EL SHADDAI - ALMIGHTY AND
ALL SUFFICIENCY
In the Bible, El
Shaddai is one of the names used for God. It’s mostly translated
“Almighty,” but that doesn’t give the full picture. Wilson’s Old
Testament Word Studies tells us that many Hebrew scholars say El
Shaddai is derived from two words, “sufficiency” and the prefix “who is,”
showing God’s infinite sufficiency for all beings. Other scholars say El
Shaddai is derived from a word meaning “breast,” indicating that God is All
Bountiful. Think about it. When a baby breastfeeds, what does the little one
get? Plenty of good nourishment, for one thing, until he or she is satisfied.
The baby also gets antibodies that protect the baby from getting diseases and
fight the disease if it attacks. The breast of the mother also gives great
comfort to the little one and a connection with one who deeply loves them.
Whenever we are studying a
word or phrase in the Bible, God set it up so that we learn a great deal about
the meaning of the word by looking at the first place it’s used. The first
usage of the Hebrew El Shaddai is found in Genesis 17:1:
“When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. He said
to Abram, ‘I am God Almighty. Live in my presence with integrity.’”
The word
“Almighty” here is El Shaddai. The Almighty God told Abram to live in God’s
presence with integrity. Like the phrase my grandparents often used, “Honest to
God.” Other translations read: “Always do what’s right,” “Be blameless.”
God was
telling Abram to be honest and do what’s right because He, El Shaddai, was
going to take care of all the things Abram needed. It wasn’t worthwhile for
Abram to have to live any other way. Nothing he could get by fraud, stealing,
or lack of honesty would be better than what El Shaddai would give him.
El
Shaddai was going to be his sufficiency in all things. El Shaddai would be more
than bountiful to him; He would supply endless nourishment; He would give Abram
every weapon he would need to triumph over any enemy. And El Shaddai was going
to be Abram’s intimate companion forever. What in the world could be better
than that?!
But like in any generation
or nation, we are continually presented with opportunities to serve other gods:
Indian, Buddhist, and, more recently, the sly insertion of self as a god.
Abram, too, was presented
with many opportunities to choose another god. In fact, he came from a family
that worshipped other gods: “Thus
saith the Lord God of Israel, ‘Your
fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor:
and they served other gods’” (Josh. 24:2).
But Abraham chose
our God, El Shaddai, and our God promised to be his strength, protection, and
endless sufficiency.
Choosing to serve our God
is a free-will choice. In New Testament times, just like in any other time,
people turned away from the one true God and began to mix their attention and
loyalties to other activities and ties that were not connected to the will and
ways of the true God.
We find in 2 Corinthians 6
that Paul is inspired by God to remind the followers of Christ to turn back to
El Shaddai. In this passage, Paul speaks the words of our God. First, he gives
them instructions on what to do and then the why. And the why includes the very
same usage of the word used for God in the Old Testament with Abram: El Shaddai,
translated Lord Almighty in the following passage. God wants His followers to
come back to Him as their father, provider, protecter, and all sufficiency in
all things.
So Paul prophesies: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with
Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement
hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as
God hath said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I
will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and
I will receive you and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty’” (2 Cor. 6:14-18).
Let’s heed the Apostle Paul's prophecy and get back to
recognizing and knowing our wonderful father, El Shaddai, like Abraham did—All sufficiency,
All Bountiful, Endless nourishment, Supplying every weapon we would ever need,
and lntimate companion forever.
Love,
Carolyn
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