In 2 Kings 18:16, the 'pillars' of the temple are called omenoth 'stays, or

In contrast with the expression used by Jeremiah lo aman 'not sure' or

'fail' 15:18, we have in Isaiah 33:16 the positive, 'His waters shall be

sure' (aman).  So we read of the 'sure' mercies of David (Isa. 55:3), a

'sure' house (1 Kings 11:38), 'verified' words (Gen. 42:20).  As a noun we

find the word used in Deuteronomy 32:20, 'children in whom is no faith

(emun)'.  The verb aman has a variety of renderings all of which can be

traced back to the one central idea of reliability.  'A nursing father' (Num.

11:12), or a 'nurse' (Ruth 4:16) brings before the mind a lovely picture of

faithfulness.  'Established', speaking of the Kingdom (2 Sam. 7:16); and of a

'promise' (2 Chron. 1:9).  God is called 'the Faithful God' (Deut. 7:9), and

in another context altogether we read of 'long continuance' (Deut. 28:59)

even though the subject be 'plagues' and 'sickness', we get another aspect of

the word aman.  Over and over again the word is translated 'believe', as of

Abraham 'He believed in the Lord' (Gen. 15:6), or of Isaiah 'Who hath

believed our report' (Isa. 53:1).  There are twenty -seven occurrences of the

word 'Amen' in the English version, and one occurrence of the phrase 'so be

it' which makes twenty -eight in all for the Old Testament.  In the New

Testament the word occurs some 150 times; being translated 'verily' 100

times, and 'Amen' 50 times.  Two of these references in the New Testament are

of special interest; in 2 Corinthians 1 we read:

'For how many soever be the promises of God, in Him is the Yea;

wherefore also through Him is the Amen, unto the glory of God through

us' (2 Cor. 1:20. R.V.).

Actually, the wording reads 'To God, toward glory, through us'.  At the

moment we are not so much concerned with the question of the text or of its

various translations, as to see the force of 'amen' and its bearing upon our

subject.  This passage in 2 Corinthians 1:20 provides a full answer to

Jeremiah's question (Jer. 15:18), and to all who find themselves similarly

situated.  'How many soever', however improbable it may seem, while looking

at present circumstances, that some of these promises can ever see

fulfilment, the Divine affirmation 'Yea' and the Divine confirmation 'Amen'

is in and through Christ.  Such was the faith of the apostle Paul, and such

should be ours.  In Revelation 3:14 we meet with the word 'Amen' as a title

of Christ:

'These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the

Beginning of the creation of God'.

The titles 'faithful and true Witness' are but expansions of the title

Amen, and the title 'the Beginning of the creation of God' is at the one

extreme while the Amen stands at the other extreme of God's purpose.  The

beginning of creation was God's 'Yea', the rounding out of the purpose of the

ages will be His 'Amen', and Christ is both 'Alpha and Omega' and 'beginning

and ending' (Rev. 1:8).  When at last the purpose of God is reached with

Israel, and Jerusalem is created a rejoicing and her people a joy, then the

God of Truth shall be remembered:

'That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the

God of Truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God

of Truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they

are hid from Mine eyes' (Isa. 65:16).