. Each one is special and each has a call. Perhaps today God is calling you to step out and become his servant in some wonderful way that will accomplish great things for him? Have you let God know that you are available? If not, why not do it now?
When God wants to fill someone and skill someone and thrill someone;
When God wants to mold someone to play the noblest part;
When God longs with all his heart
To create so brave and bold a one that all the world will be amazed;
Watch his methods! Watch his ways!
He persistently perfects whom he royally elects;
How he bends but never breaks,
And God's goodness undertakes.
How God uses whom he chooses;
And with every crisis, he induces
And with each blessing he infuses, to try his splendor out.
Oh! God knows what he's about!
-- Unknown
We've all met people like Amaziah, those outwardly religious types who sell their souls to climb the ladders of power, prestige, and pride. Often such people wear the external robes of righteousness that make them look like true followers of Jesus. They learn the language of faith and bandy it about to suit their self-centered purposes. Yet, they do not have a deep and lasting relationship with God through his Son, Jesus. There are Amaziahs in every church. They relish positions of visibility and leadership, but they do not know the One who is the King and Head of the church and who went to the cross to redeem it for himself. Perhaps God leaves them among us to remind us how even the mighty are susceptible to falling when they fail to measure themselves daily against God's plumb line. And we have all known people like Amos, dedicated servants of God called with a holy passion and an urgency to do his work and speak the truth for God, who has a plumb line for us. For them, Paul's words hold true: "If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission" (1 Corinthians 9:16-17).
III. God's Ever-present Plumb Line
Today God still has a plumb line. His plumb line for us is Jesus, the only unfailingly true and perfect One who ever lived.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
-- Colossians 1:15-20
Jesus knows well the depth to which we are willing to go with God and the straightness of our walk with him. He is the Cornerstone of the church and the Master Architect of the universe. It is he who builds character within us and he alone who made the sacrifice that was necessary to straighten us out when we were crooked and out of sync with God.
Is your life leaning in the wrong direction? Come to the great plumb line, Jesus. Put your life in his hands. Give him your struggles and find new strength to live on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life in his presence forevermore.
Amos did not come from the capital city. He was a herdsman and fig farmer from the farm country south of Judah. But he knew a false measurement when he saw one. The nation of Israel was intoxicated with optimism -- but it was optimism based on false standards. The people were happy. They had plenty of money, nice homes, beds carved of ivory, and lives of leisure. Business was booming and national boundaries were expanding, but it was all a fa ade based on false confidence. Behind it, there was spiritual rot at the nation's heart. Spiritually and morally the people of Israel were rotting away at the center. Amos could see it. He knew counterfeit security from the real thing. God called Amos to take the message of impending judgment to the nation's capital. It was a heady assignment for a country preacher, but one he had no choice about accepting. Time after time in his prophecy he told the Israelites how they were measuring success by false standards. He warned them about the consequences of not returning to that which has validity, but the people paid no heed. It is no wonder he was not popular.
God gave Amos three visions of judgment. In the first, a swarm of locusts would come to devour Israel's crops unless the people returned to their religious roots. In the second, a fire would come and leave their beautiful cities lying in rubble. In each case the people were unmoved by the message. Amos didn't like to be a bad news bearer (what preacher does?) and he begged God to relent and spare the people. God heard him and held back the judgment of locusts and fire. Now, God came with a third and final prophecy vision for Amos. The first two threats took the form of utter ruin through an unstoppable disaster, an act of God. The third vision Amos had was not so much a judgment as a measurement of where they were spiritually. God said he would send a plumb line to demonstrate the spiritual state of the nation. "I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel" (Amos 7:8).
What is a plumb line? It is a weight suspended from a line for fixing or measuring vertical direction. Most often it is used to determine the straightness of walls. It can also be used to measure the depth of water. A plumb line is not a judgment but a test. It tells whether a wall is really true or not. When a builder wants to check his work, he uses a plumb line to see if it's true to the vertical. A plumb line's greatest strength is that it never fails. It is as certain as the law of gravity by which it works. This spiritual plumb line would measure whether or not the Israelites were truly upright. It would measure the true depth of their commitment to God and expose just how shallow they really were. God's plumb line would make evident to Israel how far they had deviated from righteousness.
I. An Out-Of-Plumb Society
Have you seen the polls? Time and again we read that America is a very spiritual nation. We even brag about it on our coins: "In God we trust." We bandy phrases about spirituality and about God on the television talk shows, but one sometimes wonders which god is meant. In America we speak of God when we pledge allegiance, and we speak to God when we get into trouble or when we want to impress the masses. But, how much of it is legitimate? How much has validity? How much has depth? How is it that while the polls show the number of "born-again Christians" increasing, morality in America is at a low ebb? Is it not that we are morally and spiritually a nation adrift? In many ways we reflect eighth century B.C. Israel. We are economically prosperous. We have more money than any nation in history. The worst of our houses luxurious by standards in many other countries. Militarily, we are strong and secure. We live lives of luxury and leisure, but our commitment to God is often casual and half-hearted. How is it they describe us overseas? "In America, Christianity is 3,000 miles wide and a half-inch deep!" We are not at all what we like to think we are. We are out of plumb with God's design for us. The words of another ancient prophet need to be sounded again in America:
When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors ... a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant -- and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord.
