NOG 04 - Genesis 17_1-8 El Shaddai

Genesis 17:1-6

EL SHADDAI: THE NAME OF HIS MIGHT

Intro: The life of Abraham is a study in faithfulness. From the time God called Abraham to follow him from Ur of the Chaldees until Abraham died over 100 years later, Abraham was faithful. Abraham wasn’t perfect, but he was faithful. When he failed, Abraham got back up and continued to walk with God. Abraham trusted in the promises of God to take care of him and his people. Abraham trusted God to give him a son when there was no physical way he and Sarah could have a child. Abraham trusted God to save his soul. Abraham trusted God for every piece of money he possessed, every morsel of bread he ate, every scrap of land he owned, every step he took, and for every other part of his life. Abraham’s life was a life of faith from beginning to end.

But, even the faithful have times when they falter, times when they entertain doubts. This was Abraham’s experience. Back in Genesis 12:2, when God first called Abraham to leave his homeland to go to Canaan, God made Abraham a wonderful promise. God said, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing”. This was God’s promise to Abraham he would be the father of a great nation.

Keep in mind, Abraham is around 75 years old when this promise is made. God would reaffirm this promise more than once as the years passed, Genesis 13:16; 15:4-6, but after years had passed, there were still no children. In an effort to help God out a little, Sarah suggested Abraham take an Egyptian slave girl by the name of Hagar to be his concubine. He could have children with Hagar and Sarah would claim the child as hers. This is what they did and a son named Ishmael was born, Genesis 16. Abraham, a man whom Paul said, “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief” (Romans 4:20), in response to God’s promises in Genesis 15:1-5, now stops listening for the voice of God and as Genesis 16:2 says, “hearkened to the voice of Sarai”. As we all know, this complex relationship did nothing but bring trouble into Abraham’s home. Their lack of faith is still haunting the world today.

It’s been nearly 25 years since God promised Abraham he would have a son. But, here has been no son. Abraham is a man in limbo. He is waiting for God to fulfill a promise God made to him a quarter of a century earlier. I would image Abraham is a bit discouraged and disillusioned by God’s delay in fulfilling his promises. God knows Abraham’s heart. He knows what his man needs, and God steps in to meet the need.

In this passage, God meets Abraham’s need for reassurance by revealing a new name for himself to Abraham. In verse 1, God says “I am the Almighty God”. The name “Almighty God” translates the Hebrews words “El Shaddai”. This is the name I want to explore today. This name for God appears 48 times in the Old Testament. 31 of those times, “El Shaddai” is used in the book of Job. “El Shaddai” is most often found during the time of the Patriarchs, before the Law was given.

One way for us to understand better who God is is by learning his names. Each name for God given to us in the Bible is a new window into the nature of God. Each name for God in the Bible reveals another aspect of his glorious character. Each name revealed for God in the Bible teaches more about who he is, what he is like, and what he is able to do. This is why we are learning about the names of God in the Old Testament.

Let’s explore the name “El Shaddai” today. This is The Name Of His Might. I want you to see our God, our “El Shaddai” is self-sufficient and all-sufficient. I want you to see He is all you need. Our understanding of God as “El Shaddai” will help us trust in him and rest in him more completely. So, let’s take some time to talk about “El Shaddai: The Name Of His Might”. Notice a couple of thoughts from this text which will help us learn a little more about who our God is.

I. THE REVELATION OF THIS NAME

Notice the last verse of Genesis 16. This verse says, “And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram,” Genesis 16:16. Abraham was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born. The first verse of Genesis 17 says, “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram,” Genesis 17:1. In this passage Abraham is ninety-nine years old. Thirteen years have passed since Abraham last heard from the Lord. Thirteen years! Imagine how the long years of silence stretched one into another. One can understand the sense of desperation Abraham and Sarah must have felt as they waited for God to fulfill his promises to them. One can almost understand the desperation which caused them to take matters into their own hands to make a child happen. Almost!

God didn’t need their help. God was operating one a different time table. God fully intended to keep His promise the Abraham, but God was waiting to do it when all hope of human involvement was gone. God was waiting until the birth of Isaac would be a complete miracle. God knew what he was doing, and Abraham and Sarah did nothing but cause trouble when they got involved.

The same is true when we try to rush God too. When we try to force events to happen when we want them to, we aren’t helping God, we are getting in his way. God doesn’t need our help. When the time is right, God will do what he has promised. He will do it in his time. He will do it right on time, and he will never be early or late. When God does it, it will be right. When we take charge, it will be wrong every time.

