Amos 7:7-9

At the cross God offers humanity salvation.

Jesus is the plumb line. 

At the cross is where God in His deity meets man.

Amos 7:7-9

7 Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. 8 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.

9 The high places of Isaac shall be desolate,

And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste.

I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam.”

The third vision involves a metaphor for construction or demolition.

 

The association of the word with a wall in this context supports the meaning of “plumb line,” where a small metal weight is attached to a string to determine whether a wall is straight. The plumb line metaphorically represents an external standard to distinguish right from wrong. Faithlife Bible.

A plumb line is a string with a weight tied to one end, used to establish a vertical line so that a wall can be built straight. 

God asked Amos what he saw, then explained the vision’s meaning. Unlike the first two visions, God did not give Amos opportunity to intercede, nor did He relent. These judgments would be executed. The plumb line of God’s revelation in the law had been set in the midst of … Israel for many generations. Now God would stretch a plumb line to demonstrate how “crooked” the people’s observance of His commands had been. The high places refer to temples, groves, and other shrines dedicated mostly to pagan deities. Isaac, the father of Jacob, represented all Israel in Amos’s day. Jeroboam may refer to Jeroboam I, the first king of Israel, who instituted idolatry in the northern kingdom, or to Jeroboam II, the monarch during the time of these prophecies. If it is Jeroboam I, then the house of Jeroboam is a metaphor for the nation. If it is Jeroboam II, then the prophecy specifically concerns the royal household. The prophecy is taken by Amaziah to refer to the current king. Jeroboam II himself did not die by the sword, but his son Zechariah was assassinated after reigning only six months. NKJ Bible.

The Lord has many ways of humbling a sinful nation. Whatever trouble we are under, we should be most earnest with God for the forgiveness of sin. Sin will soon make a great people small. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Isaiah 28:17  Also I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet; the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.