BEMA Episode Link: 48: Amos — Plumb Line
Episode Length: 38:05
Published Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2017 01:00:00 -0700
Session 2
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings explore the book of Amos on a quest to find the heart of God as expressed in the first of His many mouthpieces.

Amos — Plumb Line Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 48

The Prophets by Abraham Joshua Heschel

Plumb Line — Wikipedia

Transcript for BEMA 48

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 48: Amos — Plumb Line

Title & Source Summary

This episode introduces the prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible through the book of Amos, one of the pre-Assyrian prophets who spoke to the northern kingdom of Israel during a time of prosperity and apparent peace. The hosts challenge Western Christian assumptions that the prophets primarily condemned idolatry, arguing instead that the dominant message centers on justice—specifically the exploitation of the poor and needy. Through the image of a plumb line measuring a crooked wall, Amos declares that Israel has lost the plot of God’s story and faces coming judgment.

Key Takeaways

• The prophets are poetic, subversive literature that don’t fit Western doctrinal frameworks well, which is why they’re often underappreciated in Christian teaching
• Contrary to common teaching, the dominant message of the prophets is not idolatry but justice—specifically economic injustice and exploitation of the vulnerable
• Amos uses a rhetorical strategy of condemning Israel’s neighbors first (Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, even Judah) before turning his full attention to Israel’s sins
• Israel’s core problem according to Amos: they sell the righteous for silver, trample the poor, deny justice to the oppressed, and take advantage of people’s basic needs through exploitative taxation
• The “plumb line” image represents God’s standard—Israel was built “true to plumb” (straight and just) but has become so crooked that the wall must be torn down
• Biblical justice (mishpat) is restorative rather than retributive—it’s about putting things back where they belong, not merely punishing wrongdoers
• This prophetic message has uncomfortable contemporary relevance regarding how our comfort and prosperity often come at the expense of vulnerable people

Main Concepts & Theories

Two Sources, Two Agendas

The episode references previous BEMA teaching about two different historical sources in the Old Testament:

• Source A (from Samuel/Kings): Identifies Israel’s problem as idolatry and immorality—wrong worship and wrong beliefs
• Source B (from Chronicles, written centuries later): Identifies Israel’s problem as lust for empire—wrong actions and exploitation

The prophets, particularly Amos, align overwhelmingly with Source B’s agenda, focusing on justice issues rather than doctrinal purity.

Western vs. Eastern Understanding of Sin

A foundational distinction explained early in BEMA:

• Western worldview: Sin is primarily incorrect thinking or belief (orthodoxy)
• Eastern worldview: Sin is primarily incorrect action or behavior (orthopraxy)

This explains why Western Christians tend to interpret the prophets as condemning idolatry (wrong belief about God), while the Eastern context emphasizes condemnation of injustice (wrong treatment of people).

The Nature of Prophetic Literature

The hosts describe prophets as engaging in “subversive guerrilla theater”—using poetic, hyperbolic, emotionally powerful language that reaches into people’s deepest longings for justice and rescue. This explains why prophetic books don’t easily support systematic theology or doctrinal statements—they’re designed to provoke, convict, and call people back to God’s story rather than to establish belief systems.

Biblical Justice: Mishpat vs. Diyn

Two Hebrew words for justice appear in the prophets:

• Mishpat: Restorative justice focused on wholeness, shalom, putting things back in their proper place
• Diyn: Retributive justice focused on punishment for wrongdoing

The prophets primarily emphasize mishpat. The related words help illuminate this:

• Shophet: Judge (the one who enacts restoration)
• Mishpat: Justice (the restoration itself)
• Sha’ar: The city gates (the “courtroom” where judges worked)

In the ancient Near East, a judge wasn’t just a decision-maker but the agent who actually carried out restoration. This is why the book of Judges features leaders—they weren’t courtroom officials but restorers who put Israel back together.

The Court at the Gates

Biblical “courts” (sha’ar) were held at the city gates, not in separate judicial buildings. Judges (shofetim) weren’t merely arbiters but active agents of restoration who ensured wrongs were made right and the community was put back together.