Think of it. Thirteen years had passed since Abraham had heard from God. His faith was just like our, and it wavered some. Can you imagine thirteen years passing with never a word from God? Think about it. Abraham did not have a Bible to read. He was not indwelled by the Holy Spirit. He didn’t have a church to attend. He didn’t have many believers around him with which to fellowship. He didn’t have a pastor. He didn’t have the Internet, Christian radio, or good books to read. All he had was a promise which was twenty-five years old, and nothing else. Plus, it had been thirteen years since he had heard from God.

If we go a couple of days and don’t hear from God we wonder what is wrong. We have a few weeks of dead church services, of dull devotions, and we are ready to quit.

Abraham spent thirteen years waiting on the Lord to speak to him. Abraham’s faith in God is amazing. After thirteen years of silence, the old Patriarch is still walking with God and he is still looking for God to fulfill his promises. After thirteen years of heavenly silence, Abraham still believed God.

Eventually, in God’s time, God did speak. This passage records what God said when he finally showed up. God comes to Abraham and he says, “I am the Almighty God”. God calls himself by the name “El Shaddai”. We have already talked about the word “El”. “El” means “first or supreme, or God” and it was a common name for deity in ancient times. Both pagans and true believers used this name to refer to the God they worshipped. God doesn’t just identify himself as “El”, or “first our supreme”, God identifies himself also as “Shaddai”.

The word “Shaddai” is a word traditionally translated as “Almighty” which is how the King James translates it. Thus, “El Shaddai” is translated as “God Almighty”.

The word “Shaddai” comes from a Hebrew word which has several meanings. Let me share some of those meanings with your today.

“Shaddai” means “unchangeable” - God is identified as a God who never changes, Malachi 3:6; James 1:17. God is always the same. He does not possess the capacity to change on any level. God is the same as He has always been. His power, his grace, his mercy, his love, his abilities, never change. God is the same today as he has always been, and he will never change. You can rest in his immutability.

“Shaddai” means “invincible” - God cannot be defeated by his enemies. No one, not even the devil, will ever come close to overcoming God or his will. He is absolutely invincible. You can rest in his invincibility.

“Shaddai” means “to be strong” - This is why “El Shaddai” is usually translated “God Almighty”. God has “all power in heaven and in earth,” Matthew 28:18. Nothing is “too hard” for him, Jeremiah 32:17. God can do “any thing,” Job 42:2. This is why the angel Gabriel said, “For with God nothing shall be impossible,” Luke 1:37. God has all power, and he unleashes his power to accomplish his will in the world, and on behalf of his people. Abraham must have wondered how a ninety-nine year old man could father a child. He must have wondered how an eighty-nine year old woman could give birth. But, when he was one hundred and Sarah was ninety, he found out. God is “El Shaddai”, and He can accomplish anything he pleases. You can rest in his power.

“Shaddai” comes from a word which means “mountain” - The mountains rising above the flat plains convey a sense of power. Mountains a symbol of strength. The image of God as a mountain reminds us none stands higher than God. The image of God as a mountain reminds us no one has the power God has. He is “he is the rock that is higher then” us, Psalm 61:2. God “is the rock of my refuge,” Psalm 94:22. You can rest in your refuge.

“Shaddai” comes from a word which means “to pour out” - This is a picture of God’s ability to bless His people. He pours out his blessings upon the lives of his children in abundant fashion. This week Joan and I have seen God’s ability to “pour our” his blessings into our lives. God blesses us materially, Philippians 4:19; Matthew 6:25-33. God blesses us spiritually, Ephesians 1:3. You can rest in his ability to bless you.

“Shaddai” comes from a word which means “breast” - Many ancient religions depicted their head goddess by making female idols covered with many breasts. The Egyptians had Isis. The Romans Dinah. The Greeks had Artemis. They were covered with many breasts to symbolize their ability to comfort, supply, sustain, and supply their followers. “Shaddai” is plural, which refers to more than one breast.

It is ironic to see God, who is always described as a male, called “El Shaddai”, or “the many-breasted one”. Yet, such an image is fitting. A mother’s breasts are designed by God as a means of supporting life. The milk produced by a mother’s breasts have the power to supply the nutrition needs by her child, sustain the child as he or she grows, and satisfy the hunger they feel day by day. A mother’s breasts are a place of comfort for a child. How many of us can remember our mothers pulling us close in a time of fear and danger, offering comfort to us when we needed it.

God does the same for His people.

God comforts us when we were hurting, 1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 4:16.

God sustains us when we are weary, Matthew 11:28.

God satisfies us when we are hungry, Psalm 103:5; 107:9.

God supplies us with everything we need to be holy, healthy, and happy in this life. “Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord,” Psalms 144:15.

Our God is “El Shaddai”. He is “God Almighty, the Many-Breasted One”. He has everything his children need. He has everything you need.

Rest in him and be satisfied.

Rest in him and be nurtured.

Rest in him and be comforted.

Rest in him be supplied.

