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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries,
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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RUN INTO & REST
IN THE STRONG TOWER OF
EL SHADDAI |
GOD'S
PAST
REVELATION
(GENESIS 1-16) |
GOD'S
NEXT
REVELATION
(GENESIS 17) |
MAN'S
RESPONSE
IN LIGHT OF
THE
REVELATION |
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Remember that God's Names always reveal
an aspect or attribute of His character and witness to an awareness of
God’s presence and help in various ways. Notice how this revelation occurs
progressively in the Genesis...
><>><>><>
GENESIS 1
Elohim
My Creator
(see notes)
Isaiah 43:7
Why does God say we were created?
Everyone who is called by My name and
whom I have created for My glory
Each person is created by God with and
for a purpose.
We need to accept ourselves as
creations of God, each of whom has the privileged purpose to bring Him
glory
Ephesians 2:10
What does Paul say about us when we
are "re-created"
(regenerated, born again)?
Eph 2:10 (note)
teaches that believers are now His
workmanship (poiema
- "masterpiece") created in Christ for
good works
Matthew 5:16
What association do
good works
have with the glory of God?
Jesus exhorts His hearers to
"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your
good works, and
glorify (give a proper opinion) of your Father Who is in heaven"
(See
note Mt 5:16)
Have you accepted the
fact that Elohim is your Creator?
Do you believe that He has a purpose for your life?
Do you understand that the way to bring glory to let your light so
shine before men that they see your good works and give Him glory?
Am I fulfilling the purpose for which
Elohim created me? Does the way I live give a proper opinion of my Elohim?
><>><>><>
GENESIS 15
After Abram had rescued Lot, God
spoke to Abram in a vision...
Do not fear, Abram, I am
a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great"' (Ge 15:1)
Abram proceeds to suggest
that Eliezer would be
the heir but immediately God confirms that the heir will be his own seed...
And He took him outside
and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you
are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your
descendants be"
(Ge 15:5)
Then he believed in the
LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
(Ge 15:6)
After God initiated and carried
out the "walk of death" between the dead animals, Moses records...
On that day the LORD
made (cut) a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your
descendants I have given this land..." (N.B. This promise is not
to the church but Abraham, Isaac and Jacob [Covenant
Abrahamic vs Mosaic]
- to national Israel - it will be consummated in the
Millennium)...because
He is
El Shaddai - God Almighty,
Pantokrator,
Omnipotent and Sufficient). (Ge 15:18)
GENESIS 14
El Elyon
Most High God
Sovereign Over All
(see notes - El Elyon)
Sovereignty reminds us that God is in
control regardless of appearances. Here God reveals Himself to Abram as
God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth (see
Ge 14:19)
Nothing happens without El Elyon's
permission
Will I accept my circumstances as
allowed by God, understanding that everything is orchestrated not by
chance but by an omnipotent God Who seeks to bring about my highest good
(see note
Ro 8:28)?
If we come to know God as El Elyon, it should germinate an attitude of
gratitude so that we are enabled by the Spirit to truly give thanks In
everything (see note
1Thes 5:18)
><>><>><>
GENESIS 16:13-14
El Roi
God Who Sees
(see notes)
Abram takes a "faith detour" and agrees
with Sarai that Hagar can bear his child but Ishmael is the child of the
flesh not of promise. Then Sarai tells Abram to cast Hagar out, which is
when God revealed Himself as
El Roi.
The Living God saw Hagar's plight. The
same God
sees our plight today and is concerned with our circumstances.
El Elyon
allows people and circumstances into our lives but
El Roi
sees and is aware of what is transpiring, a truth which should strengthen
us
Let us learn to live in the
presence of the living God Who sees all.
(See
C H Spurgeon's comments)
As an aside, we might all be tempted to
judge Abram for his "faith detour" in Genesis 16, but don't we all have
similar struggles? Sure we have trusted in Christ alone for our eternal
salvation but then we go out and live our day to day Christian life as
though everything depended on us! We all need to learn the secret of daily
yielding ourselves to Him, allowing His Spirit to live the supernatural
Christ life that alone brings glory to His Name (cp notes
Romans 12:1).
Paul addressed a similar "faith detour"
in the Galatian church asking...
