Reveration Blog
11/16/2013 0 Comments AmenIn 1915, Rabbi Jeremy’s grandfather as a teenager recognized that if he stayed in Russia he was likely to be persecuted and deprived of basic freedoms. So, he left his family and walked—all the way to Israel. It took him one and half years to reach the port of Jaffa. I would imagine it was a dangerous trip full of excitement, fighting cold and hunger as well as numerous other challenges. With a group of men touring Israel (including my two sons and son-in-law), we listened to Jeremy share life lessons at Yad Hashmona Country Hotel. Part of Jeremy’s message was an explanation of the word “amen.” Amen comes from the root word—“amuna”—which means so be itor what he just said;it is a variation of emunah which meansfaithand the word ʼāmán, which means practice. This is exactly what a small group of Finnish Christians did in 1971—they put their faith into practice to found Yad Hashmona. It is named in honor of “eight Jewish refugees from Austria who escaped to Finland in 1938. The Finnish government, collaborating with the Nazis, handed the refugees over to the Gestapo in 1942. Seven of them died in Auschwitz.”[1] In 1978, a group of messianic Jews joined Yad Hashomna, the moshav—a cooperative settlement. The majority of its members are Hebrew-speaking Israelis and it has become the country’s center of Messianic Jews. It was a fitting place for us to begin our tour of Israel and to learn about a word that we commonly attach to the end of our prayers.
Meditation 1 Kings 1:36—“Amen,” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied to the king, “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it. In 2 Samuel 23:20 we learn that “Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the son of a brave man from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiahkilled two sons of Ariel of Moab, and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.” He also took the life of a huge spear-carrying Egyptian disarming him with his club (23:21). King David put Benaiah in charge over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, warriors who served in his army. Benaiah gives us a great example what amen means after hearing instructions from his king about Solomon inheriting his throne. Amen, I believe what you have said King David, and I will do what you have asked. Consider the next time you say amen. Truly it is more than just affirmation or acknowledgment it is a word of commitment—faith in action! Something to think about . . . in reveration! Inspiration Are you and I here on earth, utterly committed, utterly given to God Himself?—Watchman Nee in Love Not the World ©2013 Daniel York ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause. If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the "Click here to receive weekly devotionals" box. Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice. Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth. (Holman CSB) [1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_HaShmona
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Photo from Rachel Maxey Miles