Amos 7:7–8 says, “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.’” 

When I was building in Grants Pass many years ago, there was a young man that would occasionally help us on a job.  One day he was helping us and we had to determine where to cut the roof for a stove that would be put in later.  He used a plumb bob to determine  where the hold should be cut.  Unfortunately, when we realized the hole was in the wrong place, he swore he did it right and the string must have been crooked.  Apparently he did not understand the concept of a  plumb bob.

A plumb line is a string with a weight attached to one end. When the weight can dangle freely, an exact vertical line can be determined; this is called  plumb.  Painters and carpenters use plumb lines to keep their work straight.  The accuracy of a plumb line is more precise than almost any other tool in the tool box.  Because a plumb line utilizes the law of gravity for its accuracy, it cannot change because gravity does not change.  It remains true, and all work can line up with it without danger of being crooked.

In the Word a plumb line is used to describe the perfection of the Lord.  It refers to the exactness of God’s plans, the Word, and even Christ Himself.  When I am working on a remodel, I will often have to add a board to an already existing house.  If that house is crooked in some way, I need to put the board on crooked, even if it is not plumb.  After all, most people do not carry a level with them, so they go by the way the board appears.  If I put the board on with a plumb bob, it would graphically show how crooked the house really was.

God provides for us a plumb bob to show us how imperfect we are.  Compared to the rest of the world, we might seem okay… pretty much on the level, but compared to the things of God, we are desperately skewed. In Psalm 19:7 it says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;”  We are not used to comparing ourselves to perfection, but that is what we are called to do.  The only way we can be seen as perfectly “plumb” is to take on the righteousness that Christ has provided us.  His righteousness is never “crooked.”

‘Bean Boozled’ jelly beans are flavored jelly beans with weird and wild flavors. They” as the question in their ads, ”Are YOU ready to be beanboozled?”

Jelly Belly’s wildest collection dares you to compare tasty popular flavors with “disgusting ones.” But here’s the catch – you won’t know which ones are which!

The black Licorice bean looks exactly like the Skunk Spray bean! Sweet, luscious Caramel Corn might also be Moldy Cheese. You may think you’re tasting our world-famous Buttered Popcorn bean, but what you’ll be biting into could actually be Rotten Egg. The only way to find out what beans you’re getting is to eat them!

The Jelly Belly Bean collection has all kinds of flavor, good and bad, and  many play a game with them to see who gets the good flavors and who gets the bad ones.   Those who get beanboozled get some wild facial expressions!

Likewise, we must be careful not to be beanboozled by life. The imperfection of the world can never satisfy us. Only God can align us with Him.  He is perfect and a taste test will prove it. God promises that we won’t be disappointed.

Don’t see if you are “on the level” by using the world measuring tools.  Use the plumb bob of God and taste the life we were meant to have. 

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).