EL SHADDAI….GOD ALMIGHTY. BE BLESSED!!!!!
In 1982, Amy Grant made the song “El Shaddai” famous. Though written by Michael Card and John Thompson for Card’s 1981 debut album, the God-honoring song is more closely associated with Grant. As she sang, “Age to age you’re still the same, by the power of the name,” she magnified God Almighty—the wonderful “El Shaddai.” “Dawn Wilson, crosswalk.com“
El shaddai, el shaddai,
El-elyon na adonia,
Age to age you’re still the same,
By the power of the name.
El shaddai, el shaddai,
Erkamka na adonai,
We will praise and lift you high,
El shaddai.
Through your love and through the ram,
You saved the son of Abraham;
Through the power of your hand,
Turned the sea into dry land.
To the outcast on her knees,
You were the God who really sees,
And by your might,
You set your children free.
El Shaddai, El Shaddai,
El-elyon na adonia,
Age to age you’re still the same,
By the power of the name.
El shaddai, el shaddai,
Erkamka na adonai, (I love you, my Lord)
We will praise and lift you high,
El Shaddai.
Through the years you’ve made it clear,
That the time of christ was near,
Though the people couldn’t see
What messiah ought to be.
Though your word contained the plan,
They just could not understand
Your most awesome work was done
Through the frailty of your son.
EL Shaddai/ GOD Almighty
Hebrew scholars traditionally have interpreted El-Shaddai to mean “God Almighty” or “God All-Sufficient.” Additionally, the Hebrew word ‘shad’ denotes the Hebrew word for a woman’s breast.
Therefore; He is the God who nourishes and provides, who sustains and enables.
El Shaddai denotes God’s unlimited power and authority over all creation.
It emphasizes God’s ability to provide everything needed, both physically and spiritually.
God reveals Himself as El Shaddai to build a relationship of trust and dependence with His people.
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 Genesis…
First He revealed Himself as Elohim, The Creator of all things.
Second He revealed Himself as El Elyon, God Most High
Third He reveals Himself as El Shaddai, God Almighty
Studying El Shaddai proves a rich understanding of God’s nature as all powerful, all sufficient and faithful to His promises. It calls believers to trust in His provision and to live in relationship with Him, knowing that He is more than enough for every situation.
In scripture the name El Shaddai is first used during a conversation between God and Abraham (referred to Abram at the time) in Genesis 17. But to fully understand the significance of that conversation, we need to go back a few chapters and look at the origins of God’s relationship with and promise to Abraham.
1. Read Genesis 12:1-3; and verse 7 What do these verses teach us about God? Underline the word WILL each time it appears ~
a. From these verses what WILL God do for Abram?
b. How did Abram respond to God’s instructions? (Verses 4-6)
c. How old was Abram and what city did he leave from?
d. In verses 7 & 8 Abram built an altar ‘to the LORD”. Why would Abram do that? (You will not find the answer in these scriptures, however, building and altar for God was something quite special in the Old Testament.)
God had a mighty plan for Abrams life. God wanted to bless Abram.
A blessing is God’s favor expressed to you in order to bring Him Glory. But a blessing never involves only what God does for you. He also wants to bless others through you. The blessing must go full circle. Its what God does for you so that the blessing can flow through you to others. “Tony Evans”
God’s blessing through Abram was to spread so that “all peoples on the earth” would be blessed through him.
We learn from Genesis 12 that God had a plan for Abram’s life.
Abram was given instructions to follow and with those instructions the Lord promised Abram a son, or a “family” (Genesis 12:3 ~ the Hebrew word for families is mishpachah, which means “a family”)
Our next reading is from Genesis 15, as we follow the trail of Abrams conversations with the Lord.
1. Read Genesis 15:1-8
By this time we can see that Abram must be wondering “when” this family would be starting!! Abram and Sarai were not getting any younger. By now commentators believe that Abram was in his 80’s!
a. In Genesis 15, explain what happened in these 8 verses….
b. Just in case you missed verse 4…what exactly did the Lord say?
Additionally, in the latter part of this chapter, verses 8-21, God makes a Covenant with Abram. When covenants were made, the two parties would kill an animal, cut it in half, and then both of them would walk between the two halves. It was a solemn and symbolic way for each person to say to the other: “If I break this covenant, may the same thing happen to me. May I be destroyed if I don’t keep this covenant.”
But that is not what happens in the covenant between Abram and God. In this covenant, only God passes between the two halves of the animal, not Abram. God is saying to Abram, and by implication to all of God’s people: “This covenant does not depend on your obedience but on Mine”.
By making this Covenant between Abram and Himself, the Lord is confirming (AGAIN!) to Abram by HIS own Word ~ that Abram would have “descendants”!
BUT THEN….
2. Read Genesis 16 ~
WHAT in the world does Abram do? He STILL doesn’t trust the Lord and decides for himself…Abraham just didn’t get the message.
a. Write down a few things from this chapter that Abram and Sarai did.
b. What is your initial reaction to this passage?
Why is it so tempting to “do what Abram did”, and take matters into our own hands, rather than rely on God?
Read Genesis 17:1-5
a. How old is Abram now??
b. WHAT name does God use in this passage
This was the FIRST time that God revealed THIS name to anyone ~“I am God Almighty.” (Notice…the I AM…More on that later!!)
It might not seem “huge” to us at this moment, however this passage has significant meaning to it.
Take some time now to reflect back on the past 24 years of Abrams life….In Genesis 12, timelines have shown that the belief is that Abram was about 75 years old, in Genesis 17 we discover that Abram is 99!!
TWENTY FOUR years to wait on God~ WOW!!!!
God tells Abram….
Walk before Me and be blameless
After the proclamation of His name El Shaddai, God then told Abram what was expected of him. God reveals Himself FIRST and then His expectation of Abram.
This communicates the principle that we can only do what God expects of us when we know who He is, and we know it in a full, personal, and real way.
Therefore, we MUST KNOW GOD and WHO He is!!!
The word blameless in Genesis 17:1, literally means “whole.”
God wanted all of Abram, a total commitment.
How or what has the Lord asked of you?
What are you willing to give up in order to become “whole’ or “blameless” before the Lord, like Abraham??
Suggested Memory Verse ~
Genesis 17:1b, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me and be blameless”
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