Level and Plumb
Scripture Reading: Amos 7:8
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…”
As a carpenter, level, and plumb are important metrics. When you think that way long enough it becomes second nature. I can usually spot when something is off just by looking at it. A level or plumb
line will serve to confirm what I suspected, but I knew it was off before I used those tools.
I think everyone knows what a level is, but some may not be as familiar with a plumb line. A plumb line is essentially a string with a weight on the end. It is used to tell you if a board or wall is straight up and down horizontally. It is held or hung at or above the top of the thing that is being plumbed and the weight is lowered until it is just barely above the ground so that the string is pulled tight and gravity guarantees it is plumb with the world. Then, you can compare whatever it is you are checking with the line to see if it is straight up and down as well. It is a simple but effective and accurate tool.
God uses the plumb line as a metaphor for how he was dealing with Israel. Anyone with eyes could have looked at them and realized something was off. But God is just and wasn’t going to base his judgment of them on a hunch or a feeling. They would be able to see with exactness where things were wrong.
We have a spiritual plumb line. We can hang the Word of God next to our lives and know for certain where we are off. We don’t need to guess about this. The Bible gives us the standard and we can see where we need to repent and straighten our lives up if we look at the plumb line.
Thank you! Good Word!