From Amos 7: 7 This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; 9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." 10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said, "Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.' " 12 And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." 14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, "Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'
Amaziah had his dream appointment. Senior pastor at the church of Let It All Hang Out and Chaplain to the Royal Family. He preached his theology and interpretation of If It Feels Good, Do It! (I think he invented that phrase) and set aside what God had shared with both the nation and himself. Amaziah took his church far away from the starting line that Isaac had shared with the nation. It was a religion that did not resemble one devoted and dedicated to God. Thus the plumb line. On the other side of town, on a farm, lived Amos, a spokesperson for God. After having received two visions about the spiritual needs of Israel, he receives this third vision of a plumb line measuring the uprightness and accuracy of the spiritual foundations of Israel. And it was out of whack. God says that all of what Amaziah had done would soon come to an end as would the kingdom of Jeroboam, and this in a violent way. As soon as Amaziah heard about this he confronts the king with the news saying that Amos was a trouble-maker and needed to be removed. He then goes and tells Amos that he should get out of there and move to the land of Judah, because his preaching was troubling both to him, and the people who worshiped there. All Amos could respond was that he was not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but a herdsman and a gardener of sycamore trees, and this that you're hearing comes from God not from me.
This still happens. Perhaps, we might argue, not to the degree of wanton behavior like Amaziah's "church," but think about what some believers now and some churches now regard as sacred and theirs and when inspected closely have nothing to do with God or the things of God. What happens to those who preach against territories and kingdoms in the church? They're either labeled, like Amos, as trouble-makers or as those whose heart is not right with God; when in reality what they're seeking is the type of ministry that gives away God and the things of God that the world so desperately needs. Amos was a man with a heart and ear for God and thus God calling him to go and do the difficult work of speaking truth in the midst of lies, and like all the prophets before him and after, suffered greatly for sharing such truth. Truth is not easily received by those who started the lie. Messages about comfort and self-appreciation sooth the soul but sometimes lead us even farther away from what God truly needs us to be about.
Where is the plumb line in your life? Has God found your life to be "upright and accurate" with what God has shared with you? Amos' message came when it was too late for Israel, where do you find yourself and what can God do to help you move to where you should be?
PRAYER: Loving God, help and guide me to the place of righteousness and faithfulness. Allow me to be fruitful in sharing Your love with those with whom I have not yet done so. And if need be, allow me to speak the truth even at the cost that may come with it. Let me bloom and grow in my setting for Your honor and glory; this I pray in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