Did you receive the Spirit by
the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having
begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Gal
3:2;
3:3)
In Genesis 17 Abraham learned the
secret of surrender of his will to the will of his God, El Shaddai, Who is
mighty and sufficient to bring about the fulfillment of His promises in
His perfect timing. May we all learn from Abram's example, and choose to
submit to our El Shaddai, in every area of our life, that He might bring
forth His supernatural promises, including not just spiritual life, but
life abundant in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
><>><>><>
In summary we observe that thus
far in Genesis, God has revealed Himself as
Elohim
El Elyon
El Roi
Now He will reveal Himself to
Abraham as..
El
Shaddai
Principle to ponder -
Remember that one way to get to know God better is to pay attention
to His names. However, it is one thing to know God’s name and quite
something else to trust that name and allow God to work in the
difficult situations of life (Psalm
9:10)
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El Shaddai is better
known to most Christians from contemporary music (lyrics
and melody) than
from the Scriptures!
Abraham's Life
Provides Context for Genesis 17
Genesis 12
Abram - Age 75
God gave Abram a condition and a promise. God called him to leave his country
and go to a land which He would show him. This took a "leap of faith" to
obey, but faith is always based on truth and Abram responded
affirmatively strengthened by the truth of God's promise...
Ge 12:3 I will bless those who bless
you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families
(Jew and Gentile) of the earth shall be blessed
Genesis 15
God promised Abram an heir.
Ge 15:5
(God) took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count
the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall
your (seed - masculine singular) descendants be." 6 Then he
believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
What did Abraham believe?
He believed in the promised
Seed (masculine singular) of the Messiah. He believed in the Gospel.
Paul agrees writing...
Gal 3:8
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by
faith,
preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations
shall be blessed in you."
Paul explains...
Gal 3:16
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does
not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to
your
seed (masc, sing)," that is, Christ (Messiah).
Principle: OT saints
were saved in the same way as NT saints - by grace through faith in the
coming Messiah promised in the Gospel. They were NOT saved by good works!
Genesis 16
Abraham - Age 86
He temporarily failed the test
of faith by taking a "Hagar detour"
Ge 16:2
Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing
children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children through
her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai... 4 And he went in to
Hagar, and she conceived (Ishmael "a wild donkey of a man" - father of all
Arabs who henceforth became the implacable enemy of Israel, which endures
to our modern day)
Application:
Fleshly attempts to accomplish the will of God are fundamentally sins of
unbelief. How many times have we struggled with the promises of God and
like Abraham attempted to help Him out – we trust Him fully for our
salvation but so often live our day to day life as if everything else
depended on us! (See
Gal 3:3)
Remember...
Man's extremity is God's opportunity
Beware...
Man's security is Satan's opportunity
Genesis 17
Age 99
How does God reaffirm His
promise?
Ge 17:1
Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and
said to him, "I am
God Almighty Walk before Me, and be blameless 2 And I will
establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you
exceedingly."
God Almighty =
El Shaddai
(Shadday
- 07706)
When did God reveal Himself
to Abraham? What was Abraham struggling to believe?
God revealed Himself as God
Almighty when Abraham was struggling to believe that God could still carry
out His promise to make him a father of many nations. God's Name in this
context conveys His ability to fulfill His promises. The question for us
today is...
Dearly beloved, offspring
(seed) of Abraham (Gal
3:29)
what promises of God are you struggling to believe? Recall to your mind
the truth inherent in His Name, El Shaddai. Then run into the strong tower
of His name and you will be safe.
As you come to truly know God
as El Shaddai, God Almighty, you will be enabled to lay hold of the truth
of His power and His sufficiency to carry out what He has promised.
Remember that Paul teaches faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word
of God. So to hear and understand the meaning of El Shaddai is to have
one's faith bolstered and undergirded. Then, when fear or doubt creep in
or are thrown at us like fiery missiles from the Evil One, we can take up
this shield of faith (see note
Eph 6:16) based on the truth about El Shaddai.
El Shaddai
From the etymology of Shaddai and the
OT uses (see
discussion below), two major ideas are associated with this Name -
(1)Omnipotence
(2)Sufficiency
Both these attributes of God's
character have powerful applications to our
lives.
The idea of the sufficiency of Shaddai
is brought out especially in Naomi's lament in Ruth 1 (see
notes)
As an aside, why did Abram have to wait
almost 25 years for God to fulfill His promise?
Like many who are filled with self
confidence, Abram had to be brought to the end of himself.
God often does not show us his
OMNIPOTENCE until he shows us our IMPOTENCE.
Paul learned this same principle in 2
Corinthians
writing that...
because of the
surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me
from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a
messenger of Satan to buffet me-- to keep me from exalting myself! 8
Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from
me. 9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about
my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am
well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with
persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak,
then I am strong.
Is El Shaddai
enough? Is He sufficient to meet my
needs?
Can He be trusted to fulfill His promises?
As Abraham and Paul (and many other saints) learned, it is when we come to the
end of ourselves and our resources, that we begin to "tap into" the
sufficiency of the supply of El Shaddai, and find that it is more than
adequate for all our needs according to His
riches in Christ Jesus.
Remember 3 things about problems: we cannot run from them, we cannot
prevent them from coming into our life and we can't always solve all of
them – Yet El Shaddai can be our sufficiency for in the midst of every
impossible circumstance.
Are you facing a
difficult or even impossible circumstance? Have you considered calling out to
El Shaddai?
What will it take to make you happy?
Or asked another way "How much is enough"?
Most of us (even sadly
many believers) would answer in monetary terms. But of course we know that
the answer is never in money or things or even circumstances. It is only
when we come to come to know that God is enough, El Shaddai is the
Sufficient One. Abram faced a faith crisis event that God used to show him
that He alone was El Shaddai, the only One sufficient to fulfill His
promises.
Have you come to the point in your
personal relationship with God that He is enough? Is He sufficient to meet
all your needs? Can He be trusted to fulfill the promises of His Word?
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Our Response Is Commanded
Walk
before Me
The Hebrew verb is a reflexive command
- You yourself walk. Note that walk here is not taking one step
after another, but is used in a more figurative sense to picture one's
behavior or daily conduct.
Before Me is more literally
before My face (see
paniym
= face
- See
Spurgeon on "face").
The idea is that all of our steps are ever before the face of God. This
same picture is conveyed by the well known Latin phrase Coram Deo =
Before the face of God. (see
Mackintosh's comments)
In the
Septuagint (LXX),
walk before is translated by the verb euaresteo (related adjective
euarestos
from eu = well + aresko = to please) which means to
behave in a manner that causes another to be pleased. Paul uses the
adjective
euarestos
in his well known exhortation in
Ro 12:1
(see
verse note) where he calls
for believers to present themselves "acceptable to God". Euaresteo
is also used in the
Lxx
translation of
Ge 5:22
(= Enoch walked with God;
LXX
= Enoch was well pleasing to God - see notes
Heb 11:5;
6).
(Cp same idea in
Ge 6:9
"Noah was... blameless [tamiym-see
below]. Noah walked with [Lxx = well pleasing to] God") (see
Spurgeon's comments)
Be
blameless
The Hebrew verb
be
is qal imperative which is also a command. ( In the
Lxx
be
is also a command in the
present tense
= continually be blameless)
Principle to ponder:
Abram does not have license to live as he pleases. His behavior is to
reflect the character of the One Who called him. Did your thoughts, words
and deeds reflect this day reflect the One Who called you, dear beloved of
the Father?
Blameless (08549)
(tamiym)
means to be whole, complete, sound, perfect. The idea is one who has
integrity and whose life is in accord with the truth of God's word and His
righteous character (cp "Job... was blameless [tam]" -
Job 1:1)
The Greek translation (LXX)
of the Hebrew adjective tamiym is translated with
amemptos
(273)
(from a = negative +
mémphomai = find fault) which means irreproachable, faultless, without
defect or blemish and thus describes one in whom others are not able to
find fault. Amemptos is used by Paul (see notes
Phil 2:15;
1Th 3:13)
in his giving a charge to NT believers similar to God's charge to Abraham
in Genesis 17. (See
Spurgeon's comment on "Be thou perfect")
The question arises as to how
Abraham (OT believer) or believers in the NT can carry out this lofty
command?
The answer is found in the context
where Jehovah had just revealed Himself to Abraham (Abram) as El
Shaddai, the God Who is
omnipotent, able to do anything
including able to make us walk in His sight in a manner which pleases Him
and in a way which is blameless in the eyes of others.
He is El Shaddai, the God Who is
sufficient to meet all of our needs so that we might be pleasing
and perfect.
We can accomplish neither of these
lofty goals by self effort but only by "Shaddai dependence", continually
leaning on the everlasting arms of the One we have come to know and trust
as El Shaddai - Who Alone can empower us to walk worthy of the
calling to which we have been called. We cannot live this supernatural
life in our strength, but God can live it in and through us as we learn to
rely on Him as our El Shaddai, for as the song
(play)
says...
Age to age You're still
the same, by the power of Your the Name. El Shaddai. El Shaddai... We will
praise and lift You high, El Shaddai.
Have you come to the point in your
life as a believer where you recognize your inadequacy and impotence to live the
"Christ life"?
If we choose to obey His command to walk before Him (well pleasing)
and be blameless, we shall come to know intimately and experientially the
omnipotence and sufficiency of His Name El Shaddai. The timeless principle
that
obedience leads to greater knowledge is seen in Jesus' words...
"If any man is willing to do
His (God's) will (walk before Him and
be blameless), he shall know
(ginosko - knowing that goes beyond mere facts, and is even used to
describe the intimate knowing of a husband and wife) of the teaching (the
stabilizing truths inherent in
His Name El Shaddai)...." (John
7:17)
Perhaps you don't intimately know God
as your El Shaddai because you have hesitated to give Him your whole
hearted obedience.
Would you not be willing to say "not
my will be done but Thine" and reap the wonderful reward of really knowing
El Shaddai as your Omnipotent, Sufficient God even today?
Read
the
testimony of the
psalmist who quotes God...
Because He has loved Me,
therefore I will deliver (Lxx =
rhuomai) him. I will set him securely on high (sagab
= same word
as "safe" [07682] in
Pr 18:10),
because he has known (not just the facts but intimately, experientially)
My Name. (Ps
91:14)
And David wrote that...
And those who know (not just the facts
but intimately, experientially know) Thy Name will put
their trust in Thee, for Thou, O LORD, hast not forsaken those who seek
Thee. (Ps
9:10)
Spurgeon comments on the two
preceding
psalms...
(Ps
91:14) I
will set him on high, because he hath known My Name. The man has known
the attributes of God so as to trust in Him, and then by experience has
arrived at a yet deeper knowledge, this shall be regarded by the Lord as a
pledge of His grace, and He will set the owner of it above danger or fear,
where he shall dwell in peace and joy. None abide in intimate fellowship
with God unless they possess a warm affection towards God, and an
intelligent trust in Him; these gifts of grace are precious in Jehovah's
eyes, and wherever He sees them He smiles upon them. How elevated is the
standing which the Lord gives to the believer. We ought to covet it right
earnestly. If we climb on high it may be dangerous, but if God sets us
there it is glorious.
(Ps
9:10) Ignorance is worst
when it amounts to ignorance of God, and knowledge is best when it
exercises itself upon the name of God. This most excellent knowledge leads
to the most excellent grace of faith. O, to learn more of the
attributes and character of God. Unbelief, that hooting night bird,
cannot live in the light of divine knowledge, it flies before the sun of
God's great and gracious Name. If we read this verse literally, there is,
no doubt, a glorious fulness of assurance in the Names of God. (See
Summary Chart on Names of
God)...By
knowing His name is also meant an experimental (experiencing) acquaintance
with the attributes of God (see
Spurgeon's comments on the Attributes of God),
which are every one of them anchors to hold the soul from drifting in
seasons of peril. The Lord may hide His face for a season from His people,
but He never has utterly, finally, really, or angrily forsaken them that
seek Him. Let the poor seekers draw comfort from this fact, and let the
finders rejoice yet more exceedingly, for what must be the Lord's
faithfulness to those who find, if He is so gracious to those who seek.
><>><>><>
See also...
Shaddai - Psalm 91
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Notes on
El Shaddai |
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Shaddai (07706) (Shadday)
means Almighty, most powerful. As alluded to in the preceding table and
elaborated on in more detail in the following notes, the Name Shaddai
conveys the truth on the one hand that He is omnipotent and on the
other that He is sufficient. El Shaddai = God Almighty the
ever-present God who protects and provides, presents Himself as the One
who makes a covenant with a human being named Abraham.
There are 48 OT
uses of Shaddai (see below) and in every use the reference is to God. Approximately one third of
these uses of Shaddai are translated in the
LXX
by the
Greek word
pantokrator (see below).
Lest we become too dogmatic in our
interpretation of the etymological derivation of Shaddai, Davison
makes a cogent point noting that...
