- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 17,518
15 September 2007
Amos 7 v 7-9
This is what he showed me: The Lord stood by a straight wall, with a plumb line in his hand. The Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?"
I said, "A plumb line."
Then the Lord said, "See, I will put a plumb line among my people Israel to show how crooked they are. I will not look the other way any longer.
"The places where Isaac's descendants worship will be destroyed, Israel's holy places will be turned into ruins, and I will attack King Jeroboam's family with the sword."
This wall was the people Israel. At first glance they still appeared strong and right ('the Lord stood by a straight wall'), but God knew that sin had crept in, and the plumb line of his law would show up their crookedness, that they were not right with him. This sin had weakened them and, like a wall that isn't straight, they could easily collapse when pressure came. We need to know God's word so we can check if we're walking faithfully, under his protection, and will be able to stand strong when tough times come.
Amos' warning that the places where Isaac's descendants worship will be destroyed reminds us not to be complacent. Isaac had built an altar to worship the Lord at Beersheba (Genesis 26v25), but it had been defiled by the idolatrous burning of incense (2 Kings 23v8). Their worship was no longer genuine like it had been in the past, and would not offer them the sanctuary they thought it would.
Ask God to help you consider if your walk with him is just going through the motions. Is your worship genuine? Has any sin or any form of idolatry crept in? Ask God to strengthen you as a wall, and for his help in following his teachings.
Written by Beth Keith & Dan Cooper
Amos 7 v 7-9
This is what he showed me: The Lord stood by a straight wall, with a plumb line in his hand. The Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?"
I said, "A plumb line."
Then the Lord said, "See, I will put a plumb line among my people Israel to show how crooked they are. I will not look the other way any longer.
"The places where Isaac's descendants worship will be destroyed, Israel's holy places will be turned into ruins, and I will attack King Jeroboam's family with the sword."
This wall was the people Israel. At first glance they still appeared strong and right ('the Lord stood by a straight wall'), but God knew that sin had crept in, and the plumb line of his law would show up their crookedness, that they were not right with him. This sin had weakened them and, like a wall that isn't straight, they could easily collapse when pressure came. We need to know God's word so we can check if we're walking faithfully, under his protection, and will be able to stand strong when tough times come.
Amos' warning that the places where Isaac's descendants worship will be destroyed reminds us not to be complacent. Isaac had built an altar to worship the Lord at Beersheba (Genesis 26v25), but it had been defiled by the idolatrous burning of incense (2 Kings 23v8). Their worship was no longer genuine like it had been in the past, and would not offer them the sanctuary they thought it would.
Ask God to help you consider if your walk with him is just going through the motions. Is your worship genuine? Has any sin or any form of idolatry crept in? Ask God to strengthen you as a wall, and for his help in following his teachings.
Written by Beth Keith & Dan Cooper
