Monday: ‘El Shaddai
“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” (Gen: 17:1).
Yahweh had appeared to Abram several times before (Gen: 12:1, Genesis 12:7; Gen: 13:14; Gen: 15:1, Genesis 15:7, Genesis 15:18). 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.
Image © Justinen Creative Collection at Goodsalt.com
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 Isa: 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? |
(44)
As I mentioned in a comment yesterday, it is somewhat of an enigma that we call God, God, because it is the same word used generically for deities. I don't want to make a big issue about it but it is something to think about.
The Bible has many names for God, most of them expressing some sense of rulership, or authority. I always enjoyed the name "Our Father" but then one day a friend of mine told me that he had a poor relationship with his own father and the idea of God being his father was abhorrent to him. I understood his problem and am glad that God has been given so many names, each with its particular associations of ideas. To some extent, we can choose a name for God that resonates with us.
Perhaps the name that appeals to me in the one in Exodus 3:14:
With my physics background and having a notion of relativity and the time-space continuum, the idea of God being eternally in the present appeals to me.
Some folk put a lot of emphasis on the names of God and try to enforce a particular usage. However, given that the Bible has many names for God, there is room to explore and understand why those names were given. The important issue for us, is not so much the name, but the relationship. It was interesting that when I was a lecturer in a tertiary institution my students would call me various names; Maurice, Maurie, Dr Ashton, Mr Ashton, Dr Maurice, or often, "Hey You!" Over the period of a semester it was always interesting to see how my students used my name. Sometimes it was cultural, at other times it was seeking attention or trying to curry favour with me. but I always answered to my students, even the ones that called me, "Hey You!"
And I think that ultimately God does not mind what he is called providing we have a growing relationship with him. And he too, does answer to "Hey You!".
‘El Shaddai
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Exod 20:7. If this is said in the bible to us- then what is his name that humans will want to take in vain, or use in vain? Which is okay to use and which is not since he has so many names?
We know his name is Holy because he is Holy. Is one, two, three etc names that we should not use, or not use? His name is use almost 100 different ways in the bible depending on the circumstance. To me today he is my Judge, Savior, Protector, Provider, Sustainer, Deliverer and so many others etc, etc.
When I think of taking His name in vain I do not think of using any of the names in the Bible that the Believer, in faith, uses. If I use any of the names in the Bible talking about my Creator and Redeemer I do not take them in vain.
I think of “taking in vain” to be using the same words I use in worship and respect but instead using them as curses or exclamations or turned into something common instead of holy.
I have a friend who claims to be a Believer but who frequently puts “OMG” in emails or texts. He is not really calling on his Lord and Savior, he is expressing astonishment.
(If OMG is not part of your culture, it stands for “Oh my God” and the abbreviation, or sometimes the actual words, are used as an exclamation about some fact or situation. It has become a common slang term and is not holy, respectful, or full of worship).
So it’s not a matter of which name, but of how the name is used.
May the Lord keep our tongues from casual disrespect.
I am currently studying with two couples of the Jehovah's Witnesses persuasion who lay great emphasis on God's name which they claim is "Jehovah." I have considerable aversion to that name because there is no "v" in the original vowels (YHWH) and the name "Jehovah" is concocted. Note how it is derived as stated in the SDA Bible Commentary, volume 1, page 172:
"The Jews considered the title YHWH so sacred that they would not pronounce it even when reading the Scriptures, lest they unintentionally profane the name of the Lord. . . Instead, they read 'Adonai. . . A few centuries after Christ, certain Jewish scholars called Masoretes added vowels to the written Hebrew in an endeavor to preserve a knowledge of the spoken language. At that time they added the vowel sounds of 'Adonai to the consonants YHWH. This made the word read, literally, Yehowah, transliterated into English as 'Jehovah.' Not knowing what the original vowel sounds of YHWH were, they thus purposed to call attention to the fact that the word should be read 'Adonai. Coming to the word Yehowah, however, an informed reader of Hebrew would read 'Adonai. Not knowing these facts when they began making use of the Hebrew Scriptures, Christians either transliterated it as the Masoretes actually wrote it, 'Yehovah'. . .or, more often, rendered the word as 'LORD.' "
Taking the name of the Lord in vain has nothing to do with all the different names for Him in the Bible. Let's look at what is not taking the name of God in vain. Then the opposite would be taking the name of the Lord in vain.
I am not taking the name of the Lord in vain when I fear God and give glory to Him, worshipping Him out of love, choice, and consent. Take a look at these texts: The opposite would be taking the name of God in vain.
Revelation 14:7. 2Peter 1:1-3. 1Chronicles 16:29. Romans 6:4.
I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Gen: 17:1)
I find it interesting that Adam & Eve, Enoch, Noah and now Abram are said to walk with/before the LORD, we find later also Isaac, David & Solomon and Hezekiah among others walked with the LORD.