Rest in him and be filled.

Rest in him and be happy.

I. The Revelation Of This Name

II. THE RESPONSE TO THIS NAME

God reveals himself to Abraham as “El Shaddai”. Then God tells Abraham how he is to respond to “El Shaddai”. Everything God does for us he does because he loves us and because it is his nature to do those things for his children. Yet, he does expect those who know him to respond to him in a manner befitting who he is. What God tells Abraham in this passage is what God expects from us as well.

God gives Abraham, and the rest of his followers, a two-fold command to follow. Notice what God expects from his people.

He expects us to walk before him - In the past, Abraham had walked before Sarah, and he had walked before Hagar, now God calls Abraham back to walk before God. The phrase “walk before me” refers to having a perpetual sense of the presence of God. Abraham was to be aware of God’s presence every second of his life. He was to understand that every action, word, and thought was being done before the very face of God. We sees it all, and we are to walk in with a constant awareness of his presence. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good,” Proverbs 15:3.

The mark of the truly sanctified individual is they live every moment as if they were standing before throne of God itself. The holy saint realizes the eye of God never sleeps and is always upon him seeing everything he thinks, says, or does. We are to ever keep in mind who God is, and we are walk, move, and act, as if we are always in the immediate presence of God, because we are.

Remember as a child how you would act differently around your parents or other adults? If the grownups were there you acted one way, if the grownups were absent, you acted another way. The presence of your parents or other adults changed what you did, because you knew they could see you and were watching. Sometime I think we forget God is always watching and He sees everything we do. What a change it would make in our lives if we lived every second with the awareness of God’s presence and of his eyes upon us.

Most of humanity lacks the awareness of God’s presence with us, and his observation of us. Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “Of the most of mankind I may say, without being censorious, that if there were no God their course of action would not be different from what it is, for they do not feel themselves either restrained or constrained by any sense of the divine presence”. This is why people live the wicked lives they do. The psalmist said, “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes,” Psalms 36:1. People live as though God does not see, does not hear, and does not know. But he does see. He does hear. He does know. He will hold us accountable for the lives we live.

Let us ever walk before “El Shaddai” and be aware of his imitate knowledge of all we do. He has been so good to us, the least we can do is “walk before” him.

He expects us to be perfect - The word “perfect” does not mean to be sinless. While we may desire to be free from the taint of sin, we will never be completely free until we leave this flesh behind. The word “perfect” means “to be upright, or sincere”. God tells Abraham to “walk with me and be sincere”.

This word carries the idea of being transparent. It is a command to be real. Abraham is commanded to put aside hypocrisy, pretense, and deceit. He is commanded to be as transparent as a pane of glass. There is to be nothing in us which we attempt to hide from God or other people. We are to be genuine. We are to be what we claim to be. We are to be a people who hate sin, who hate lying, who hate deception, who refuse to operate for selfish motives. We are to be who we claim to be. We claim to be the people of God. We say the Lord has saved us by His grace and made us “new creatures” in Christ Jesus. We are different. The Lord says, “Be who you claim you are. Let your walk match your talk. Be real. Don’t pretend to be one thing around one person and something else around another. Be genuine. Be transparent”.

In 1 Peter 2:15-16, Peter writes, “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God”. Verse 16 means, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God”. “El Shaddai” wants His people to be who they claim to be.

When Abraham hears the Lord’s name and what the Lord expects, he falls before God in humble submission. This is what God wants from us too.

Conc: About a year after this encounter, the Lord allowed Abraham and Sarah to enjoy a miracle. He was one hundred, she was ninety, but they had a baby. God was fulfilling all the promises he made to Abraham, promises God reaffirmed to Abraham here in Genesis 17:4-8. Abraham witnessed the fulfillment of God’s promises not because there was something good in Abraham, but because God was as good as His Word. He was Abraham’s “El Shaddai”, and he comforted, supplied, sustained, and satisfied his servant.

God is our “El Shaddai” too. He will honor his Word. He will keep his promises. He will comfort his people. He will supply us, sustain us, and satisfy us. All he asks in return is for us to “walk before” him and be “perfect”.

I am sure there are people here today who need to hear from “El Shaddai”. I am sure there are people here who need to be reminded of who God is. If you need to be comforted, if you need to be supplied, if you need to be sustained, if you need to be satisfied, “El Shaddai” is more than able to do everything you need him to do. Come before him and talk to him. He won’t make you wait thirteen years before he answers. His answer is as close as your request.

I am sure there are people here who need to move closer to him. You need to work on walking before him. You need to to work on being upright before him. If he has spoken to you in this area, won’t you listen to his voice and come to him?

Some here probably need to meet “El Shaddai”. Come to him and you will find he is a God who saves the lost with just as much ability as he meets the needs of his people.