The exact origin, history, and
etymology of the name (Shaddai) are highly debated. Traditionally, it has
been connected to Hebrew šādad, “deal mightily with,” but the verb
actually has the connotation “deal violently.” Other scholars associate it
with Assyrian šadu, “mountain” or “high,” thus rendering the Hebrew as
“High God” or “God of the Mountains.” The usual English translation,
“Almighty,” derives from the rendering of the Hebrew in the LXX (Ed
note: See pantokrator
below) and Vulgate (Ed note:
E.g., Genesis 17:1 = "ego Deus omnipotens")., which was a free
translation of what was by then an obscure term. (Eerdman's Dictionary of
the Bible)
There are some authorities (most
notably Nathan Stone - see
note)
(or see notes below) who feel
that the Hebrew Shaddai is derived from the Hebrew word shad which means
breast (an etymology also made popular by the Scofield Reference Bible). If this is valid, it in turn suggests that Shaddai might signify
the one who nourishes or supplies. El Shaddai then would be the one who is
able to pour out His promises of provision and power in abundance. Those
who hold to this interpretation call attention to Genesis 49 where we read
of Joseph (as Jacob is preparing to die)...
But his bow remained firm, and his arms
were agile, from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the
Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), from the God ('El) of your father who helps you
(cp notes
Jehovah Ezer - LORD our Helper),
and by the Almighty (Shaddai) who blesses you with blessings of
heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the
breasts (Hebrew = shad) and of the womb. (Genesis
49:24, 25)
In this passage note that it is 'El
Who gives strength to the arms, and it is the Almighty or
Shaddai Who brings the blessings of the breast and the womb,
including the blessing of the promised seed from the line of Abraham.
Nevertheless while the meaning of Shaddai as the God Who nourishes and Who blesses
the breasts and the womb is certainly a possible derivation, many commentators do not
favor this etymology.
John Davis in Grace Journal
(Volume 4) writes that...
The basic understanding of the
conservative view is that the name “El Shaddai” is of divine, not natural
origin. The name, it is asserted, was revealed by God, and not conceived
by man. While all conservative scholars agree on this basic principle,
there is little agreement as to the etymology and significance of this
name in relation to the patriarchs. There are four basic views in this
regard. The first view is that Shaddai comes from the root šādad
(shadad) “to be strong” or “powerful.” This view seems to be the more
popular. The emphasis, therefore, in respect to the patriarchs, is that of
God’s power and strength. Oehler favors this view in his Theology of the
Old Testament.
The second view of the name Shaddai is that its root is šādad (shadad)
“to destroy” or “to terrify.” This view is held by Mack.
The third view maintains that Shaddai comes from a compound word (from še
(šer) and day which in Hebrew means “sufficiency.” For a statement of
this view compare John Calvin.
The fourth, and not too well accepted view is that proposed by the
Scofield Bible. This view contends that the name comes from šad which has
primary reference to the female breast. The name, therefore, signified
nourishment and strength to the Patriarchs.
Wayne House writes that El
Shaddai means
"The God of Strength" Probably related
to the word “Mountain” and suggests the power or strength of God. This
name also emphasizes God’s covenant keeping nature (Ge 17:1)... Some
feel Shaddai is derived from a root that refers to a mother’s breast,
sustaining a newborn infant. If so, it conveys love, tenderness, mercy,
all that a mother is to a dependent newborn, God is to his children... Job
chastened by God. God often corrects His own to make them fruitful. Used
this way in the book of Job 31 times. Job was a “perfect” man. God
wanted to refine him still more, make him even more fruitful. And by the
end of the book, God had given to Job more than he had to begin with. (H.
Wayne House: Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine, Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 1992)
Louis Berkhof (Systematic Theology)
points out that whereas God as El Shaddai is indeed presented as
the all-powerful One who overpowers nature, the name, where it occurs in
the Bible, does not present God as an object of fear or terror, but rather
as a source of blessing and comfort.
The NET Bible has a good summary
of Shaddai noting that...
Heb “Shaddai”; traditionally “the
Almighty.” The etymology and meaning of this divine name is uncertain but
its significance is clear. It may be derived from:
(1) Shadad, “to be strong”,
cognate to Arabic sdd, meaning “The Strong One” or “Almighty”;
(2) Shadah, “mountain”, cognate
to Akkadian shadu, meaning “The Mountain Dweller” or “God of the
Mountains”;
(3) Shadad, “to devastate” and
shad, “destroyer”, Akkadian Shedum, meaning “The Destroyer” or “The
Malevolent One”; or
(4) She “who” plus diy,
“sufficient”, meaning “The One Who is Sufficient” or “All-Sufficient One”
(HALOT 1420-22).
In terms of use, Shaddai (or El
Shaddai) is presented as the sovereign king/judge of the world Who grants
life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis He blesses the patriarchs with
fertility and promises numerous descendants.
