El Shaddai Chapter Three

April 13, 2011 at 9:14 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: Bible, Christianity, El Shaddai, Elohim, God, Religion and Spirituality, Rock of Israel

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Chapter Three

 

Almighty God

All Powerful God

All sufficient, the all bountiful

Able to save to the utmost

One who purges, chastens, and judges

 

Bible Verse: Mark 10: 27“With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.

 We have discussed Elohim, Creator, Triune God, and sustainer of the Universe.  He is the Sovereign God who loves us and promised Himself that He would cover His creation with grace and mercy by shedding His own blood for our transgressions. 

 We studied the mighty Jehovah, who revealed Himself as I Am Who I Am, faithful forever.  He is eternal, unchangeable, and permanent.    He gave His breath to mankind, but could not leave His Holy breath in sinful man because He is righteous and loves justice.  He loves us but must judge our sins according to His Holy standards.  Because he loves us…because He is also known as Elohim; He is full of mercy. He provided a way for us to receive His breath again in the form of the Holy Spirit.

 The third Name of God we will study is El Shaddai (El Shah Die) Almighty God, omnipresence, transcendence, nourisher, strength giver, satisfier, all sufficient, who makes us fruitful. All bountiful, able to save to the uttermost, chastens, purges, judges.

 There are two schools of thought regarding the origin of the Name El Shaddai.  Many scholars believe El Shaddai comes from a word that means powerful, strong, and able to do violence, powerful enough to set aside the laws of nature or the ordinary course of nature to fulfill His purpose. 

 Look up these Scriptures and list ways El Shaddai set aside the laws of Nature to fulfill His purpose.

1.   Joshua 10:1-13 There are two mighty acts of El Shaddai in these verses.  Write them in your own words.

 

 

 

2.      Isaiah 38:1-7    

 

 

^3.           Exodus 14:21  

 

^4.          I Kings 17:1-6  There are two mighty acts of El Shaddai in this passage.

 

 

 

 

^5.           I Kings 17:7-16 

 

 

^6.           Judges 6:38-40   

 

 

 

 

7.      Joshua 6:1:20  

 

 

 

8.  2 Kings 4:32-35 

 

9.  Genesis 21

Other scholars believe El Shaddai is derived from a word that means breast in both the masculine (broad shoulders) and feminine (nourisher) sense.  One who nourishes, satisfies, and supplies.  When used with the word “El”, it means the God who “sheds forth” or pours out sustenance and blessings.  He is all sufficient and all bountiful. 

Genesis 49:24-25 uses this analogy when Jacob blesses his sons. 

²⁴ But his bow remained steady,
   his strong arms stayed limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One(El Shaddai) of Jacob,
   because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
²⁵ because of your father’s God, who helps you,
   because of the Almighty, (El Shaddai) who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
   blessings of the deep springs below,
   blessings of the breast and womb.

 

 In the following verses, Isaiah refers to the blessings of the breast as coming from God when telling the Israelites to rejoice in their redemption and restoration.

Isaiah 60:15-16 “Although you have been forsaken and hated,
   with no one traveling through,
I will make you the everlasting pride
   and the joy of all generations.
¹⁶ You will drink the milk of nations
   and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know that I, the LORD(El Shaddai), am your Savior,
   your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

In this context the name speaks of God’s all sufficiency.  Like a child at its mother’s breast, God’s creation is safe and secure in the knowledge that it has everything it needs to survive-love, warmth, and nourishment.  We are the child, safe and secure in the Father’s arms, confident that El Shaddai is all sufficient for us in all situations.

Look up these Scriptures in the Old Testament that show El Shaddai  nourishing, satisfying, supplying blessings for His people and list how El Shaddai proved His all sufficiency.

Write them in your own words.

10. Exodus 12   

 

 

 

11.Exodus 2:1-10

12. Exodus 16,

 

 

13. Exodus 15:22 -26 

 

14. Genesis 45

 

 

 

Psalm 34:4-10 ⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
   he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
   their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
   he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
   and he delivers them.

 ⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good;
   blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
   for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
   but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

If we look for Him, we will know with certainty that He supplies, satisfies and is all sufficient to overcome our fears, save us from our troubles, and shame. We will find that He is good. He is a place of refuge.  He is all bountiful and we need nothing and will have every good thing because He is all sufficient and all bountiful. 