Righteousness as Generosity

The Hebrew word tsedekah (righteousness) has direct connotations of generosity and caring for those in need. Modern synagogues have “tsedekah boxes” for collecting offerings for the poor. This connects righteousness not primarily to rule-following but to generous treatment of others.

Amos’s Rhetorical Strategy

Amos begins with a pattern repeated seven times: “For three sins of [nation], even for four, I will not turn back my wrath.” He condemns:

1. Damascus
2. Gaza
3. Tyre
4. Edom
5. Ammon
6. Moab
7. Judah (Israel’s sister kingdom)

Only after lulling his Israelite audience into agreeing with these condemnations does he turn the same formula on Israel itself in Chapter 2:6.

The Specific Charges Against Israel

Amos’s accusations focus entirely on economic exploitation:

• Selling the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals
• Trampling the heads of the poor
• Denying justice to the oppressed
• Lying on garments taken in pledge (exploiting collateral from the poor)
• Drinking wine taken as fines
• Oppressing the poor and crushing the needy
• Taxing grain and levying straw taxes on basic necessities
• Building stone mansions and planting lush vineyards while others suffer
• Taking bribes and depriving the poor of justice in the courts
• Skimping measures, boosting prices, and cheating with dishonest scales
• Buying the poor with silver
• Selling even the floor sweepings with wheat

The “Cows of Bashan” Image

In Amos 4:1, the prophet addresses “you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy.”

This isn’t primarily a comment about weight but about excess. The cows of Bashan were fattened cattle that grazed on lush northern pastures—they represented having more than enough. The image indicts a lifestyle of luxury and excess built on the oppression of others, contrasting with the biblical ethic of “just enough.”

The Plumb Line Vision

In Amos 7, God shows Amos three visions:

1. Swarms of locusts - Amos intercedes: “How can Jacob survive? He is so small.” God relents.
2. Judgment by fire - Amos again intercedes. God relents.
3. A plumb line - God says, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.”

A plumb line is a rope or string with a weight attached that uses gravity to establish a perfectly vertical line. It’s used in construction to check whether walls are straight.

The image: God built Israel as a wall “true to plumb”—perfectly straight and just. But when God now measures the wall with the plumb line, it has become so crooked that it must be torn down and rebuilt.

The Basket of Ripe Fruit

In Amos 8, God shows Amos “a basket of ripe fruit” and declares “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.” This clever wordplay (possibly lost in English translation) indicates that Israel’s judgment is not arbitrary but has reached its natural culmination—like fruit that has ripened and must now be harvested.

The Anti-Story

A crucial concept: Israel hasn’t merely failed to fulfill some of God’s commands. They have become the anti-story—the exact opposite of what God called them to be.

God brought them out of Egypt, placed them at the crossroads of the world, and called them to bless all nations and care for others. Instead, they’ve become oppressors who exploit the vulnerable just as Egypt once exploited them. They’ve become the very thing God rescued them from.

Pre-Assyrian Context

This is critical for understanding Amos: he prophesies during a time of prosperity and peace in the northern kingdom, before the Assyrian threat emerges. People felt secure, built stone mansions, planted lush vineyards, and enjoyed economic success.

From their perspective, everything was going great—God must be blessing them! But Amos declares that this prosperity is built on injustice, and judgment is coming precisely because they’re taking advantage of the poor while lounging in comfort.

Examples & Applications

Contemporary Economic Systems

The hosts note that Amos’s condemnations hit uncomfortably close to home for modern Western Christians. Questions raised include:

• How many “straw taxes” (taxes on basic necessities) do we levy on the poor in our economic systems?
• How much does our comfort, luxury, and security come on the backs of vulnerable people?
• Where are our shirts made? What conditions do those workers endure?
• Do we profit from systems that exploit people in desperate situations?

American Justice vs. Restorative Justice

The episode contrasts American retributive justice (focused on punishment and deterrence) with the restorative justice of the ancient Near East and most indigenous cultures worldwide.

The example given: At the University of Idaho School of Law, Native American tribes conduct annual presentations showing how their justice system focuses on restoring wholeness to communities rather than punishing individuals.

