“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.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 65:16 Mean?
Isaiah prophesies a transformation of speech: "he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth." The person who pronounces blessing will invoke the God of truth (Elohey Amen — literally, the God of Amen, the God of faithfulness, the God of truly-it-is-so). The common act of blessing oneself will be redirected from false sources to the true God.
The phrase "God of truth" (Elohey Amen) is unique in Scripture — this is the only place God is called the "God of Amen." The title combines the divine name with the word that means trustworthy, reliable, established, verified. God is the God whose word is Amen — permanently true, permanently verified, permanently established.
The swearing "by the God of truth" means oaths and commitments will be grounded in reality rather than in the false gods that previous verses described (verse 11 — the gods of fortune and destiny). The truth-God replaces the fortune-gods as the basis of speech, commitment, and blessing.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does the unique title 'God of Amen' (found only here) teach about God embodying the word that means 'established, true'?
- 2.How does the shift from fortune-gods to the God of truth transform the nature of blessing?
- 3.What connection between Isaiah's 'God of Amen' and Revelation's 'the Amen' (applied to Jesus) deepens both titles?
- 4.When you say Amen, are you consciously invoking the God whose character guarantees what you're affirming?
Devotional
The God of Amen. The God of truly-it-is-so. The God whose name means verified, established, permanently true. Isaiah coins a divine title found nowhere else in Scripture: Elohey Amen — the God who IS the Amen.
The title rewrites the vocabulary of blessing: instead of invoking fortune-gods or destiny-deities, the person who blesses will invoke the God of truth. The common speech-act of pronouncing blessing — saying good things over yourself, your family, your future — will be grounded in the one whose character is Amen. The blessing will be real because the God behind it is reliable.
The 'God of Amen' title means God embodies the word that means 'so be it.' When you say Amen, you're saying: let this be established. Let this be true. Let this be verified. God is the God of that — the God whose nature IS established, IS true, IS verified. Every Amen you've ever spoken was an invocation of his character whether you knew it or not.
The transformation from fortune-gods (verse 11) to the God of truth (verse 16) describes the shift from unreliable to reliable blessing: the fortune-god's blessing depends on luck. The truth-God's blessing depends on character. The fortune-god's promise might happen. The truth-God's promise IS Amen — established by the nature of the God who speaks it.
Revelation 3:14 calls Jesus 'the Amen, the faithful and true witness.' The title Isaiah coins for God the Father is applied to God the Son: Jesus is the Amen. The God of truth and the Word made flesh share the same designation. The Amen of Isaiah 65 becomes the Amen of Revelation 3.
When you say Amen — are you invoking the God whose character guarantees it?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
That he who blesseth himself in the earth,.... That is sensible he stands in need of blessings, and wishes for them, and…
That he who blesseth himself in the earth - That is, he who shall invoke blessings on himself. Shall bless himself in…
Here the different states of the godly and wicked, of the Jews that believed and of those that still persisted in…
That R.V., So that (as Gen 11:7; Psa 95:11; Mal 4:1, &c.).
he who blesseth himself in the land] i.e. "who invokes a…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture