The Path of Life

The Plummet Line

The Lord has been dealing with man for a long time. And as we start, I want you to get an understanding of how God thinks.

They Transgressed the Covenant

Lets turn to

Hosea 6:4 LEB

4 What will I do with you, O Ephraim? What will I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early in the morning.

You’ve seen this, early in the morning when the ground is wet, maybe a light foggy haze above the grass. But in an hour, as the suns heat comes, it is all gone. This is how God feels about the love of Israel for him.

Lets go to vs 7

Hosea 6:7 LEB

7 But like Adam, they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.

If you read the Genesis account, God covers Adam and Eve, and sets them outside the garden, but it doesn’t say any of this. Adam not only broke the covenant, but he did it because he didn’t have any faith in God.

The Way of Old

Now, lest go to Job. This is a rebuke of Job by a friend, but it highlights the challenge of sin in

Job 22:15–16 LEB

15 Will you keep to the way of old that the people of mischief have trod, 16 who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was washed away by a current?

This is false accusation against Job, his calamity did not come on him because he must “remove wickedness from his tent” in Job 22:23

but there is a recognition that calamity comes to the wicked.

I am Going to Set a Plummet

The Lord has been dealing with the children of Israel and speaking to them through the prophet Amos.

My Lord Yahweh’s Call for a Legal Case

Amos 7:1–9

Amos sees a plague of locust coming on the land

and Amos spoke out in

Amos 7:2 LEB

2 And then when they finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?”

Amos 7:3 but the Lord did something we might find unusual. He was going “to call for a legal case with fire”

Amos 7:4 LEB

4 This is what my Lord Yahweh showed me, and look, my Lord Yahweh was going to call for a legal case with fire, and it devoured the great deep and it ate up the plots of ground.

There is a courtroom in heaven.

The Lord does operate by a system of laws and justice and again

Amos spoke out in

Amos 7:5 LEB

5 Then I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please stop! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?”

and again the Lord relented

Amos 7:6 The Lord persists though and then said in

Amos 7:8 LEB

8 And Yahweh said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plummet.” And my Lord said, “Look, I am going to set a plummet in the midst of my people, Israel. I will not pass them by again.

The Lord says to us, and people often quote, in

Isaiah 1:18 LEB

18 “Come now, and let us argue,” says Yahweh. “Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow; even though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

And it is on this basis that intercession is made, as Amos has done here.

But the Lord is not acting without cause

So even though he relented, there was still a need for action.

The Lord had reason “for a legal case” in Amos 7:4

and we sometimes forget the statements that follow after Isaiah 1:18 in

Isaiah 1:19–20 LEB

19 If you are willing and you are obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. 20 But if you refuse and you rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”

The intercession of Amos could not turn aside the judgement of the Lord against evil.

The Lord set, in Amos 7:8, a plummet, a standard, a dividing line

“The plummet line was used not only in building, but in destroying houses (2 Ki 21:13; Is 28:17; 34:11; La 2:8). It denotes that God’s judgments are measured out by the most exact rules of justice”.1

and then he says in Amos 7:8 “I will not pass by them again”

meaning, I will “not forgive them any more (Am 8:2; Pr 19:11; Mic 7:18)”.1

The Way of the Righteous

Lets go to a commonly quoted section from the Psalms.

Psalm 1:1–6 LEB

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked; nor does he stand in the way of sinners; nor does he sit in the assembly of mockers. 2 Instead, in the law of Yahweh is his delight, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 And so, he is like a tree planted by streams of water that gives its fruit in its season; its leaf also does not wither. Therefore all that he does prospers. 4 Not so the wicked. Instead, they are like the chaff that the wind scatters. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The righteous doesn’t “walk in” or follow the advice of wicked people.

The righteous doesn’t “stand in” or participate in the way of sinners.

The righteous doesn’t “sit in” or gather with mockers.

Mockers

4329 לִיץ‎ (lîṣ): v. ; ≡ Str 3887; TWOT 1113—LN 33.406–33.411 (qal ) mock, scorn, formally, talk big, i.e., speak words which show no respect for the object, and make fun of the object, with a possible focus of speaking in the situation with confidence and authority (Pr 9:12+ ); (polel ptcp. ) scorner (Hos 7:5+ ), note: for another parsing, see 4372.5; (hif ) mock (Ps 119:51; Pr 3:34; 14:9; 19:28+ ), for another parsing, see 4372; (hitpolal) show oneself a mocker (Isa 28:22+ )1

1 Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The way of the righteous is a way of living, it isn’t a one time action or one time statement.

Psalm 37:30–31 LEB

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart. His steps will not slip.

This describes the righteous, but how did they get there?

Proverbs 16:31 LEB

31 A crown of glory is gray hair; by a righteous life it is gained.

I can’t say every gray haired person is righteous, but I can say they have lived long enough to have gray hair and I will take his promise to me in

Psalm 91:14–16 LEB

14 Because he loves me, therefore I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. 15 He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

This I can say, when you seek the path of righteousness, the Lord is there to help in

Isaiah 26:7 LEB

7 The way of the righteous is a straight path; you clear the level path of the righteous.

but we have a role to play. God doesn’t just do this for us. I take action in

Isaiah 26:9 LEB

9 I desire you with all my soul in the night; also I seek you with my spirit within me, for when your judgments are upon the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

I desire you

I seek you

The Path of the Righteous

This is something we learn. We teach ourselves to follow the path of righteousness. This doesn’t just come to us it is active seeking and application.

Proverbs 2:1–2 LEB

1 My child, if you will receive my sayings, and hide my commands with you, 2 in order to incline your ear toward wisdom, then you shall apply your heart to understanding.

Listen

Meditate

Think about how it applies to your life

Proverbs 2:3–5 LEB

3 For if you cry out for understanding, if you lift your voice for insight, 4 if you seek her like silver and search her out like treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and the knowledge of God you will find.

This isn’t a passive exercise of chanting some words over and over, it is asking questions, seeking answers.

Seeking like silver is digging through rock to find the vein

Searching her out like treasure is following clues like on a treasure map. Going to places you have never been before. Taking some risk by putting other things aside to find the treasure.

Proverbs 2:6 LEB

6 For Yahweh will give wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Here is where you meet God. He will give you wisdom, knowledge, understanding. He gives revelation. He is the guardian of “the paths of justice”. He keeps the way of the faithful.

Proverbs 2:9 LEB

9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and uprightness—every good course—

Understanding, wisdom, discretion, right discipline, or for us as Charismatic Christians, the fruit of the Spirit. And all of this is in

Proverbs 2:10–11 LEB

10 for wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasing to your soul. 11 Discretion will watch over you; understanding will protect you,

Proverbs 2:20 LEB

20 So that you will walk on the road of those who are good, and the paths of those who are righteous you shall keep.

This instruction in righteousness, this learning God’s ways takes us from darkness to light.

Proverbs 4:10–13 LEB

10 Listen, my child, take my sayings, and the years of your life shall be great. 11 In the way of wisdom I have instructed you; I have led you in the path of uprightness. 12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. 13 Seize the instruction! Do not let go! Guard her, for she is your life.

This path is not hidden. There are many that have travelled before us and we can also learn from them. But this isn’t a path to a destination, it is a path to fulfilling God’s perfect will.

Proverbs 4:18 LEB

18 But the path of the righteous ones is like the light of dawn, leading and shining until the day is full.

The Path of the Wicked

There is also this other path and there are those around us that would take us there.

Proverbs 4:14–15 LEB

14 In the path of the wicked do not go; do not walk in the way of those who do evil. 15 Avoid it; do not transgress it; turn away from it and pass by.

On this path, there is darkness. They can’t see the end, and maybe not even the calamity right in front of them.

Proverbs 4:19 LEB

19 The way of the wicked ones is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over.

Proverbs 2:19 LEB

19 Of all who go to her, none shall return, nor do they reach paths of life.

The Path of Life

Psalm 16:5–11 LEB

5 Yahweh is the portion which is my share and my cup. You hold my lot. 6 The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Yes, my inheritance is delightful for me. 7 I will bless Yahweh who advises me; yes, at night my innermost being instructs me. 8 I have set Yahweh before me always. Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. Yes, my body will dwell in safety, 10 for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol; you will not give your faithful one to see the grave. 11 You will make known to me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forever.

Peter quoted this in

Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with gladness with your presence.’  

“The path of life was unknown before Christ, since it was still untouched by the foot of anyone who rose from the dead. But when the Lord rose, once the path become known, it become well worn by the soles of many, about whom the Evangelist says: “The bodies of many holy people arose along with him and entered into the holy city.”45

Matthew 27:52–53 LEB

52 And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

So too, since the Lord said at his own resurrection: “You have made known to me the paths of life,” we are also now able to say to the Lord, “You have made known to us the paths of life.” For he who showed us the way to life has himself made known to us the paths of life. He made known to me the paths of life when he taught me faith, mercy, righteousness and chastity. By journeying along these, one arrives at salvation. Even though the shadow of death encompasses us at the destruction of our body, still life does not forsake its steps; we walk quickly through the very midst of the decrees of hell by the power of Christ. For this reason, the holy prophet says: “Even if I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will not fear evils, for you are with me.”46 Psalm 23:4.

The Lord says this same thing about the believer even more clearly: “He who believes in me will not die, and although he dies, he will live.”47

John 11:25 LEB

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live,

1 Blaising, C. A., & Hardin, C. S. (Eds.). (2008). Psalms 1–50 (p. 126). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

“He who is the Way and the Life said that he had learned the ways to life; he had learned in what way people would follow him who said he is the Way and the Life.… The body he had received—and in his body, the entire human race—rejoiced that the divinity of the Son was made known to it. That is why he rejoices, he says, and has the fullness of joy with the Father … and his delight is full and perfect and his happiness ineffable because he sits at the right hand of the Father.… This is his delight, this his happiness to the end of the divine decree … because the Lord suffered and rose from the dead and entered heaven as victor in order to establish humanity at the right hand of the Lord.”1

1 Blaising, C. A., & Hardin, C. S. (Eds.). (2008). Psalms 1–50 (p. 126). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Proverbs 15:3 LEB

3 In every place, the eyes of Yahweh keep watch over the evil and the good.

Proverbs 15:24 LEB

24 The path of life leads upward for him who has insight, in order to turn away from Sheol below.

A Light for the Path

Psalm 119:105 LEB

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

“To know God’s law is to have a light for the path of life: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).”1

1 Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., p. 245). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.

Psalm 119:130 LEB

130 The unfolding of your words gives light, giving understanding to the simple.

“It gives access to wisdom—like a door opening. This is wisdom which we could never discover by our own efforts; and yet the simplest person can understand it: The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130).”1

1 Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., p. 245). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.

Proverbs 6:23 LEB

23 For like a lamp is a commandment, and instruction is light, and the way of life is the reproof of discipline,

For like a lamp is a commandment, and instruction is light, and the way of life is the reproof of discipline,

David’s Song

1 Chronicles 16:8–14 LEB

8 Give thanks to Yahweh; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the nations! 9 Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those seeking Yahweh rejoice! 11 Seek Yahweh and his strength; seek his face continually! 12 Remember his wonderful works that he has done, his wonders and the judgments of his mouth, 13 O offspring of Israel, his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! 14 He is Yahweh our God; his judgments are in all the earth.