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Then the Lord said,

“Behold, I am setting a plumb line

in the midst of my people Israel;

I will never again pass by them; (Amos 7:8)

Big Idea:

In these five visions, Amos demonstrates that the Israelites had refused to live worshipfully in three areas: their vocations, their avocations, and in church. Why were they unfaithful in all these areas? Because they had neglected to listen to God’s Word in each area. The ultimate judgment for such neglect is when God removes the Word and gives rebels what they want (8:11-12). The only hope is to return to Christ who is the “plumb line” and delighted to do the “work” his Father gave him, who “lived” among us, and who “sings” in our worship.    

The first vision reminds us of the horrific locust plague that was literally sent on Israel as a result of Joel’s prophecy. Though the locusts are metaphorical in Amos’s vision, the destruction promised is not. Amos plead for mercy on Israel in response to this vision because it would have wiped out God’s people which was the line through which the Messiah would come. If God followed through with his threat, not only would there be no Jews, but more tragically, no Savior. But the question that must arrest our attention for personal application is, "Why did God threaten their crops?" Often the focus of a particular judgment reveals the area of life in which the rebellion occurred. In this case, it was their vocation. In the Israelites’ vocations, they refused to listen to the voice of God. Their selfish extortion of their poor laborers, their crooked business deals and inflationary prices, and their generally indulgent laziness generally demonstrate that they paid no attention to God’s directions for how we work.  

Scripture is full of guidance and instructions for how we should work. Amy Sherman has been a tremendous help to the church with her book Kingdom Calling. In it, she describes four different “pathways” for working in a way that is in keeping with God’s mission and extends mercy to those around us. 

God made us work not as a result of the Fall, but in order to dignify us as image bearers and include us in the joy of his redemptive activity. 

Discussion Questions: