Kingdom Building
July 8, 2019
Scripture Reading: Amos 7:7-17
This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb-line.’ Then the Lord said,
‘See, I am setting a plumb-line
in the midst of my people Israel;
I will never again pass them by;
the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.’ Amos 7:7-9
I cannot say I have a favorite scripture; I have favorite scriptures for specific issues. This scripture from Amos is probably my favorite scripture regarding guidance for living. I think of a plumb line as a vertical level. A plumb line establishes a straight edge by which a builder can set bricks or stones or wood planks even to make sure they are in line one with the other. That is significant because well aligned building materials are stronger and more able to withstand violent forces like the weather or invading armies. I read a book* recently that said Rome fell from power primarily because it was not able to withstand the earthquakes and disease that besieged it even though, Rome by most accounts, had the strongest army in the world. That is certainly a lesson from which the USA might learn.
We know a lot about ways of being that are good for us as individuals and better for our society, but we do a haphazard job of following them to our detriment. For example, Oklahoma is a major oil producing state which undergirds our economy. In Oklahoma, which has the most induced earthquakes in US, only 1-2% of the earthquakes can be linked to hydraulic fracturing. Disposal of waste fluids that are a byproduct of oil production is the primary cause of the recent increase in earthquakes in the central United States**. It took a while for officials to accept this as fact but once they did regulations were changed to address the problem. The chart above shows the results. We made corrections based on a plumb line. Of course, that does not solve all the issues related to dependence on fossil fuels, but it is a beginning to address one. What may come as a surprise to some is that Oklahoma has ranked in the top four states in producing wind energy for the last ten years***. I guess Rogers and Hammerstein were right the wind does come sweeping down the plains.
The thing about plumb lines is new ones are needed from time to time as societies change. I think some stand the test of time like the Ten Commandments. Jesus identified two plumb lines, loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:36-4), as ones overriding all others. We need to prayerfully discern our plumb lines and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit use them wisely.
Prayer: Lord, grant us wisdom to objectively identify plumb lines of living and guide us in adjusting to them. Amen.
*The Fate of Rome by Kyle Harper
**https://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/induced/myths.php
***https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_Oklahoma
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.