The illustration from popular culture: In movies, when someone kills the murderer of their family, another character inevitably asks, “So what does that do for you now?” We recognize at a gut level that vengeance doesn’t actually fix what’s broken.

The Futility of Redemptive Violence

The episode argues that we’re “well aware of the futility of redemptive violence”—violence never actually puts the world back together. This is why God says to leave vengeance to Him: “If you leave it to me, I know what to do with it, and we’ll put the world back together.”

The Problem with Prosperity

Israel’s prosperity in Amos’s time serves as a warning: economic success and national security aren’t automatically signs of God’s approval. Sometimes they’re built on exploitation and injustice. The question isn’t whether we’re comfortable and secure, but whether our comfort comes at someone else’s expense.

Religious Observance Without Justice

Amos 8:5 captures people saying: “When will the new moon be over that we might sell grain? When will the Sabbath be ended that we might market our wheat?”

They’re observing religious festivals but resenting them because these celebrations interrupt their money-making. They maintain religious appearances while their hearts are focused on profit, especially profit made through exploitation. This resonates with any context where people maintain religious identity while their actual values center on wealth and comfort.

The Nazirites

Amos 2:11-12 mentions that Israel made the Nazirites (people who had voluntarily taken vows of devotion to God) drink wine, violating their vows. This illustrates how thoroughly Israel had abandoned God’s ways—they wouldn’t even allow people who wanted to follow God wholeheartedly to do so.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

The Structure and Dating of Prophetic Literature

The episode mentions scholarly debates about how prophetic books were composed, compiled, and redacted. Questions include:

• Were they written during the prophet’s lifetime or compiled later from oral traditions?
• How much editing and arranging happened after the original prophecies?
• What can we know about the historical process of how these books took their current form?

The Four Voices of Isaiah

The hosts mention that Isaiah appears to contain four distinct voices or sections, which they’ll explore in future episodes. This raises questions about:

• How do scholars identify these different sections?
• What are the historical contexts of each section?
• How should this affect our interpretation of Isaiah?

Poetry and Prophecy

The relationship between Hebrew poetry and prophetic message deserves deeper study:

• What are the characteristics of Hebrew prophetic poetry?
• How does poetic language work differently than prose for conveying truth?
• What is lost when we try to extract doctrinal statements from poetic literature?

Abraham Joshua Heschel’s “The Prophets”

The episode recommends this major work of scholarship. Heschel’s approach to understanding prophetic consciousness and the nature of prophecy would be valuable for anyone wanting to go deeper into this material.

Comparative Justice Systems

The distinction between retributive and restorative justice opens up rich areas for exploration:

• How do indigenous justice systems around the world approach wrongdoing?
• What are the theological implications of different justice models?
• How might restorative justice principles apply in contemporary contexts?

The Economic Ethics of the Torah

Since Amos condemns Israel for violating economic justice, it would be valuable to study:

• What does Torah actually command regarding economic relationships?
• What are the Sabbath year and Jubilee year practices about?
• How did ancient Israel’s economic system differ from surrounding nations?
• What contemporary economic principles might align with biblical economic justice?

The Prophet as Performer

The concept of prophets engaging in “subversive guerrilla theater” suggests studying:

• The performative aspects of prophecy (symbolic actions, street theater, etc.)
• How prophets used shock value and disruption strategically
• The relationship between prophet and audience in ancient contexts

Empire and Comfort

The episode raises questions about how empire always costs something and always comes at someone’s expense:

• What is the relationship between national security and imperial expansion?
• How do modern economic systems mirror ancient exploitation?
• What would it mean to live without leveraging others’ suffering for our comfort?

Pre-Assyrian Prophets as a Group

Understanding Amos, Hosea, Micah, and First Isaiah together as pre-Assyrian prophets:

• What common themes unite these prophets?
• How do their messages differ based on whether they’re addressing northern Israel or southern Judah?
• What was the historical situation that prompted this particular prophetic activity?

Comprehension Questions

1. What is the primary message of Amos according to this episode, and how does it differ from how the prophets are often taught in Western Christianity?

