AMEN AND AMEN

Time with Jesus - 18 Oct 2013

Hi all,

Every time I come across the word “Amen”, in Scripture, I’m reminded of the hypothetical question asked by a member of the female liberation movement. The question was, “Why do we say “Amen” and not “A-women” at the end of our prayers. The answer of course is because we sing “hymns” and not “hers”!

So, why do we use the word “Amen” at all? Those of us who have been in the Charismatic movement for a few years, have grown accustomed to it being used by preachers, as a means of getting a quick response from the congregation. Perhaps audience would be a better word, but let’s not go down that road. What happens is the preacher arrives at a point in his sermon and wants to get the people to agree with what he has said. So he makes his statement and then says, “Amen?” 

For instance, “Jesus is the way, the truth and the life!” He then says, “Amen?” The people are all expected to answer, “Amen”. Better still would be “Amen brother!” or “Preach it brother!” or something equally inane. It’s not so much a question of seeking approval, as evoking a response from his listeners. Actually, it’s a bit annoying. Not because the original statement was incorrect. It’s more a question of the preacher trying to find if his listeners are awake! Sadly, this verbal routine has almost reached the point where it has become part of customary Charismatic ritual.

What then is the word “Amen” all about? In English, the word amen has two primary pronunciations, ah-men (/ɑːˈmɛn/) or ay-men (/eɪˈmɛn/), with minor additional variation in emphasis (the two syllables may be equally stressed instead of placing primary stress on the second). The Oxford English Dictionary gives "eɪ'mεn, or ɑː'mɛn". (Courtesy Wikipedia)

In the New Testament it is often used to imply that nothing further can be added. It’s the way Christians should view the word. It’s a bit like saying, “God said it – that settles it”. When God has spoken, that’s it. Nothing can be added or taken away. It’s guaranteed. It cannot be changed. Of course that’s because He is God. In English the word “FINIS” is sometimes appended to the end of a statement. It’s over and done. Amen is the word we can write under what God has said. It’s a guaranteed certainty!

The uses of “Amen”, “Verily-verily” or "I tell you the truth", depending on the translation, fit into a peculiar “class” of phrases. They are the words Jesus used to affirm his own utterances, not those of another person. The use of the initial amen, single or double in form, to introduce solemn statements of Jesus in the Gospels, appears to have originated with Jesus. It would have been very difficult for Jesus to convince His hearers that He was speaking the truth, particularly in the early days of His ministry. It follows that the use of the words, “Amen” or “Verily-verily”, or "I tell you the truth" would tend to add credence to what He was saying. Later in His ministry, He would have used them, not so much to convince people His words were true; but to emphasise the importance of His statements.

Today, the use of "amen" has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns that express strong agreement with what has been stated.

Overall, the word “Amen” appears in the Hebrew Bible 30 times.

In the King James Bible, the word “Amen” is preserved in a number of contexts. Notable ones include:

The word first occurs in the Hebrew Bible in Numbers 5.22 when the Priest addresses a suspected adulteress and she responds “Amen, Amen”. Numbers 5 is a fascinating chapter, in that it outlines the procedure to follow, in the case of a wife suspected of committing adultery. ²¹ "At this point the priest must put the woman under oath by saying, 'May the people know that the LORD's curse is upon you when He makes you infertile, causing your womb to shrivel and your abdomen to swell. ²² Now may this water that brings the curse enter your body and cause your abdomen to swell and your womb to shrivel. ' And the woman will be required to say, (Amen) - Yes, let it be so. Numbers 5:21-22 NLT

Deuteronomy 27:15-27 recounts the curses of the Law that would come upon the people in the event of the various laws of God being broken. The people were required to say, “Amen” as the Levites “called out” the law to the listening Israelites. 

The people were required to say “Amen” after each portion was called out. An example is ¹⁹ 'Cursed is anyone who denies justice to foreigners, orphans, or widows.' And all the people will reply, 'Amen.' Deuteronomy 27:19 NLT

A double amen ("amen and amen") occurs in Psalm 89, Psalm 41:13; 72:19; & 89:52 to confirm the words and invoke the fulfilment of them.

Psalm 89:52 NLT Praise the LORD forever! Amen and amen!

Psalm 41:13 NLT Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen!

Psalm 72:19 NLT Praise His glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen!

Psalm 89:52 NLT Praise the LORD forever! Amen and amen!

The custom of closing prayers with amen originates in the Lord's Prayer at Matthew 6:13. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Mat 6:13 KJV

Jewish men praying at the
Western (Wailing) Wall

It concludes all of Paul's general epistles.

In Revelation 3:14, Jesus is referred to as, "the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation."

Amen concludes the New Testament at Rev. 22:21.

The word has been used in sacred music on a number of occasions. One of the best known is probably the “Amen Chorus” which concludes Handel’s Messiah. Denominational choirs often make use of a variety of “Amen” conclusions for Divine Worship services. As a result the sung “Amen” has been used on so many occasions, that for me, repetition has devalued the word. 

If you couple this with the Charismatic use of “Amen”, being used to obtain a response from congregants, the sacred meaning of “Let it be so” or “Verily-verily” is no longer what it was once intended to be.