Outside Genesis He blesses/protects and
also takes away life/happiness. In (Ruth 1:20) in light of Naomi's
emphasis on God's sovereign, malevolent deprivation of her family, one can
understand her use of this name for God. For discussion of this divine
name, see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72.
Wiersbe writes that...
Hebrew scholars traditionally have
interpreted El-Shaddai to mean “God Almighty” or “God All-Sufficient,”
relating it to the Hebrew word for “breast.” Thus He is the God who
nourishes and provides, who sustains and enables. Recent studies have
suggested “the God of the mountain” (strength, stability) or “God my
destroyer” (power against the enemy). (Wiersbe, W. W. Be Authentic. An Old
Testament Study. Victor Pub)
Below are all 48 uses of Shaddai
in Scripture. Observe that 31 uses occur in Job where 16 of these
uses are translated in the
Septuagint
with the Greek word
pantokrator
and 3 uses are translated with the Greek adjective
hikanos
which means sufficient, adequate, enough, able, competent, qualified. In
summary, when one compares the way Shaddai is translated in the
Septuagint
, two main ideas emerge...
SHADDAI
All powerful
All sufficient
Genesis 17:1 Now when Abram was
ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am
God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.
Genesis 28:3 (Isaac
called Jacob and blessed him saying) "And may God
Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you
may become a company of peoples.
Comment: Note that El Shaddai is
found in passages such as this one that report God’s promises of
fertility, land, and abundance to those in covenant with Him, indicating
that He, the Almighty Omnipotent One, could fulfill those promises.
Genesis 35:9 Then God
appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him.10 And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called
Jacob, But Israel shall be your name." Thus He called him Israel.
Genesis 35:11 God also said to him, "I am
God Almighty
(El Shaddai);
Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come
from you, And kings shall come forth from you. (Here again as with Abram's
name change to Abraham when El Shaddai reaffirmed the covenant, He changes
Jacob's name to Israel and reaffirms the promises made to Abraham and
Isaac).
12 "And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you,
And I will give the land to your descendants after you."
Comment: Note that the land
is not given to the church but to Jacob. The church is never called Jacob
in Scripture. The promises are for a literal land, and El
Shaddai has all power and sufficiency to fulfill these covenant
promises, which He will bring to consummation in the book of the
Revelation, where the God is repeatedly referred to as "The
Almighty" (ho
pantokrator),
the very name that the
LXX
uses repeatedly to translate Shaddai
in the book of Job. El Shaddai affirms the promises of the Land of
Israel to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and fulfills the promise some 4000+
years later following the after the
Great Tribulation or time of Jacob's
trouble . when Messiah
returns as the King of kings to establish His
Millennial Kingdom (click for schematic
picture of this kingdom)
in which He rules for 1000 years.
13 Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him.
14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a
pillar of stone, and he poured out a libation on it; he also poured oil on
it.
15 So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.
Comment: Establishing a
memorial (stone and name of place) was a common component of
covenant in the OT, in this case memorializing the affirmation of the
covenant originally cut with his grandfather Abraham
Genesis 43:14 (Jacob to his sons
preparing to return to Joseph in Egypt)
and may God Almighty
(the One Who is powerful and sufficient to)
grant you compassion in the
sight of the man, that he may release to you your other brother and
Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."
15 So the men took this present, and they took double the money in their
hand, and Benjamin; then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood
before Joseph.
Comment: What is the context?
There is a famine in the land of promise, but Jacob knows that there is no
famine in the name El Shaddai. Jacob realizing that they must have grain,
commits his sons to the covenant care of God Almighty, the One Who is
sufficient for every emergency! In Him there is never any lack.
Do you know Him as Shaddai, not just
in your head but in your heart? Have you found Him sufficient for every
need? Or perhaps we need to ask have you been willing to trust Him to meet
your every need?
Genesis 48:3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, "God
Almighty appeared to me at
Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,
4 and He (El Shaddai reaffirmed the covenant with Abraham and Isaac) said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I
will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your
descendants after you for an everlasting possession.'
Comment: The Land belongs to
Israel. They are back in the Land in unbelief but in the Millennium all
Israel will be saved and occupy the Land promised to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob.
Genesis 49:25
From the God of your
father Who helps you (see related name
Jehovah Ezer: The LORD our Helper),
and by the
Almighty
Who blesses you with blessings
of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the
breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of my
ancestors up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. May they be on
the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of the one distinguished
among his brothers.
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