-- Deuteronomy 6:10-12
Even in the church we are leaning out of plumb. Our theology tends to be shallow and our sermons are often designed to be inoffensive. Oh, we don't mind speaking out against issues, so long as we are reasonably certain that what we say will not offend the people of power in our congregations. A friend of mine heard about one preacher who apologized to a prominent person in her congregation by saying, "Well, had I known you might be here today I can assure you I would have never said what I did." It reminded me of those television and movie disclaimers that say, "Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental." Ecclesiastical success often is judged by all the wrong standards, and we strive for warped goals. We worry about temporary prosperity symbols and seek them over that which is eternal. God calls us to repentance, beginning not in the White House but in the church house: "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
II. What A Difference A Call Makes!
How far different Amos was from the run-of-the-mill preachers of his time! There was a reason why God had to reach down into the hinterlands to raise up a prophet for the capital city. It was simply that the capital city prophets were wimpish and ineffective. Notice, for example, Amaziah, the chief priest of Bethel. Bethel means "God's house."
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.' "
-- Amos 7:10-11
Amaziah had lost all interest in hearing God's word. Already he had sold his soul to King Jeroboam II, one of the cruelest leaders in all history. Jeroboam II held the throne for more than forty years and was credited with the wave of economic and military prosperity Israel enjoyed while he was in power. Amaziah, whose name means "God is strong," had forgotten the message that was in his name. Lacking the intestinal fortitude to speak out against Jeroboam's cruelty and interested only in maintaining his position, he did more than simply stay silent. He became a traitor against God's servant Amos. He twisted what Amos said and reported to the king what was, in fact, a lie. What is it they say? "The first casualty in every war is truth." This was one more example of the truth of that old adage. It is amazing how we can misquote and reform the words of another when we feel a need to save our own positions. Next Amaziah came to confront Amos in the name of the king -- although, interestingly enough, Scripture never records an actual meeting between Amaziah and the king. "Amaziah said to Amos, 'O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom' (Amos 7:12-13).
What Amaziah did not count on was that Amos would not back away. Whether or not Amaziah had a commission from his king to run Amos away, we do not know. This we do know: Amos had a commission from the King of kings.
"I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.' Therefore thus says the Lord: 'Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.' "
-- Amos 7:14-17
This was one major difference between Amaziah and Amos. Amaziah pursued position, while Amos was in a position that pursued him. "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' "
There is another significant difference too: Amaziah pursued his own agenda. He was concerned about his position. Amos pursued God's agenda. "The Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' " The focus of Amos's message was God, not himself.
"We do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5). Paul was telling the Corinthians that the focus of preaching is Christ, not himself. When you talk about religion, tell people who Christ is and what he did more than you tell about your own accomplishments. He was God. He came to earth because God loved us. He died on the cross for us. He rose again and conquered death. Take on the mindset of another great man of God, John the Baptist: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Make God's Son, Jesus, your focus.
Amos was not a preacher but a layman. It's amazing to see how many times in Scripture and in the history of the church that God bypasses the clergy and raises up a layperson when he has a really important task to do. What images flood your mind when you hear the term, "a great Christian"? Do you immediately think of a famous evangelist, a missionary, a well-known theologian or some "professional" Christian? Amos the herdsman stands in the company of David the shepherd lad, Rahab the harlot, Nehemiah the wine steward, Charles Finney, the lawyer, Dwight L. Moody the shoe salesclerk, and thousands of other people the world calls "ordinary." With God there are no "ordinary" people. Each one is special and each has a call. Perhaps today God is calling you to step out and become his servant in some wonderful way that will accomplish great things for him? Have you let God know that you are available? If not, why not do it now?
When God wants to fill someone and skill someone and thrill someone;
When God wants to mold someone to play the noblest part;
When God longs with all his heart
To create so brave and bold a one that all the world will be amazed;
Watch his methods! Watch his ways!
He persistently perfects whom he royally elects;
How he bends but never breaks,
And God's goodness undertakes.
How God uses whom he chooses;
And with every crisis, he induces
And with each blessing he infuses, to try his splendor out.
Oh! God knows what he's about!
-- Unknown
We've all met people like Amaziah, those outwardly religious types who sell their souls to climb the ladders of power, prestige, and pride. Often such people wear the external robes of righteousness that make them look like true followers of Jesus. They learn the language of faith and bandy it about to suit their self-centered purposes. Yet, they do not have a deep and lasting relationship with God through his Son, Jesus. There are Amaziahs in every church. They relish positions of visibility and leadership, but they do not know the One who is the King and Head of the church and who went to the cross to redeem it for himself. Perhaps God leaves them among us to remind us how even the mighty are susceptible to falling when they fail to measure themselves daily against God's plumb line. And we have all known people like Amos, dedicated servants of God called with a holy passion and an urgency to do his work and speak the truth for God, who has a plumb line for us. For them, Paul's words hold true: "If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission" (1 Corinthians 9:16-17).
III. God's Ever-present Plumb Line
Today God still has a plumb line. His plumb line for us is Jesus, the only unfailingly true and perfect One who ever lived.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
-- Colossians 1:15-20
Jesus knows well the depth to which we are willing to go with God and the straightness of our walk with him. He is the Cornerstone of the church and the Master Architect of the universe. It is he who builds character within us and he alone who made the sacrifice that was necessary to straighten us out when we were crooked and out of sync with God.
Is your life leaning in the wrong direction? Come to the great plumb line, Jesus. Put your life in his hands. Give him your struggles and find new strength to live on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life in his presence forevermore.
