Amos 7:1-9: A Change of Heart

Amos 7:1-9: A Change of Heart

“The Lord relented concerning this. ‘This will not happen,’ said the Sovereign Lord.” (Amos 7:6)

Meditation:

Amos’s visions foretell the judgment of Northern Israel. First, a plague of locusts arrives, sent to devour the spring growth. What happens if the spring shoots are completely consumed? There can be no autumn harvest. Without the young sprouts, nothing can grow, and there will be no fruit. The result? Famine and suffering for the entire population.

Next comes judgment by fire. The fire is so immense that it’s like an all-consuming sea. If such a fire were unleashed, could anyone survive?

Fortunately, God is a God of turning around—He changes His mind. In His abundant mercy, God is moved by compassion and reverses His decisions. He held back judgment from the city of Nineveh when they wholeheartedly repented. And because of Amos’s intercession, God also held back the locust plague and the firestorm from Israel.

But God then declares He will use a plumb line with Israel. A plumb line is a string with a weight, used to check if a wall is perfectly vertical during construction. If the wall isn’t aligned, it must be torn down and rebuilt. God may have withdrawn the plagues, but the plumb line signals a new measure. He will be examining the leadership of Northern Israel – measuring their lives for justice and righteousness. If they don’t align with the plumb line’s standard, they will be torn down.

God is merciful, and He does change His mind. When He does, we must turn around too. We are all capable of making mistakes and going astray. But if we fail to acknowledge our errors, if we refuse to repent and continue down the same path, we will inevitably be measured against the plumb line and found wanting. We will crumble.

Prayer:

Gracious God, show us how to turn back to you. Help us to confess our wrongdoings and to change direction. Restore in us the lost values of justice and righteousness. Holy Spirit, lead us into all truth. Amen.