Sunday 11 Jul 2021

July 11: Amos 7:7-9
 
Key Verse: Amos 7:8
And the Lord asked me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ ‘A plumb-line,’ I replied. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb-line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.
 
Devotion:
How many times have you read things which don’t seem to make sense until someone explains them to you? At first glance, this could be one of those passages, but when we read it a few times and think about it we may come to a very different conclusion!
 
God was angry with the people because they were no longer following His ways and had turned to do all manner of things for themselves and for worldly gain instead. Each time God told Amos He was going to do something bad to the people, Amos pleaded with God to not let it be so... why was Amos pleading with God on behalf of a people who did not seem to care for God anymore?
 
Amos must have seen some good people and for God to do something against all the people would mean they would get into deep water too. Amos knew God had every right to do whatever He wanted, but that did not stop him pleading for the people. When God then showed Amos the Lord standing by a wall with a plumbline in His hand, Amos was a little confused by this.
 
A plumbline is there to make sure the builders are building walls which are vertical and hence stronger. If they are not vertical, they will fall down more easily when any force comes up against them. God wants us to be strong and upright so we can stand against temptations when they come in. Any walls which are not upright should be torn down and rebuilt to make them strong again – this is what God was saying would happen to the people who were no longer living upright lives!
 
Points to Ponder:
How do you think you compare to God’s plumbline?
 
Jesus is our builder who is building perfect walls!