But Scripture says God laughs at their silly assertions. The Psalmist wrote about those who contend with and plot against the Father and His anointed Son-trying to claim greater wisdom and power than the Lord of heaven. Though Job initially contended with the Almighty, God’s display of power and wisdom caused the Patriarch to shut his mouth before the Lord’s sovereignty and authority. The name El Shaddai is found repeatedly in the book of Job, and that is no surprise. Ezekiel also mentioned God’s might and power. God told Moses of His encounters with Abraham and Jacob as God Almighty, and He added a new name in Exodus 6:2-3-the LORD. Later, he described to Joseph how the Almighty appeared to him at Luz. Jacob asked God Almighty for mercy for his sons concerning their brother Joseph. We see this name for God in Genesis 17:1 when Abraham spoke with God, and also in Genesis 28:3 and 35:11. Although the surrounding nations had many gods, the Hebrews had one, the Almighty. We discover El Shaddai throughout the years of the Patriarchs. We cannot even imagine all El Shaddai can do! God does “ great and awesome” wonders-miracles! There is nothing too hard Him. He is the everlasting King of heaven and as the Sovereign God, He is answerable to no one! God’s might is far beyond ours because He is eternal-the everlasting God from before time and into the timeless future. God is infinitely a better Constructor than that! Hebrews 3:4 says it this way: “the builder of all things is God.” Think of the greatest construction workers you know and the beautiful things they build. All things were created through the Lord’s power and for Him. “All things were made by Him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” ( John 1:3). He is the Maker of all things in the universe-including humans. The most obvious expression of God’s might is as the Creator. I want to focus on “shaddai” as “almighty." What does “God is Almighty” look like in practical terms? He is the God who expected obedience to His commands, and swiftly and powerfully took action against those who rebelled and ignored His will. The God of the Mountain was the same God who mightily led His people from Egypt and appeared to them as a cloud by day and a fire at night. It might be argued God’s presence on that mountain reminded the Israelites of His power and provision. It was on this mountain Moses met with God and received the Ten Commandments. Yet another possible meaning of El Shaddai is “The God of the Mountain.” Some Messianic teachers say shaddai comes from the Akkadian word shaddu, meaning “mountain.” God lives in heaven, but He also inhabited a mountain top-Mount Sinai. He takes my inadequate resources and in His sufficiency uses them for His great and powerful purposes. He takes my weakness and gives me strength. In great compassion, He sustains, nourishes and protects me. Some interpret shaddai as “sufficient,” and God is the “All-sufficient One.” Either interpretation-mighty or sufficient-works for me, because the Almighty is the God who is enough! He is more than sufficient to meet any need. I believe the various possibilities are shades of meaning that give us greater understanding of who God is and what He does.Īmong Christians, the most common interpretation of shaddai today is “mighty,” and El Shaddai would translate to “God Almighty.” Coinciding with this, one suggested root meaning for El Shaddai is “The Overpowerer,” meaning God will do what He purposes to do, overpowering all opposition. There is considerable debate surrounding the name Shaddai.
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