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; I will never again pass by them;’”

This exchange follows two instances where Amos intervened on Jacob’s behalf with prayer and God relented and said, “It shall not be.” We sometimes hear the expression, enough is enough and so we should understand verses eight and nine. God relented but the people did not change their behavior. They did not repent or turn away from their sinful ways. Jeroboam continued to lead them into idolatry and sin. Sooner or later a reckoning must take place. God manifested great patience and mercy, pleading over and over for Jacob to change their ways.

A plumb line is used to determine if something like a wall is straight, leaning neither left or right. Today contractors may use a level but they also use plumb lines. A crooked wall makes for a crooked building. God tells Amos that He will use a plumb line to measure how straight His people are.

 If they are found out of line, listing one way or another God will punish them. He has waited all He will wait. He uses the expression, “I will never again pass by them.” In other words they will receive the punishment they deserve. Amos does not need to intercede again as he did the previous two times. God is going to act. God is longsuffering but that doesn’t mean He will never run out of patience. What God did then He will do again. Judgment came to them and it will come to us. Dead or alive, we will stand before Him and He will not pass us by.”

Task for Today: The Bible can be used as a plumb line to measure yourself if you wish to make a personal straight test. It is the standard for upright living and we can do personal checks based on its instruction. I recommend you use it daily. Use it today! Make changes if necessary. There is still time but we don’t know how long we have.