Collins English Dictionary defines a plumb line as "a string with a metal weight at one end that, when suspended, points directly towards the earth's centre of gravity and so is used to determine verticality, the depth of water, etc."1
Plumb lines have been used since ancient times. This tool merely consists of a line with an attached weight. Originally a stone was used, but later the weight was made of lead. The weight came to be called a plummet, from the Latin word for lead - plumbum.2
In wallpapering and other construction applications, a plumb line ensures a true vertical alignment, and it is used as a reference. This tool confirms that hung pieces of wallpaper remain true; that is, they do not veer from the straight line, all the way down the wall, and all the way around your room.
Such attention to detail is particularly important in old houses or buildings because usually they are not square. Getting that first strip of wall paper affixed to the wall properly, (perfectly vertical), is critical to the success of the entire project.
The plumb line is hung from the ceiling, and a pencil is used to mark a vertical line on the wall. The line can also be chalked and then snapped against the wall, leaving a faint chalk line as a guide. Whichever method is used, a perfect vertical results, against which the first length of paper is hung, and the process is repeated for each subsequent strip of paper. If the first piece is not absolutely straight, then hanging the rest becomes increasingly difficult, and project chaos follows.
In Isaiah 28:16-17, God tells us how plumb lines apply to our spiritual lives:
"So this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who trusts will never be dismayed.
I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place."
Our spiritual vertical line is God's righteousness. Our uprightness, integrity, and honesty are all measured against His flawlessness.
"He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will govern the peoples with justice."
Psalm 9:8
In Biblical times, plumb lines were known to many people, including Jesus, who as a carpenter, would have owned one. The Lord uses His Word to illuminate just how vertically straight or upright we should be. Unfortunately, human beings cannot attain His perfection. In no way can we attain His righteousness on our own.
The Lord's righteousness clearly gives us proof-positive that we are "off-the-mark". We are evil in comparison to His perfect plumb line. We are corrupt, wicked, crooked...out of plumb...when we are compared to or measured against a perfect, holy, and righteous God.
Amos 7:7-9 tells us, "This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, 'What do you see, Amos?'
'A plumb line,' I replied.
Then the Lord said, 'Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.'
'The high places of Isaac will be destroyed
and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined;
with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.'"
The Lord's condemnation back in Amos' time was not just applicable to that time because the Lord is unchanging and timeless, and the concept still applies today.
God's Word and Jesus' model show us how our thoughts, words, and actions are not in agreement with our perfect, holy, and righteous God. On our own, we could never stand upright before our holy God. We would each be found wanting.
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23
Because of God's perfection, purity, and holiness, He cannot just nod away our wickedness, and this wickedness would doom us to an eternity in hell, without a solution.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
God loves us so much He provided the perfect and the only solution to reconcile us to Himself.
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
He literally gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish in hell for all eternity, but instead we might have eternal life in heaven with Him (John 3:16; John 10:10).
1 Corinthians 15:3-6 tells us, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep."
God provided the perfect and only solution for our chaotic, off-the-mark position. His precious, beloved, and flawless Son, Jesus Christ, came to die on the cross in our place to completely and perfectly pay the penalty for our wickedness. Christ's crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension brought us to the plumb line. Our individual acceptance or receiving of Jesus as personal Savior and Lord ensures that we remain on the vertical! We receive Christ by faith, as an act of our will, and this appointment is individual and personal - just like the hanging of one piece of wallpaper on the vertical.
"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:11-13
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24
Dear Righteous Lord,
Thank you for illuminating my wickedness with your perfect plumb line, your righteousness. Thank you for drawing me to yourself, and clearly showing me my need for a personal Savior. Thank you most of all for providing the ONLY solution for my sinful position - your precious Son, Jesus Christ. Your love for me is overwhelming. Thank you for my brothers and sisters in Christ! We love you because you first loved us. To you goes all of the praise and glory forever and ever! Amen.
1. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged, 10th Edition 2009 ©, William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
2. http://www.keyway.ca/htm2005/20050118.htm, The Lord's Plumb Line, Wayne Blank
