Advent Day 15: What's a Plumb Line? (Isaiah 28:14-18)

Isaiah 28:14-18Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers  who rule this people in Jerusalem.15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,  with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,  it cannot touch us,for we have made a lie our refuge  and falsehood our hiding place.”
16 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 relies on it  will never be stricken with panic.17 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.18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;  your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,  you will be beaten down by it.

In the gospels the religious leaders saw Jesus as a threat and eventually killed him.  But it is hard for many of us to really understand why they would go to that extreme!

One reason is that Israel had been under attack for hundreds of years.  They were in the crossroads of a major trade route that empire after empire sought to control.  Through those ups and downs Israel clung to its religion and rituals.

However, Jesus came pointing out that though the rituals were important God cared more about truth, justice, righteousness, mercy, and love (see Isaiah 1:10-17, Matthew 9:13 and Hosea 6:6).  In fact, the Jewish leaders often missed that all the laws were rooted in love for God and for each other (Matt. 22:37-40).  Jesus also said that the temple would be obsolete because God's Spirit would live in the "temple" of a person's heart, not in a particular building (Jer. 31:31-34; John 2:19-22).

To many of the Jewish leaders Jesus posed a threat to their very existence.  Without the temple and their laws the Jewish people might be completely assimilated into the Roman and Greek culture.  They would start worshiping the Roman gods and forget about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  So how do you stop someone who you see as a threat to your very existence?  Kill them.

That is what our modern politicians do!  Especially in campaign season.  While they do not outright kill their opponent, instead of engaging the ideas and platform they attack and destroy the other person's character, personal life, family, etc.    

How do we know who whether we are allied to death or life?  We use the "plumb line" of Jesus.

A plumb line is a string with a weight at the end.  Before our modern bubble levels a plumb line would be used to determine if something was truly vertical or not.  Jesus said, " The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

So... Are we promoting life or death?  Are we seeking to help people be healthier physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?  Or are we putting people down, condemning, treating them as a means to an end or seeing them as a threat?  Are we telling people that they have to be perfect, make a huge impact in the world, become powerful or make lots of money in order to matter?  Or are we telling people that they are loved by God, that they are God's children that He cares for, and that they have life and freedom in a relationship with Him?  

During Advent we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus.  Is He a threat to your status quo?  Or the plumb line that helps us determine what is right, good, true, and life-giving?

Heavenly Father, we praise you for sending Jesus to be the cornerstone of truth, righteousness, goodness, justice and love.  Help us build our faith upon the foundation of His salvation and forgiveness and raise us up to give life to others as He does.  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.