#DailyDevotion You’re Not Going To Stop The Day Of Judgment
7 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: He was making locusts when the later growth was first coming up (it was the later growth after the mowing for the king). 2When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, “Lord GOD, please forgive. How can Jacob exist? He’s so small.” 3The LORD relented from this. “It will not happen,” the LORD said.
4This is what the Lord GOD showed me: The Lord GOD was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the great waters of the deep and would have devoured the land, 5when I said, “Lord GOD, please stop. How can Jacob exist? He’s so small.” 6The LORD relented from this. “This too will not happen,” the Lord GOD said.
7This is what He showed me: The Lord, with a plumb line in His hand, was standing by a wall made according to a plumb line. 8“What do you see, Amos?” the LORD asked me. “A plumb line,” I answered. Then the Lord said: “I’m going to put a plumb line in the middle of My people Israel. I will not overlook their sins anymore. 9And so the high places of Isaac will be laid waste, and the holy places of Israel will be in ruins, and with a sword I will attack Jeroboam’s family.”
So we have these three visions. The first is one of locusts devouring the land. It seemed to happen after the king had gathered the hay for the royal household and maybe the military. What was left in the second harvest would be for the livestock of the rest of the people. Both man and beast would starve by this. When the prophet sees this, he intercedes on behalf of the people of Israel (remember the northern kingdom is known by several names; Israel, Jacob, and Ephraim most often). You might be surprised by this intercession because, if you remember, Amos was from Judah. The LORD called him to prophesy in the northern kingdom. The two kingdoms were not always friendly towards one another. Nevertheless, like Moses the prophet, Amos intercedes for the forgiveness for Israel and the LORD relented from this plague.
The second vision is possibly worse than the first. It had possible global effects. The LORD sends a fire to devour the land. It would even devour the oceans. Now here some commentators note that the oceans can often symbolize the peoples or nations of the world, much like in Revelation the sea represents politics, worldly governments. The world and Israel are very wicked here. Yet the prophet intercedes again for Israel noting how small they are. They would cease to exist. God’s inheritance would be no more. Again, the LORD relented. Some may argue this denotes a change in the LORD. But the LORD does not change. His default, according to His name (Ex. 34:6) is always mercy, kindness, steadfast love, grace and forgiveness with discipline. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He wants to bring men to repentance.
Finally, there is the last vision of the plumbline. A plumbline is simply a string with a weight on one end. You hang it up next to walls or something you want perpendicular. I used one when putting on legs to a table top. The plumbline here is measuring the straightness, the rightness of the people of Israel. Nothing is stopping this. Judgment is coming on Israel. Judgment ultimately comes. It did upon the house of Jeroboam and Israel. It will come upon the earth. Our only escape is in the wounds of Jesus Christ. Covered by His blood, we will not hear the words, guilty, eternal death is your lot. Instead we shall hear justified. Life eternal is yours to have.
Merciful God and Father, listen to the intercession of Jesus Christ on our behalf. For the sake of His blood, declare us justified so we may escape Your wrath. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.