Shalom

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 18 Oct 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	AMEN AND AMEN
Words seem to come and go. They appear to change meaning from time to time and from place to place. One of the big surprises I found as reading school reports. In my days, if I got a 5 on my report card, my parents would have been very unimpressed. 1’s were wonderful, not that I ever got any. I seemed to be able to hover at ±3. No more and no less with the accompanying statement, “Jim could do better! The last time I looked at my grandchildren’s school reports, they were dotted with 4’s and 5’s. Then I was told that to understand them, I should stand on my head. They were upside down to what I knew. Words also have a habit of changing meaning. Perhaps the best known is the word “gay”. It used to mean carefree, happy and enjoying things. Now it means homosexual. I’m not sure I approve. But my opinion is not important. The word “Amen or So be it” doesn’t mean what it meant when the Bible was translated into English. According to Nelson’s New Bible Dictionary it means: a solemn word by which a person confirms a statement, an oath, or a covenant (Num. 5:22; Neh. 5:13). It is also used in worship to affirm an address, psalm, or prayer. It used to mean the truth. The Lord identified Himself with this word when He said, I am Amen. I am the truth. No longer. The word has been considerably downgraded. Today it is used to answer a question. The preacher will say something, followed by the word, “amen?” He expects the congregation to reply “amen”. So the word has been downgraded from being one of the Names of our great and glorious God. Now, all it seems to mean is, “I agree!” So, how do we change this? Do we need to change it? This is perhaps a better question. I think we should do what we can to make people aware of the words they use. In USA the people speak of an automobile. We understand that they mean a motor car. We speak of a bonnet. They call it the hood. They say trunk when we say boot. But we do understand each other. In South Africa we know what is meant by the word “condom”. In USA it’s called a “rubber”. So if you go for a brief visit, be careful you don’t ask your hostess if she’s got a rubber. She will not be amused. Not even to rub out pencil. That’s an eraser. Listening to dialects on the TV or movies, it doesn’t take long to realise that the way people speak English in USA, UK, RSA and Australia is different. Not so different that we can’t understand each other. There may come a day when this changes. In the UK, dialects are significantly different. A couple of years ago I picked up a book called, “Laarn yersel Geordie!” Which being translated means teach {learn (laarn)} yourself (Yersel) [to speak] Geordie! Geordie being the dialect spoken in and around Newcastle on Tyne! I’ve also come across a book on “Strine” - Australian. We also find that the style of speech in the North and South of the USA is markedly different. Here in RSA we have a small sample of it in the Afrikaans speaking community. Listen to the dialect in Malmsbury. It’s different. Dear old Professor Higgins of My Fair Lady fame asked the question, “Why can’t the English teach their children how to speak?” For me it would be enough if we started understanding the language we use! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.' Matthew 6:13 NASB	Amen; It is all over; it’s finished; it is done. It seems to be a kind of verb that’s seldom used for fun. It means finalisation. That’s how it’s going to be. A thousand million years from now and for eternity, This truth is now established; the earth may pass away. But this will be unvarying as what it is today. A little illustration. One plus one is two. It will always be this way, no matter what we do. The Lord above won’t change it. There’s really is no need. It is the confirmation in thought and word and deed. In local courtroom jargon, it’s an established fact. It tells us the right way to go, when we’re compelled to act. It verifies a statement; it establishes the truth. Regardless of the circumstance, maturity or youth. At times you’ll find it’s also used, as some sort of a noun. Rather like the title of some rather special town. So we speak about it and say it is a trust. It’s firm and confidential; a certainty; a must! It also is an adjective, a specific piece of law. Although we find it’s seldom used in this way anymore. On the odd occasion a prayer begins “Amen” Confirming that what follows is reliable again. But the common usage is at the very end. “Yes, this is reliable. On this you may depend. A congregation uses it when they are all agreed. When they’ve heard a statement they believe is truth indeed. Written in Psalm eighty nine and in verse fifty two, We find Amen repeated; so everyone may view; The glory and the majesty of Him Who reigns on High. Who deals with every mocker and informs them, “Do not try”. God used the expression, when by Himself He swore. None can overrule Him. He is the highest law! We’re told that all God’s promises in Jesus are AMEN. They won’t be rescinded or issued once again! The book of Revelation, behold in chapter three, Recorded in the fourteenth verse quite categorically, He says He is the Amen. He’s faithful and He’s true. “Those in Laodicea, be careful what you do; If you are not careful, I’m going to spit you out. Turn from being lukewarm. Your future is in doubt. Only overcomers shall sit at my right hand. All the rest will go to Hell when I give the command. Indeed I am the Holy One, “I AM!” That is My Name. Amen! All this is certain. Amen! Always the same. Jim Strickland Written 18th Oct 2012
			36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen! Thus may the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say. 1 Kings 1:36 NASB
			16 All who invoke a blessing or take an oath will do so by the God of truth. (The Amen – Hebrew aw-mane Amen, so be it, truth). For I will put aside My anger and forget the evil of earlier days. Isaiah 65:16 NLT
			13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, (The Amen – The truth) Hebrews 6:13 ESV
			16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. 18 So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. Hebrews 6:16-18 NLT
			14 "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witne ss, the beginning of God's creation. Revelation 3:14 ESV
			20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20 TNIV
			18 Praise the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. 19 Praise His glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen! Psalms 72:18-19 NLT