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"Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).

This week I am driving Amish school teachers to and from school each day. It is an interesting gig and can have some colorful moments. I was taking Becky, one of the teachers home. She had brought her two younger sisters with her to school to help out. On the way home she asked if we could stop by Tropical Smoothie so she could buy some drinks for her younger sisters.

Well, anyone who knows me knows I am a teaser, so I said, "They may not want to". From the back seat the little first grader said in Pennsylvania Dutch what sounded like "Evil, Evil". I was curious if I had said something inappropriate so I asked Becky what she was saying. Becky laughed and told me it was the Dutch word for "I want to, I want to"! I am glad I got that cleared up and of course we stopped so the children could have a smoothie.

Today let's consider another word that we use often but many may not really know what it means, "Amen". Yesterday we mentioned a new song (to us anyway) that our choir sang in our church service Sunday, "Christus Victor (Amen)". It has a beautiful part where the choir sings "Amen" in rounds (Click here to hear the song cued to this part).

In the church I (Stephen) attended growing up the only time the word "Amen" was used was at the end of a prayer. People were very quiet and non-expressive during the sermon. Thus during my childhood I took "Amen" to mean it was the end of the prayer and you can open your eyes. I don't suppose I am the only one that made that assumption!

When I got saved I began to attend meetings where people said "Amen" during the message which took some getting used to. Brooksyne however grew up in churches with hearty agreement expressed as "Amen" throughout the preacher's messages.

We've been around a few folks who may use it more out of religious habit than careful listening, since I've heard some "amens" in rather inappropriate places! I recall the story of the preacher who woke a rather sleepy member with a loud, "How many of you really want to go to hell?" to which the now awakened and startled member shouted "AMEN". Now I don't know whether this actually happened or was just an illustration!

This reminds us of a man we called "Hallelujah Frank" from our Bible College days. When he would amen the preacher with his "hallelujah" he shouted it not just for the preacher but for the thousand or so in attendance no matter where they sat! Frank had been saved out of a very rough inner city background with drugs and so forth so special grace was given. I found him online several years ago and was heartened that he had stayed faithful through the years and was in some type of ministry.

Amen means "we agree", "it is so", or "so be it". It is expressed in most circles at the conclusion of a prayer and in many others to express agreement with a sermon point. During the covid lockdowns we attended a drive-in church service where "Amens" are expressed with the beeping of the horn! That was fine but it does seem there were a few who tended to get a little carried away or perhaps their horns were louder than others!

I enjoy the study of words and their background which is known as etymology, not to be confused with entomology or epistemology!

Today let us consider the etymology of the word "Amen", one of the most frequently used words in a church setting. It's interesting to me that traditionally its use is pretty much limited to church and spiritual settings although you do hear some sacrilegious amens.

Our daily verse is full of wonderful material for those with an interest in etymology. The late R.C. Sproul, asserts that this is his favorite Bible verse. "Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness".

Three key theological words are found here for the very first time in the entire Bible: "believed", "credited" and "righteousness." That's significant due to a basic principle of Bible interpretation known as "the law of first usage", which asserts that the first time a word is used in Scripture is very important in determining its meaning throughout the rest of the Bible.

Today, let's just consider the word "believe". It translates the Hebrew word "Aman" which is the basic root of "Amen". This is the very first time it's found in the Scripture and it lays a foundation for all subsequent uses. It is spoken to express solemn ratification or agreement. It means “it is so” or “so it be.” Amen is derived from the Hebrew āmēn, which means belief, certainty, truth, and verily.

"Abram believed the Lord". This is a fundamental description of the man known as the father of faith. He believed the Lord. The background of "amen" is foundationally belief, faith or trust. It's absolutely significant that the object of Abram's faith was the Lord. It's not just belief but he believed "the Lord".

Consider that the next time you end a prayer or express agreement to a sermon point by saying "Amen"; that you're proclaiming "I believe". Do you really believe the Lord today? We sure do. Praise God! He continues to credit His righteousness to them that believe (Hebrews 11:6).

Be encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13

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