Monday, April 19
“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” Genesis 17:1
Yahweh had appeared to Abram several times before (Genesis 12:1, 7; Genesis 13:14; Genesis 15:1, 7, 18). Now, in the above text, Yahweh again appears to Abram (“the LORD appeared to Abram”), presenting Himself as “Almighty God” — a name that is used with two exceptions only in the books of Genesis and Job. The name “Almighty God” consists first of ’El, the basic name for God used among the Semites. Though the exact meaning of Shaddai is not entirely certain, the translation “Almighty” seems the most accurate. (Compare Isaiah 13:6 and Joel 1:15.) The crucial idea in the use of this name seems to be that of contrasting the might and power of God with the weakness and frailty of humanity.
Read Genesis 17:1-6, which helps place everything in the larger context. Why would the Lord at this time want to stress to Abram His might and power? What was God saying that would require Abram to trust in that might and power? Look particularly at verse six.
A literal translation of Genesis 17:1-6 would be, “Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said, ‘I am ’El-Shaddai; walk before Me, and be thou perfect; and I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly … . And thou shalt be a father of a multitude of nations, … and I will make thee exceedingly fruitful.’ ” This same name appears also in Genesis 28:3, where Isaac says that ’El-Shaddai will bless Jacob, make him fruitful, and multiply him.
A similar promise of ’El-Shaddai is found in Genesis 35:11, Genesis 43:14, and Genesis 49:25, passages which suggest the bountifulness exercised by God: ’El, the God of power and authority, and Shaddai, the God of inexhaustible riches, riches that He is willing to bestow upon those who seek Him in faith and obedience.
It has been said that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, the idea being that the name does not matter. Yet, how much comfort and hope would you have if the Lord’s name was “The Frail God” or “The Weak God”? Look at the text for today. Replace “Almighty God” with these two other names. What would it do for your faith and trust in Him if the Lord were to present Himself to us in that manner? At the same time, how does the name ’El-Shaddai give us comfort?