RC Sproul commenting on El Shaddai writes that…”When God revealed himself by this name to the patriarchs in Genesis he focused on his power, revealing himself as the God who makes and keeps His promises.  It was a name that demanded faith in what was coming but not yet; the God behind the promise was sufficient for now, even if the fulfillment of the promises could not be seen…God makes promises, and God is mighty to perform them.  God is strong enough to accomplish everything He has said He will do.  He has the power to fulfill every promise He has made to His people.  Isn’t this where our faith tends to fail?”(Sproul, R. Vol 3: Before the Face of God)

 When El Shaddai revealed Himself to Abram, it was as the God who is omnipotent. He is able to do anything.  That includes making a way for us to walk in His sight in a way that pleases Him.  He can provide a way for us to walk blameless before Him.  Abram knew the names Jehovah and El Shaddai, but He did not know the full significance of the names.  He could only understand as events unfolded before Him.  We have an advantage.  We understand Him more each page of the Bible as we see Him reveal Himself to the Israelites.  As we watch events unfold in their History, we see who He is, what His purpose is, and we learn His ways.

Genesis 17:1-2  ¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty^(El Shaddai); walk before me faithfully and be blameless. ² Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers God confirms His promise to give Abram heirs that would become a great nation.  But God waited until the promise was totally beyond fulfillment by man before He acted.  Only El Shaddai can go against the course of nature and revive the dead bodies of Abram and Sarai so they would know without a doubt that God alone did the deed. 

Jacob had to become lame before he could go back to the Land of Promise and face Esau.  The old Jacob would surely have claimed he did it by himself…through his wit and cunning.  Our salvation comes the same way.  We must be careful because our meddling and pride can get in the way and produce the kind of disastrous results that Abram and Sarai experienced.  Results that were so far reaching that they affect us today.  When Abram and Sarai decided to get a child by their own works, the result was Ishmael whose twelve sons would make a great nation (Geneses 25:12-16 ¹² This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.

 ¹³ These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.)

They would have a violent nature (Genesis 16:12 ¹² He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” and in the last days would lay claim to the land which God had given to their brothers, the Jews.  (Ezekiel 35:5, 10; 36:2,5 ⁵ “‘Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax,

¹⁰ “‘Because you have said, “These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession of them,” even though I the LORD was there,

² This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The enemy said of you, “Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession.”’

⁵ this is what the Sovereign LORD says: In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.’ )

 We have seen those prophesies become reality in our own time.  Rest assured that El Shaddai, Almighty God will fulfill the prophesy of Joel 3:19¹⁹ But Egypt will be desolate,    Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.

and Ezekiel 35:10-11,15 ¹⁰ “‘Because you have said, “These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession of them,” even though I the LORD was there, ¹¹ therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and I will make myself known among them when I judge you.

¹⁵ Because you rejoiced when the inheritance of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”

 Egypt and Edom(Arab Nations) will be dealt with in the end times because of hateful actions against the Jews.

His grace and mercy is sufficient even to the Arabs according to Isaiah 19:16-25.  Isaiah says that those who persecuted the Israelites will turn to God when He strikes them in His anger. He will have compassion on them and “Heal them” and we will see a time when Egypt and the Arabs will live in peace with Israel.  El Shaddai is all sufficient and has the power to bring about whatever He wills.

 

 (It is interesting to note that many breasted idols of ancient heathens have been found all over the world.  The Egyptian goddess Isis and the idol at Ephesus of Dana were covered with breasts because she was thought to nourish the earth and everything else.)

It seems to me that both schools of thought are valid in that One who is powerful, all sufficient, and all bountiful would be able to nourish that which he created.  Because He is Almighty, He should be able to overcome the Nature He created to bring about His will.  Nothing would be able to stand against His purpose.  The Bible tells us that He is able to subdue all things to Himself.  Philippians 3:21 ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

In conclusion, El Shaddai is enough for all His people since in Him is infinity.  Psalm 91: 1  ¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty(El Shaddai)  His protection is infinite and forever, sufficient and abundant, powerful and tender.  He can be and do anything He wants to for His creation because He is Almighty God, El Shaddai.