Amos Chapter 7

Scripture Reading:  Read Amos Chapter 7. 

Crooked Walls:

Amos 7:7-8 – “Then he showed me another vision.  I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line.  He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight.  And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?"  I answered, "A plumb line."  And the Lord replied, "I will test my people with this plumb line.  I will no longer ignore all their sins.” (NLT)

Have you ever built a crooked wall?  I can remember building a shed at our first home; somehow, the walls we built were out of plumb.  Crooked walls can compound into more significant problems, like a roof that doesn’t line up correctly.  Ask any framer, and they’ll tell you that crooked walls are a problem.  Likewise, crookedness in our spiritual lives is a compounding problem Amos implores us to pay attention to.   

Chapter seven introduces a theme that runs throughout the book: The Lord, through the prophet Amos, challenges the people of Israel to confront their sins. The plumb line is held up against Israel, and they are found to be out of plumb with the Lord. The people of God are guilty; their lives are out of alignment with the Lord, and the Lord is consequently sending judgment against them. 

We see a real-life contrast in the latter half of chapter seven.  Amaziah, a wicked priest of Bethel, was primarily interested in pleasing King Jeroboam of Israel.  In stark contrast, we have Amos, the country farmer turned prophet.  Amos wasn’t interested in pleasing an ungodly king; Amos was committed to pleasing the Lord God, creator and sustainer of all things.   

Amos was building a life of obedience and godliness as he pursued obedience to the Lord his God, even when obedience was painful.  

Reflection:  What kind of life are you building?  Are you building a life of godliness and obedience, or are the walls of your spiritual life out of plumb?