God’s Plumb Line in Amos 7: Sermon

Introduction

There’s a tool builders use called a plumb line. It’s simple—a weight at the end of a string, dropped straight down. No batteries, no measuring tape. It shows you whether a wall is upright or crooked. No arguing with it. Gravity makes the call.

And in Amos 7, God shows up holding one.

Not to check a wall. To check Israel. To measure a people who had drifted. Their worship was rich, their economy was booming, their altars were full—and yet, something was off.

Their hearts, their justice, their lives were crooked. And God says: I’m not overlooking it anymore.

This passage isn’t just about ancient Israel. It’s about us. Our lives. Our systems. Our hearts.

Because God still holds the plumb line.

And here’s what I want us to see today:

God’s justice is real, but so is his mercy. And when God speaks a hard word, it’s because God hasn’t forgotten us.

Amos 7:7 — The Vision of the Plumb Line

“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.”

The vision is simple—but the symbolism is piercing. God isn’t calling in a wrecking crew yet. He’s standing beside the wall, measuring. He’s examining what has been built.

And it’s important that God is not relying on human perception. Israel might say, “Things look pretty good!” But God doesn’t use our standards. He has his own.

The plumb line represents God’s justice. Straight. Pure. Uncompromising. Not adjusted to fit political trends or personal comfort.

This moment reminds me of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees…” (Matthew 5:20). He, too, holds a plumb line—not just to measure action but motive, not just behavior but heart.

Amos 7:8 — When the Measuring Starts

“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.’”

This is a pivot. God is saying: I’ve been patient. But now the measuring begins.

That phrase—“I will never again pass them by”—is haunting. It’s a callback to the first Passover, when God passed over the homes of those covered in the blood of the lamb (Exodus 12).

But now, God says, “I will no longer pass over injustice. I will confront it.”

There comes a point when God, in love, says: I won’t ignore this anymore.

Amos 7:9 — When Sacred Spaces Are Crooked

“The high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste…”

God’s judgment targets the high places—those alternative worship sites, often infected by idolatry and political spin.

This wasn’t just about architecture. These were the centers of worship that had been co-opted for nationalistic and economic purposes. The “sanctuaries” no longer served God—they served power.

What does God do with places that look religious but don’t walk in justice? God levels them. Because true worship and unjust systems cannot coexist forever.

And again, this resonates with Jesus. When he flipped the tables in the temple (Luke 19:45–46), he wasn’t just angry—he was issuing a warning: God will not share sacred space with exploitation.

Amos 7:10–13 — When the Prophet Gets Silenced

“Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam… ‘Amos has conspired against you…’”

The priest, Amaziah, hears the message and does what institutions often do when they feel threatened: he discredits the messenger. “Amos is stirring up trouble. He’s not one of us. Send him home.”

Notice what Amaziah says: “This is the king’s sanctuary, the temple of the kingdom.” Not “God’s house.” Not “a place of prayer.” But the king’s property.

Religion had become fused with politics. The sanctuary had become state propaganda. And Amos was an inconvenient interruption.

Let’s pause. If you’ve ever been afraid to speak the truth because it might offend someone… if you’ve ever felt pushed to the sidelines for standing up for what’s right—then Amos is your companion. His courage is not loud, but it is firm.

Amos 7:14–15 — When God Calls the Unlikely

“I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son… but the Lord took me from following the flock.”

Amos wasn’t trained. He wasn’t polished. He was a shepherd. A tree trimmer. A nobody, by the world’s standards.

But God called him.

And this is one of the beautiful reversals of the Bible: God doesn’t need our credentials. He needs our obedience. Our availability.

Sometimes the clearest voices come from the margins. When the institutions are too enmeshed with power, God goes outside the system to find someone who will actually say what He tells them.

Amos 7:16–17 — When Justice Gets Personal

Sometimes we think of judgment as something sudden or strange—as if it’s a supernatural lightning bolt out of nowhere. But sometimes judgment is simply the natural consequence of ignored truth. It’s the plumb line in motion.

“Now therefore hear the word of the Lord…”

Every time the Word is preached, we have this proclamation: Let’s Change. We can, with God’s help.

Amos, steady and emboldened by his calling, turns and delivers a word of devastating precision to Amaziah:

• His wife will become a prostitute in the city.

• His children will die by the sword.

• His land will be divided and taken.

• He himself will die in exile.

• And Israel will go into captivity.

This isn’t just generic judgment. It’s personal. It’s the inevitable result of resistance to God’s word.

But don’t miss the grace hidden in the thunder: God is still speaking. Judgment doesn’t come without warning. Even here—especially here—God is giving a last chance.

Because when God speaks, ignoring it isn’t neutral.

Jesus and the Plumb Line

Amos held a plumb line. But the Gospels show us the ultimate plumb line—Jesus Himself.

He is the standard.

He is the justice.

He is the mercy.

He not only measured Israel—He bore her crookedness. On the cross, Jesus took all that was off-center in us, all our warped structures and compromised lives—and made a way to make us right again.

As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

In Jesus, we don’t just get measured. We get made new.

Conclusion: What Does God See?

God still holds the plumb line.

What does He see when He looks at us? Our communities? Our churches?

Are we aligned with His justice? Or with the status quo?

Do we speak truth—even when it’s inconvenient? Or do we silence the prophets?

Amos 7 is not just a warning. It’s an invitation. To return. To realign. To courage.

And here’s the grace: when we come to Jesus—crooked as we are—He doesn’t cast us out. He straightens what’s bent. He forgives what’s broken. He restores what’s fallen.

So may we be a people who stand upright—not in pride, but in repentance.

And may we hear the voice of God, even when it comes through a shepherd with dirty hands and a hard word.

Because that voice just might be the sound of grace.

Amen.