El Shaddai

 

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, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:1-8 ESV).

 

The origins of the Hebrew word shaddai are unknown, but most scholars believe this word means “almighty” or “most powerful.” Together with El it gives us the compound name El Shaddai, “God Almighty.” The name El Shaddai first occurs in our reading today (Genesis 17), where God promises to provide Abram a son and to make him into a great nation (cf. Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6). Here God also changes Abram’s name to Abraham, saying, “I have made you a father of many nations”. He speaks in such a way as to indicate that it is an act already accomplished.

 

Imagine how Abram felt when he heard this promise! Later in the story, Abram even “laughed to himself” about it (v. 17). The message of this story is simple: Nothing is impossible for El Shaddai, “God Almighty.” As we continue to read the story of the Bible, we see that from Abram comes Isaac, then Jacob, then the people of Israel, then Jesus the Savior, and from Abraham’s spiritual descendants through Jesus comes the Church (cf. Romans 4-5), which today spans the globe and includes every tribe and tongue. Indeed, nothing is impossible for El Shaddai!

 

Knowing God Almighty, is there anything really “impossible”? When I find myself seemingly backed into a corner I take great encouragement from the truth that God Almighty is my heavenly Father!