Divine Names : EL Shaddai. Pt. 1 God Almighty Corrects Us

Good morning to each one of you.

Some places in America, including my state, have experienced severe weather. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those communities and people most impacted by these storms. Although we heard non stop thunderings for quite a while, we were spared from severe storms and we are very grateful.

I would like to look at another Divine Name with you. This name is used many times in the Old Testament. It was also the title of a Christian song popularized by Amy Grant many years ago.The name is El Shaddai.

We will need to turn to several portions of scripture in order to gain an understanding of this Divine Name. Since this name is not limited to a specific scripture context, I will give you some definition and meaning up front before we go to the texts.

El Shaddai: Almighty God.

El-Shaddai appears many times in the Hebrew Old Testament.  The English translation of El-Shaddai is most often “Almighty God" or "God Almighty”

This name is made up of various Hebrew words, "El" meaning strong, mighty or powerful one, and the word "Shaddai" is given the translation of Almighty.   It is sometimes paired with other Divine names and would be translated as Lord God Almighty, for example.

A part of this Hebrew name may originate from the word “shad” which means to be nourished, supplied, and fully satisfied.  It also refers to provision, sustenance and blessing.  The defined words suggest that the compound name El-Shaddai means that Jehovah is the all sufficient one.

Put all these definitions and meanings together and El Shaddai is the Almighty God,  with overwhelming power to supply and satisfy all our needs, to amply provide for daily physical & spiritual needs and to keep every promise He makes.

El Shaddai is God Almighty who chastens us when we need it.

Job references El Shaddai in the text below. He discusses the idea of His chastening process. I think this is helpful so that we may understand what the Lord is trying to do in our lives. 

Job 5:17-19 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

“Happy” is a word that means a state of blissfulness. It is used of the people who have a relationship with the living God.

“Correct” is a word that means God will convict us about sin, judge our sin and attempt to lead us to acknowledge our sin before Him, by reproving us. 

He does a purifying work when He chastens His children. He makes us sore and He binds us up; He wounds us and He makes us whole again. It is all about our hearts being brought into a right relationship with the Lord and correction from El Shaddai is a tool He employs for our great benefit.

The purifying work of El Shaddai in chastening us is quoted in Hebrews 12. The author of Hebrews wants us to understand that though chastisement is painful, it brings needed spiritual benefits into our lives. 

First, only a truly regenerated or born again person will be chastened by God. Chastening is a loving discipline administered by our Heavenly Father to make us more like His Son, Jesus Christ. God does not chasten those who are not born again. The text from Hebrews cited below, makes it clear that every genuine child of God is a participant in God's correction process

People who say that they are born again and yet never exhibit any chastening in their lives are, in Biblical terms, bastards or illegitimate children. . They are the tares who are mixed in with the wheat in God’s church. 

The law of God expressly states that no illegitimate people were permitted to enter the congregation of the Lord.

Christ’s teaching helps us understand how the author of Hebrews is using the term “bastards” in this passage. Matthew 13 contains the Lord’s teaching about the wheat and tares, and the four types of soils that correspond to the four typical responses of the human heart, when hearing the word of God. 

Matthew 25 contains the Lord’s teaching about separating sheep from the goats when Christ returns to claim His kingdom. Both parables are examples that work to distinguish those who are truly children of God from those who are unsaved or lost.

Hebrews 12:4-11 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Here is the text from the Law of Moses.

Deuteronomy 23:2  A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

According to this text, the chastening from Almighty God brings three great blessings into our lives. 

• First, chastening helps us become more holy. We will become trained to avoid engaging in the sinful things of this life that dishonor God. 
• Second, it brings peace and righteousness. God has disciplined us back into a right relationship with Him and our hearts are at rest. 
• Third, chastening authenticates that we truly are a child of the living God.

El Shaddai is the Almighty God who will chasten us in order to do the work He wants to accomplish in our hearts. Consider the parable from the Lord Jesus about the vine and our great need to abide in the vine.

Pruning the dead branches from the vine is just like the correcting work Job spoke of. 

John 15:1-8 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Chastening in this passage is depicted as purging dead branches from the living vine.  The Greek word translated “purging” is a word that refers to pruning off useless shoots and dead branches from a tree, bush or vine.

Pruning, like chastening, offers several beneficial influences for the believer in Jesus Christ. Pruning helps us glorify our Father by producing more fruit. Jesus said that “by their fruits ye shall know them.” Jesus expects each soul that He saves to become productive Christians who produce fruit. 

We must tell others about King Jesus and their need to submit to His authority. We must live a life that reflects the lordship of Jesus Christ. Simply, we must love God first and then love our neighbors as ourselves.

Pruning may cause temporary pain and 

discomfort but when the process is finished, the wholevine is healthy and productive. 

Pruning helps us dependently abide in Jesus Christ the vine. 

America is a wealthy nation. The average income in America is many times higher than almost every other nation in the world. Given the affluent conditions that we live in, many people no longer live in dependence upon their Creator.

The reality is that Jesus holds our very life and breath in His hand. No one is guaranteed to live another day on this earth. In that respect, we truly depend upon the Lord for everything. Every single item that we own or experience is made from materials created by God. 

Therefore, all our possessions are merely on loan to us from our  loving heavenly Father. We need to abide in Christ Jesus the true vine just as every branch on a tree must be connected to the tree or it will die.

Pruning by the tender hand of Christ helps us desire to consume His word, so that we can pray effectively. 

We are in desperate need for the word of God in our soul. It brings divine life and light into our soul. It is eternal truth that God uses to transform our minds and reshape our hearts when we read, reflect upon its truth and study it. Apart from God’s word, we do not know how to pray.

Through His word, the Father pours new life into us. 

His word gives us strength and vitality to go on another day and to serve Him as we have opportunity to do so. His word has quickening power. That is, it has power to renew our minds and shape the way that we think. It has power to regenerate a lost soul and make that person a new creation in Christ. 

Through His word, the Father corrects us when we stray so that we can get back on track. 

His word gives us sound doctrine that reproves, corrects and instructs us. Scripture truth confronts us when we sin. It tells us what we must do to get back on the correct path. It gives us instruction that tells us how to stay on the correct path and how to avoid lapsing into sin again.

Through His word, the Father is changing us to be more like His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Our minds need to be renewed. Our thinking needs to be aligned with God’s eternal truth. Our decision making must submit to His authority over us, for He is our Creator and we are mere creatures. The word of God is the means by which we experience soul level change in our lives.

All of these essential and important truths are communicated to us in the Divine Name El Shaddai. In our next post, we will look at the all sovereign work of El Shaddai with regard to the life of Abram. 

May we all remain open to the correcting work of God Almighty as He seeks to purify us from contamination and to mold us into His image.

Bob