Why is The Name El Shaddai so Important?

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Why is the name El Shaddai so important; what wisdom can a name contain? The Israelites of Old Testament times firmly believed in God’s revelation to them, Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV) says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law”. Steadfastly, the Israelites waited for what God revelation, so that they could live rightly in His eyes and learn more about His character. Andrew Jukes writes, “We cannot yet see the things of heaven. God therefore reveals them as we can bear it, with the accuracy of One who sees them as they are, and in a way in which they may be seen and understood by us” (7). God chose the form of names as revelations to His people, but names held greater significance in Old Testament times than they do today. J.I. Packer writes, “In the modern world, a person’s name is merely an identifying label, like a number, which could be changed without loss. Bible names, however, have their background in the widespread tradition that personal names give information, describing in some way who people are” (23). In calling Himself El Shaddai, God Almighty, God uses the form of names to reveal His character of being both strong and the provider of great blessings.

The first time the name El Shaddai appears in the Bible can be traced to Genesis 17:1-2, which reads, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers’”. Immediately, God ties the name El Shaddai with His power, the power that can make a childless old man into a great ...

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...ty, or the riches and fulness of His grace in self-sacrificing love pouring itself out for others” (42). God used the form of names to reveal His character in a way that the Israelites would understand. By choosing to combine the word “El”, which means “strength”, with the word “Shaddai”, which is representative of bounty or blessing, God shows himself as a mighty provider who fulfills and pours out His blessings.

Works Cited

Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Print.

Jukes, Andrew John. The Names of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1967. Print.

Loeks, Mary Foxwell. The Glorious Names of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1986. Print.

Packer, J.I. Concise Theology a Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. Carol Stream: Tyndale House, 2001. Print.

Stone, Nathan J. Names of God. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print.

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