DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE PLUMB LINE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE PLUMB LINE

"Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. 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 not pass by them anymore.'" (Amos 7:8)

Perhaps you remember what a plumb-line is. A plumb line is a length of string with a weight on one end. When it is dropped, gravity makes the weight go down, and the string will be perfectly vertical. They may not be used much any more because of laser beam technology.

When I was a kid, my dad built houses. He was not a carpenter by trade, but he was savvy enough to build solid houses that are still standing 70 years later. He would start with the foundation, getting it level and square. Then he laid the flooring. Then would come the walls made of 2x4 studs. When it was time to raise the walls, 3 or 4 men would lift the wall structure, and he drop a plumb line to make sure that the walls were straight up and down. When he was satisfied that they were true, the men would nail the wall into place. It was important that the walls be true so that the entire structure would be square and solid when he put the roof on.

In this Scripture, God showed the Lord on a wall dropping a plumb line. It was a metaphor of God dropping His plumb line into the middle of the nation. The purpose was to show them how off-centered they were in regard to serving the LORD YAHWEH. They were a long ways out of kilter, and the nation was about to suffer collapse.

God gives us a plumb line. It is His Word. It tells us what God's perfect will is. When we stand against the plumb line, we find how off-centered we really are. That's how God can say, "All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God." None of us measure up to His plumb line.

People try to justify themselves with all kinds of plumb lines that are not accurate. "I'm not as bad as the other guy," is a favorite, as though the other guy is a plumb line because off-center also. "I do the best I can," as though I am a good measure of God's perfection.

There is only one Person in all of History who's life measured up against God's plumb line – The sinless Lord Jesus. It was only because He lived a perfect life that He could take the punishment for my sins.

So, lest I think I'm a pretty good person, let me stand next to God's plumb line. That will show the truth of how far off I am.

Love, Dad