Mensa Otabil - El-Shaddai
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This week, we are looking at the names of God. We have examined the name of God from Genesis chapter one as the Creator, God Elohim, and we have explored another revelation of God as the Most High God, El Elyon. Today, we will consider another name of God that describes an aspect of Him: El Shaddai, found in Genesis chapter 17, verse 1.
When Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said to him, «I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.» As we’ve said, the Bible, specifically the Old Testament, was written primarily in Hebrew, so the names of God we are discussing are the names of God as they appear in the Bible in the Hebrew language. In English, we read, «I am Almighty God,» but in Hebrew it is El Shaddai. God revealed Himself to Abraham as El Shaddai, the All-Powerful One. In English, we sometimes say «the Almighty One»; He is all-sufficient, the absolute ruler, and He can do all things.
When Melchizedek met Abraham, he revealed God to Abraham as the Most High God, but now God Himself is revealing Himself to Abraham. This is not Abraham guessing who God is; instead, God declares, «This is who I am: I am El Shaddai, I am the Almighty God.»
It’s a very interesting revelation of God because He comes to Abraham at a time when Abraham is 99 years old. If you know the story of Abraham, he has been waiting for a child with his wife Sarah for many years. The years have come and gone, and he has given up hope of having a child with Sarah. Then, at 99 years of age, at the most hopeless stage of his life, God says, «Listen, Abraham, I am El Shaddai, so don’t count Me out; I’m not finished with you yet.» I believe God is saying the same to someone: «I am El Shaddai; I’m not through with you yet.»
El Shaddai has two main meanings. First, it means He is all-sufficient; He satisfies all our longings. In Him dwells all the fullness, and out of His fullness, we receive. This gives the idea of someone who has so much and has more to give and never runs out. He is the God who never faces shortages, El Shaddai. He satisfies the hungry soul; He nourishes the weary. When you are hungry and weary, He has so much to supply you because He never runs out of fullness.
The second meaning of El Shaddai is «the Almighty One.» In the Bible, the term Almighty is applied only to God. He has all the power to do all He wants to do. He is telling Abraham, «Don’t allow age and time to stop Me, because I have all the power to do everything I want to do.» What does that mean? It means there is nothing that God wants to do that He cannot do.
We all have things we want to do that we can’t accomplish. For instance, you might wish you had a billion dollars, but you don’t. You might wish you could live on Mars, but that is not possible. There are so many things we wish we could do, like traveling to the sun and back to see how hot it is and survive it. But that’s not possible. However, El Shaddai, whatever He imagines to do, He has the power to accomplish. He can do whatever He says He wants to do. I am El Shaddai, and it is as El Shaddai that He speaks to Abraham, at 99 years old, renewing Abraham’s strength and revitalizing Sarah’s womb. Out of two impossible conditions, El Shaddai provided them with a son.
This same God has not stopped being El Shaddai; He is still El Shaddai. He is the Almighty God, the One who has all the nourishment we need. When we have Him, there is nothing else we need. He is our satisfaction and has the power to do all that He wants to do. There is nothing He wishes to accomplish that He cannot do. He is the All-Powerful One, and He is still our God. He is the same One we worship, and may He show Himself to you this morning and this day as El Shaddai.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You are the All-Sufficient One. In You, all my needs are met. I trust You to fulfill Your Word to me. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» I’ll catch you again tomorrow; I am Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.