This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.
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. (NIV)
What did Amos see?
Did Amos see a real plumb line? Or just a representation of one?
Did Amos see the wall? Did Amos see God?
Did Amos see into the future? If so, how did he see an event that will not happen?
Did Amos see into a possible future? If so, what kind of thing is a possible future? Are possible futures real? Are they as real as actual futures? Are actual futures real if they haven’t happened yet?
Etc.
I think Jacob saw two plans that God considered (or could have considered) and he saw the plan that God chose – all these things seen with his minds eye. And I think if someone were watching Amos they would have seen him staring at a wall. Presumably what Amos actually saw was a (rock?) wall.
Amos didn’t literally see the future at any point only figuratively – the plumb line being the perfect standard, Jesus being the wall (cornerstone?), Jacob/Israel being the Jews.
That’s what I see.
I wonder why “Jacob” then “Israel”.