Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. 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 not pass by them anymore. The high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam.” (Amos 7:7-9)

Judged By A Plumb Line

There is no certainty when the plumb line was invented, but Cain, son of Adam and Eve, built a city and named it after his son, Enoch. Building a city requires mathematics, science, and an understanding of foundations, structures, and walls. A wall can be constructed, but the key is to make sure the structure is secure and stable. Making certain the wall is at the proper angles vertically and horizontally would be required. Whatever means Cain used in building the city of Enoch is unknown, but it can be surmised a pattern of a plumb line would be necessary. Early in the genealogy of humanity, workers of iron and bronze are shown lending the creation of tools as rather advanced for the beginnings of the world. A plumb line would be one of the oldest tools still used today, and it accomplishes the same purpose as it would have in the days of Cain.

Amos was not a prophet, nor was he the son of a prophet, but God called him to speak to the wicked people of Israel seeking to bring them back from destruction. The prophet brings severe warnings to Israel for their idolatry and desire to be like the nations around them. All the kings of Israel (the ten northern tribes) did evil in the sight of the Lord. Amos delivers a blistering condemnation of their wickedness ending with four visions of locusts, fire, a plumb line, and a basket of summer fruit. The Lord stood on a wall He created with a plum line. Israel is the wall. When the Hebrews cried out to God in Egypt, the Lord God delivered them with a mighty hand, raising them to be a great nation. He gave them a law that would be their plumb line to know what is right and wrong. Everything they needed was contained in the Law of Moses with the promise that if they obeyed the commands, statutes, and laws, God would bless them without measure. Less than seven hundred years later, the Lord stands with a plumb line to see where the people stand, and the wall is nearly fallen over.

The word of God is the plumb line remaining constant and true through each generation. God’s word has not changed any more than gravity changed from the Egyptians who built the pyramids to modern-day skyscrapers. Israel had moved away from the word of God. The divine plumb line exposed their wickedness. They could argue and try to persuade the Lord they were still obedient, but the evidence was clear when God held up the plumb line on the wall He had built – they were out of line – in a huge way. The wall was leaning so far off center it was about to fall. In 722 B.C., the wall collapsed when the Assyrians captured Samaria and destroyed the ten tribes of Israel. Warnings were given. Measurements showed the wall in danger of falling. The people ignored the warnings, and then the wall fell. The plumb line of God was true.

God gives a plumb line to the world that will show the destruction as in the days of Israel if not heeded. Gravity has not changed since it was created by the hand of the Creator. A plumb line will show the purity of science of a continuous vertical line. Mathematics is the purest of sciences because one plus one has always equaled two and will never change. The plumb line of God’s word is the purest of doctrines because it has remained unchanged and unmoved by the whims of human wisdom.

Nothing will change the word of God settled in Heaven. The Bible is the plumb line of God judging nations, churches, and individuals. When a nation no longer fears God, they will fall because the plumb line of the Lord no longer centers them. Churches that refuse to model themselves after the New Testament pattern deny the model of the early church building the wall of truth in accordance with the divine plumb line. All of humanity will be judged by the Father, who holds the plumb line of truth in His hand. There is only one judge who holds the only plumb line that will judge the hearts of men. Either the heart is in line with truth, or it is not. The word of God is the plumb line of redemption. Jesus is the plumb on the vertical line of the Word. Do you measure up?