{"id":79088,"date":"2020-08-20T18:30:14","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T15:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=79088"},"modified":"2020-08-20T18:30:14","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T15:30:14","slug":"gods-building-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/gods-building-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"God\u2019s Building Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"79088","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":73524,"related_cahpter":"552","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Justice is the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line\u00a0\r\n\r\n","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second chapter of Zechariah begins in the same cryptic style as the first. He has a vision of four horns followed by four craftsmen. According to some, based on Daniel&#8217;s famous vision of the four kingdoms, the horns represent the nations that will attack Judah and Jerusalem, and the four craftsmen represent those that will defeat the horns. Some suggest that the four horns represent how Jerusalem was originally attacked from all four sides, and others suggest that the horns are the local Samaritans, who were a thorn in the side of the nascent community of returnees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the next vision, Zechariah describes a surveyor measuring the size of Jerusalem with a measuring line. The purpose is to measure the city&#8217;s length and width, and an angel explains encouragingly that Jerusalem will be so expansive, so many people will come to live there, that it will not be able to contain its population within its walls. As it was not safe in ancient times for a city to be without a wall, Zechariah states that God will be as a wall of fire for Jerusalem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measuring rods and plumb lines are common metaphors in the Bible. God describes Himself as a builder, who uses different tools from the ones earthly builders do: &#8220;See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation&#8221; (Isaiah 28:16). When Amos prophecies about Samaria&#8217;s destruction, he states, &#8220;This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall \u2026 with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord asked me, &#8216;What do you see, Amos?&#8217; &#8216;A plumb line,&#8217; I replied. Then the Lord said, &#8216;Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.'&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is a plumb line? It is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure is straight and even, much like today&#8217;s levels. The plumb line ensures that everything is right, justified and centered correctly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what is God&#8217;s plumb line? Or in other words, how does God measure a person or community or society to see if it is aligned correctly? Isaiah himself gave the answer: &#8220;I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.&#8221; By alluding to this metaphor of the measuring rod, Zechariah begins the process of reminding the people, who are focused on the physical rebuilding of the city, not to forget that the new city of Jerusalem will only be complete when its measurements are aligned with God&#8217;s standards.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":79089,"id":79089,"title":"zech2-plumbline-wordofgod","filename":"zech2-plumbline-wordofgod.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech2-plumbline-wordofgod.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/gods-building-tools\/zech2-plumbline-wordofgod\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"zech2-plumbline-wordofgod","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":79088,"date":"2020-08-20 15:29:59","modified":"2020-08-20 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