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

And Jehovah 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; and the high places of Issac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

The third vision which the prophet sees differs from the former ones in various ways. He had seen visions relating to two different seasons. The devastation contained in the first two visions was unmistakable. Amos pleaded with his God that the things which he had seen in vision might not become reality.

Now the picture changes. He now sees the Lord sta.ding by a wall which had been made by a builder with a plumbline in his hane!. This picture does not suggest destruction. It looks innocent and harmless.

The wall by which the Lord is standing is the symbol of the whole house of Israel. Israel had been built by the plumbline. The plumbline is the instrument used to determine whether a wall is vertically straight. Israel had been built in such a way that the exacting standard of the plumbline was satisfied. God had given Israel its laws. These laws were exacting. God himself had built the house of Israel. He does not build anything which will not pass exacting inspection. Amos now sees him standing by this wall which had been built correctly. He has a plumbline in his hand. He is going to determine whether that wall, that house, is still true in its vertical lines.

The prophet is asked the question what he sees. He does not speak of the wall: he does not even speak of the Lord himself who is standing by the wall. He mentions only the plumbline. That is the heart of the matter! He realizes that the plumbline will determine the meaning of this vision. His attention is called to it by the question which is asked. When Jeremiah saw visions he was also asked many times what he saw. This method of teaching centers all the attention on the central part of the vision.

When Amos has responded to the question, God at once gives the interpretation of the vision. Amos is not given an opportunity to intercede for the people. After he had seen the former visions he at once prays for the protection of the people. Now it is different. The former visions needed no interpretation. It was immediately evident that they meant destruction. But destruction is not wrought with a plumbline! Besides, when locusts come or when a great drought threatens, one can still plead that the people are small and that they would not be able to stand. But when a plumbline is used, who can argue with that? Regardless how helpless or small a people may be, it should still be vertically straight! A plumbline is fair. It asks no more than that which may be expected. However, it is also very exacting. All deviations from a straight line will be evident at once when a plumbline is used. How can a prophet pray under these circumstances? Surely, he cannot pray, “Lord, do not use the plumbline.” God must! He is just. He demands that what he has built shall answer to its purpose. He will not allow a wall, of which he is the builder, to be crooked or leaning. That isn’t demanding too much!

The Lord tells Amos that he will set the plumbline in the midst of his people. Amos has seen things correctly. The plumbline was the main thing. The wall only completed the picture. The Lord is not going to measure walls, but his people! Amos has been called to speak against the sins of Israel. The sin of this people was great. How great? That is difficult to determine. Everyone could see that Israel was sinning deeply. Virtually everyone will agree that we all sin. But that isn’t the question! The question is, how great my sin and misery is. That cannot be determined by a casual glance. The human eye is not dear enough to give an answer to that question. To get the right answer a plumbline (the law) has to be used. That plumbline God now sets in the midst of his people. That plumbline doesn’t lie. It gives the exact picture. Prayer does not avail against the law. Amos can only wait.

The prophet doesn’t have to wait long. The Lord tells him that he win pass by them no more. Amos had sought forgiveness for his people when he saw the first vision and he obtained it. After the second vision he pleads with his God for mercy toward his people and he obtained it. However, God will not pass by them anymore. He will maintain his right. The law remains standing. Judgment is now fully determined.

The nature of the judgment is now also made clear to the prophet. The high places of Isaac shall be desolate and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, These were the places where the people practised their religion. These were not the places designated by their God, but the places which they themselves had chosen. These places were the pride of Israel. Here they brought their many sacrifices. These places will be destroyed. God strikes at the very heart of Israel’s religion. Their false religion lay at the root of the sins they were committing.

Besides accomplishing the destruction of Israel’s “holy places,” God will also rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword. Jehu had been appointed king of Israel to rid the land of Ahab’s sins. Because he did this, his house became the royal house of Israel for several generations. Jeroboam was the most prosperous of all the kings of Jehu’s dynasty. But he was also the one who had forgotten the most important duty imposed on Jehu’s house: to maintain righteousness and justice in Israel. God will smite Jeroboam’s house. His son reigns for six months and this dynasty ends. His servant slays him and reigns in his place. God’s word does not fail!

Amos saw these visions and must tell the people the things which he saw. The evils of locusts and drought were averted, but this judgment will surely come. God is long-suffering, but he is not mocked. Let Israel know that it is getting late. The lights are going out. These visions also belong to the words which Amos saw (Amos 1:1).

Questions for discussion:

1. Why must the law of God be preached “so strictly”? (Cf. Q. 115 of the Heidelberg Catechism.)

2. In which way had God built Israel originally? Did he also build the New Testament church by the plumbline? 

3. When does the time arrive that we are not to intercede? Or does this time never come?

4. How can the individual know how great his sin and misery is? Why is this the first thought of the Heidelberg Catechism after the introductory question?

5. How did the royal house add to the sin of Israel?