Deuteronomy 27: The True Amen

"'Cursed is anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice.' And all the people will say, 'Amen!'"

Deuteronomy 27:26

In this chapter, Moses details quite a long list of curses that the Levites are supposed to announce after the taking of the Promised Land.  After the Levites state each curse, all the people are to say, "Amen!"  The grand finale of these curses is the one quoted above.

To the Israelites, a blessing or curse was not just a spoken wish or desire.  It was a promise of things to come.  The amen spoken after each curse in this passage literally means, "So be it."  The people of Israel didn't use the word as an utterance at the end of a prayer the way we do - rather, they used it to emphasize not just agreement with what has been said, but faith that it will happen.

The amen was almost exclusively used after blessings or curses, not as closure, but as a promise that it will come true, if not by their own hand, then by the hand of God.  It was a verbal signature to a spoken covenant, much like a handshake was treated in the Good-Old-Days.

Question of the Day:

When you say, "Amen," do you really know what you're saying?  Are you willing to let it be a signature on the covenant of your prayer, blessing, or curse?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, help me to serve You in all that I do.  Help me to shed my sinful nature and become a mirror of Your Spirit.  I am unable to make this leap on my own, and I need You to intervene on my behalf.  Take away the thorn in my flesh and make me holy in Your sight.  I bow before Your glory and commit myself to Your ways, now and for all eternity.  I promise to keep Your commandments and bring praise to Your name.  I accept Your forgiveness of all my sins, and I will do what I can to repay You.  I give you my life - I am Yours to command.  Amen!