   The episode argues that Amos’s primary message is about justice—specifically economic injustice and exploitation of the poor and needy—rather than idolatry or false worship. This contrasts with Western Christian teaching that often emphasizes the prophets’ condemnation of wrong beliefs or worship of false gods. The hosts contend that when you actually read Amos, the overwhelming focus is on how Israel treats vulnerable people, particularly through economic exploitation and denial of justice.

2. Explain the difference between mishpat and diyn, and why this distinction matters for understanding biblical justice.

   Mishpat is restorative justice focused on putting things back in their proper place, restoring wholeness and shalom to the community. Diyn is retributive justice focused on punishment for wrongdoing. The distinction matters because the prophets (and biblical literature generally) emphasize mishpat—restoration over retribution. Biblical justice isn’t primarily about punishing wrongdoers but about healing what’s broken and returning things to how they should be. This differs significantly from American justice systems, which are built primarily on retribution and deterrence.

3. What is the significance of the “plumb line” image in Amos 7, and what does it reveal about Israel’s condition?

   A plumb line is a weighted string that uses gravity to establish a perfectly straight vertical line, used in construction to check if walls are straight. God shows Amos a vision of Himself standing by a wall built “true to plumb” (perfectly straight) with a plumb line in His hand. The image represents that God built Israel straight and just—according to His standard. But when God now measures Israel with the plumb line, the wall has become so crooked (so far from God’s justice) that it must be torn down and rebuilt. This shows that Israel has fundamentally departed from what God created them to be.

4. What does it mean that Israel became the “anti-story,” and why is this more serious than simply failing to keep some of God’s commands?

   Israel becoming the “anti-story” means they didn’t just fail to do what God asked—they became the exact opposite of what God called them to be. God brought them out of Egypt (where they were exploited slaves), placed them at the crossroads of the world, and called them to bless all nations and care for the vulnerable. Instead, they became oppressors who exploited the poor and needy. They became the very thing God rescued them from. This is more serious than rule-breaking because it represents a fundamental betrayal of identity and purpose—they’ve reversed the entire plot of God’s story.

5. How does understanding the historical context of pre-Assyrian prosperity help us understand why Amos’s message would have been so challenging and counter-intuitive?

   Amos prophesied during a time of peace and economic prosperity in northern Israel, before the Assyrian threat emerged. People were building stone mansions, planting lush vineyards, and experiencing financial success. From their perspective, things were going great—they likely interpreted their prosperity as evidence of God’s blessing and approval. Into this context, Amos declares that their prosperity is built on injustice, that God is displeased, and that judgment is coming. This would have been shocking and counter-intuitive because it challenged the assumption that wealth and security equal divine favor. It reveals that economic success can actually be evidence of injustice rather than righteousness.

Summary

BEMA Episode 48 launches into the prophetic literature with the book of Amos, challenging listeners to set aside common Western Christian assumptions about what the prophets teach. Rather than focusing on idolatry and false worship, Amos overwhelmingly condemns economic injustice—the exploitation of the poor and needy through unfair business practices, corrupt courts, and a system that taxes basic necessities while the wealthy build mansions and plant vineyards.

The episode emphasizes that prophetic literature is poetic, subversive, and emotionally powerful, designed to provoke and convict rather than to support systematic theology. Amos uses a clever rhetorical strategy, first condemning all of Israel’s neighbors before turning his prophetic fire on Israel itself, listing specific ways they oppress the vulnerable.

The central image is the plumb line—God built Israel as a straight wall, but when measured now, the wall has become so crooked it must be torn down. Israel hasn’t merely broken some rules; they’ve become the “anti-story,” the opposite of what God called them to be. Rather than blessing the nations and caring for the vulnerable as God intended, they’ve become oppressors, mirroring the very Egypt God rescued them from.

This message proves uncomfortably relevant to contemporary contexts, raising questions about how modern prosperity and comfort often come at the expense of vulnerable people. The episode calls readers to examine whether we’re participating in systems that exploit others while we lounge in comfort, ignoring the cries of the poor just as Israel did in Amos’s day. Biblical justice (mishpat) isn’t about retribution but restoration—putting the world back together the way God intended, where every person has enough and no one is exploited for another’s gain.

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