Is it a short name for people who work on water and drainage systems. In verse 17, the plumb line is defined as justice and righteousness. A teaching outline for the book of amos expository. 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. Amos 7 locusts, fire and a plumb line this bible gateway. 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. Study guide for amos 7 by david guzik blue letter bible. Amos says that god is holding up a plumb line to us, to our structure to our faith, to our devotion. 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.
In the third vision amos saw the lord himself standing beside a wall built with a plumb line hebrew. Now, this is a dangerous message because it seems to go against our understanding of the gospel. The prophet amos employs the plumb line as a powerful metaphor for justice in society. To remember that amos had a difficult job to do lets turn to amos 7. Amaziah represents the false religions and amos represents the true religion. 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.
If they did not line up with this standard, they would be punished. 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. 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. Then said the lord, behold, i will set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. Behold, the lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the lord replied, i will test my people with this plumb line. Amos, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, was active c. 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. This is the third of five visions amos saw concerning the judgment of god against israel.
Book of amos bible survey what was the significance of the horns of the altar amos 3. The wall symbolizes gods remnant people, that wall of living stones that he is building up into a holy habitation for the lord. 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. The locusts, fire, and plumb line 7 this is what he showed me. Amos 7 niv bible this is what the sovereign lord showed. In amos vision, god is standing with a plumb line by a wall that is level. 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. 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. This shepherdturned prophet emerges from south of the border to unleash a fiery word upon israel and king jeroboam. I will rise with the sword against the house of jeroboam. 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. Sep 11, 2012 8 and the lord said to me, amos, what do you see. Now in amoss story, the plumb line is also very important if you want to build a straight wall. Amos the plumb line prophet disciplers bible studies.
Today we use a level instead of a plumb line to be sure that when we construct a building the walls are level. To know the bible is the standard god gives us for living upright lives. 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. Amos and the crumbling kingdom bible story lifekids youtube.
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. A plumb line is a string with a weight at the end of it. Amos and gods plumb line sermon by howard strickland, amos 7. It is a reference line used by carpenters 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. Painters and carpenters use plumb lines to keep their work straight. 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. 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. Behold, the lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. Amos was from tekoa, a small town in judah about 6 miles south of bethlehem and 11 miles from jerusalem. 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. Being plumb is a construction term that refers to being straight up and down. Amos and gods plumb line sermon by howard strickland. It is used by builders as a vertical reference point to make sure what they are building is straight.
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. Lewis johnson who once said, amos is the kind of book that rewards constant study. The peoples hearts were crooked, and they stopped caring about what god wanted. It provides a standard against which one can measure what he has built. Jul 11, 2018 then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. God gave amos a vision of a plumb line a cord with a lead bob attached to one end, used to determine perpendicularity. Amos was a contemporary of hosea, isaiah, and jonah. 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. Having made the covenant, we must remember that 1 privilege brings peril. It is a simple tool made of a cord with a weight attached to one end. Now, on this occasion we have nothing before us but this plumb line, but there is a great deal to be learned from it.
A plumb line, also called a plummet, is a cord with a nonmagnetic weight attached to one end. Then the lord said, see, i am setting a plumbline in the midst of my people israel. The locusts, fire, and plumb line 6 so the lord relented from this plan. The first thing is this, the plumb line is used in construction. 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. We have seen that already in our word upright, a synonym of vertical. He was preparing swarms of locusts after the kings share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up.
Jul 18, 2016 amos pleaded with god to relent his judgment and, in their place, god places a plumb line. While hosea only prophesied regarding israel amos also prophesied concerning the neighbouring nations of israel. Comprising only nine chapters of oracles, it was composed during the age of jeroboam ii, king of israel from 786 to 746 bce. Amos may be announcing and lamenting the tragic break with the covenantal past.
When the cord is held in such a way that the weight can dangle freely, an exact vertical can be determined. The plumbline, with a plumb bob on the end of it, is used to determine the vertical perfection of a wall. The words of amos reveal jehovahs mercy towards an unworthy people. Because israel is chronically crooked against the plumb line of god, israel and her leadership shall be judged with the sword.
When you hold the string at the top, the weight makes the line hang down straight. In this vision amos sees the lord standing on a wall with a plumbline in his hand. It can possibly come across as some sort of works righteousness. Childrens bible talk amos and the plumb line youtube. 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.
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. In amos vision, god was standing with a plumb line by a wall that was level. We find two quotations from the book of amos in the acts of the apostles. Amos 7 new international version niv locusts, fire and a plumb line 7 this is what the sovereign lord showed me. A plumb line or plummet is a line from which a weight is suspended and is used as a vertical reference.
So the lord said, look, i have set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure. Amos lived in the kingdom of judah but preached in the. International standard version and the lord was asking me, what do you see, amos.
Amos with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The plumb line was used by builders to ensure that a wall was vertical, that is, that the wall was straight up and down. 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. Amos pleaded with god to relent his judgment and, in their place, god places a plumb line. The plumb line to which we must measure up today is christ and his word john 12. 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. Behold, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. Amos 7 new international version niv locusts, fire and a plumb line. He will set us up so that we can seeand he can seehow close we are adhering to godly judgment and right doing. Christ as the plumb line in amos the scarlet thread. 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.
Then the lord said, i am setting a plumb line among my people israel. Like the apostles, amos had no theological credentials cf. The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and the second in the greek septuagint tradition. Amos 7, new international version niv the bible app. The plumb line was gods standard by which the people of israel would be measured. 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.
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