“Behold I will set a Plumbline”....the Wayfarer 3/22/16

“Behold I will set a Plumbline”
3/22/16

“Thus he shewed me: and behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.

And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:”

(Amos 7:7 & 8)

Back we go today, to the old prophet Amos, and warnings given to God’s people when they deserted Him for their own inventions and the ways of those refusing to acknowledge Him and His power despite the many blessings given them.

A plumbline is used to assure the straightness of a wall, a beam, and the entire structure being built so that it may perform its intended purpose. It is a simple tool, completely accurate in its measurement of what is “Plumb” and in what has fallen out of “Plumb”.

Having participated in the construction of may structures in the performance of my previous profession, I can readily attest to the importance of each wall being squared with the others, and the plumbness of those walls that allow the parts to fit together as intended, properly and snugly, so that the finished building is structurally sound and reliable for future use.

I can also attest to the accuracy of a plumbline used often in building up those walls, from the outset of a project until its completion. Other tools are used in conjunction with that line, but it is that line that tells the story from top to bottom in its complete form once finished.

Ignoring the results of what is shown by that plumbline will result in the adjustment of measurements on both large and small scale and result in something unstable and inconsequential that cannot possibly stand the tests of time and the shifting of the earth beneath as that time progresses.

Prior to the vision of that plumbline, Amos was given other visions of what could be expected to occur because of a nation’s failure to honor and obey what they had been given and what was intended for them by God.

“Thus hath the Lord shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.

And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small.

The Lord repented for this: It shall not be saith the Lord.

Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and, behold the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.

Then said I, O Lord God, cease I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small.

The Lord God repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord God.”

(Amos 7:1-6)

Amos was righteous, and found favor of God. He was given the warnings to take to his people of what was coming if they continued on the path that they had selected to follow.

His supplication for mercy and the grace of forgiveness were acceptable to God, giving that people yet another chance to make correction to their iniquity and failure to live up to their end of the covenant given them.

This was done with condition; however, the vision of the plumbline was to be that last chance before judgment would be executed on them.

Should that plumbline be ignored, the devastation and ruination were assured.

Amos, himself became that plumbline, required to make the measurements of the people and their obedience and lack of obedience to God.

The 9th verse tells us what is to come if the warnings are ignored, and the remainder of the chapter  goes into the detail of Amos’ having done what was required of him despite all the advisors, nobles and royalty who had no desire for any consultation or advice from any but themselves as they wanted to continue on the path set out upon because they thought they had better ideas than God Himself as to what provided for the safety and destiny of their people.

That “Plumbline” given Amos has been passed through the ages to others and remains intact, still the viable and necessary tool required to assure the correctness of what is being built in the lives of each individual, and each nation comprised of those individuals.

It is not enough for a section of wall to be plumbed and squared. If sections fall out of line, either in the squareness or plumbness, a wall will fall. If walls are not properly plumbed and squared, bowing occurs at some levels weakening the entire structure.

So it is with nations. The individual stones of those nations are the individual people that comprise them. The individual stones within a family are the individual people comprising them. The stones within the church are the individual people whose plumbness and squareness as individuals are needed if the structure is to be sound.

Just as a good mason will discard material that cannot be placed properly within the wall once the attempt has been made to rectify it having resulted only in a failure to assure the plumb and square of what is built. So too will the Lord discard the material that refuses to comply with what is required in the building of His Kingdom.

Just as Israel was warned of its departure from what was plumb, so too must the nations of the world be warned today, of that same departure.

The tensile strength of a building lies in the material used in its building, and in the means in which they are used to strengthen each other.

The strength of nations are dependent on the cohesiveness of the people who are the material that make up that nation, and can only be as strong as the weakest portion of its structure.

Long ago, plumblines were given for our use, they consisted of the word of God, the teachings of that word, and in particular the teachings of Christ Jesus intended to be the mortar used to cement us together as a people unique and precious to God.

That mortar is strong, but is being daily eroded by new and lesser building material that has been added over the years that would take the walls far out of plumb, causing them to lean, and eventually topple and fall.

Attention needs to be given back to the plumbline once again. The ideas and ideals of those who refuse to acknowledge what has been built with the care and edification of God alone attacks from all sides in all nations.

It comes in insidious and easily discernable forms such as the false religions and philosophies that abound among us today.

It also comes in disguise in the form of equality touted as above the laws of God that denies the right to even worship freely and pray to God.

It comes in the form of laws forced on God’s people to accept the intolerance of Atheism, Jihad, hatred of race and color, all in the name of that equality and in the name of what is considered justice by those who have no comprehension of what justice is as is determined by God.

The plumbline is set! The warning has been given. The structure is in danger.

What will and must remain are the sections of that wall that are plumbed and squared in accordance with the plan of the master architect who designed the structure from the beginning, and whose word is final as to the disposition of the building materials being used.

Just as stones must be shaped to be the correct quality, just as brick must be tempered carefully, steel reinforcement used, so too must we carefully shape, temper and reinforce that which is intended to be instead of following adjuncts and additions and subtractions to the original plan that only weaken and deny the completion of the building temporarily.

That building will be built! It will be plumb and it will be square. The foundation has been laid; the cornerstone is in place and immovable.

Walls may be torn down and replaced prior to completion if they fail to meet the specifications set forward. Walls WILL be torn down when failing to be plumb, failing adhere to the mortar, failing in their purpose and function.

The Builder continues despite the attempts of those who weaken the structure, He weeds out the workers who fail to use that plumbline, assures that the quality of what is built will be eternal.

Nations may fall, buildings may fall, and dynasties may fall. God is eternal. His kingdom is eternal. His plumbline, given through his word, is eternal.

Just as the refuse from building sites is loaded up, hauled away to disposal sites, so too will the building material rejected by Him be disposed of, never to be a part of the structure intended from the beginning and in the process of being built constantly throughout time as long as time is allowed to exist.

The material that endures in its strength and ability to become a part of the final structure will continue to endure, continue to be a portion of the intended walls being built, contribute its own strength  to those walls and will do so only after having been shaped and perfected by that Master Builder himself.

The beginning of being shaped for use is found in the words of that Master Builder as the stones are selected for its completion:

“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

I close in prayer that the plumbline given be used, the results understood and intent followed, and that the individuals capable of recognition of that plumbline also recognize the need to continue to plumb and square themselves for use in that building that lasts forever.

I remain the same simple sinner saved by grace through faith in that Master Builder, through faith in the cement given to hold me fast both plumb and square that was mixed as Christ shed his blood to create that cement.

I remain also the soldier, monitoring that plumbline calling to account all who refuse to use that tool, all who fail to seek their own place as intended in that structure. I call upon both individuals, and nations to search for that plumbline and follow it closely as the building nears completion and the time to discard the refuse approaches,

Amen and Amen.
the Wayfarer