What does it mean to walk with/before the LORD?
I believe it means a close personal relationship and to have a character like the LORD, to be blameless or perfect.
1Ki 2:3-4 MKJV (David to Solomon) And keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself, (4) that the LORD may continue His Word which He spoke concerning me (David), saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul saying, there shall not be a man of yours cut off from the throne of Israel.
Mic 6:8 ISV He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good and what the LORD is requiring from you—to act with justice, to treasure the LORD's gracious love, and to walk humbly in the company of your God.
Amos 3:3 KJV Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
Yes David knew what is meant to walk with the Lord. Which he left us with a better understanding of what a relationship with God Almighty is.
"I will bless Jehovah, who giveth me counsel; even in the nights my reins instruct me. 8 I have set Jehovah continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9Therefore my heart rejoiceth, and my glory exulteth; my flesh moreover shall dwell in hope. 10For Thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol, neither wilt thou allow thy Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt make known to me the path of life: thy countenance is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore."
Psalms 16:7-11 DARBY
Don't get stuck on the word Sheol, I do believe it is explained in Psalms 118:18. I too give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. He is my strength and song. He has become my salvation.
Yes, David is a prime example of the correct understanding of the LORD's Everlasting Covenant and walking with the LORD in His Way.
Peter explained the comments in Ps 16:10 by David in Acts 2:22-32 on the day of Pentecost.
Act 2:29-32 MKJV Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with plainness as to the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. (30) Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit upon his throne, (31) seeing this beforehand, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in the grave, nor would His flesh see corruption, (32) God raised up this Jesus, of which we all are witnesses.
Act 2:34 For David has not ascended into the heavens.
Relating my comments to the question at the end of the lesson - as far as I can understand human history, cultures throughout the world always included some type of deities in their communal life. The Creator God was again, at some point in time after Noah’s family repopulated the earth, no longer recognized as such in the religious life of the human family. All types of gods and systems of worshiping of these gods had overshadowed the knowledge of the true Creator God and man’s relationship with Him - El Shaddai, the Almighty God needed to be re-introduced.
As I see it, Heaven’s timetable is established for the benefit of humankind as it relates to earth. It was time to re-start the relationship with the one and only Deity being involved in the affairs of man since its beginning, the one and only Deity to whom the then living owed their existence; the One who formed the rainbow, appointing seasons to grow their food and sustain man’s life and health, including animals man depended on for help and sustenance.
I think mankind in those days was desperate for the unseen forces to help them with their physical survival. In today's struggle, the only difference lays in the type of relationship one has with its deity. It was the religious establishment in those days given the exclusive right to manage the relationship with their gods; which, by the way, is still prevelant in some settings in our day and time.
But the relationship between God and man has come full circle - starting with the lovingly caring heavenly Creator Father and His 'children', after millennia of estrangement, it circled back to form and enjoy again this personal relationship.
God’s *Name* and its meaning matters beyond our capacity to understand; our minds are simple in respect to spiritual wisdom and insight. Anything we as the created being think and feel is distorted because of our alienation from our true, spiritual Source, the Father. Man cannot manage its own affairs without help to know how to conduct them rightly. The 'child's' image of its heavenly Father is effected by the earthly father's relationship with God; directly and indirectly. The absence of a father in the earthly family is just as impactful as the presence of the ungodly or imperfect father.
Especially ‘children’ born into these families are in desperate need to form the right relationship with a loving, caring heavenly Father before they can be effective fathers or mothers to their own children. We are all in desperate need of heavenly help to raise our children in a loving, caring, nurtering, spiritual and physical environment, and to teach us to forgive them who fell short in these efforts in our own lives.
I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that, ultimately, for us to establish the right relationship with the members of our own earthly family, we need to have the right relationship with our loving heavenly Creator Father. The earthly family-structure is based on the concept of the heavenly family's structure - the father instructing and guiding his children to always honor the Father in Heaven with their lives.
Many different entities existing in the heavenly realm have assignments and duties to fulfill. The creature in human form is unique in this line-up of created beings and needs special attention since it’s separation from the heavenly family. We are human, our body made from elements inherent in this earth, and endowed with the Father’s spirit to recognize Him, so maintaining a close and personal relationship with Him. Human is such a unique creation, that all heaven’s population is watching carefully its progress toward re-instatement into the heavenly family.
At its farthest point in the relationship between mankind and its Creator, man thinks there is no Creator; at its closest point, he knows his Creator intimately and loves and honors Him with all its being. Because of this exclusive, unique relationship and its far reaching consequences if disturbed in any way, humankind NEEDS its Creator Father every step of the way should he desire to be heir of the inheritance of everlasting life.
Brigitte, I wonder if God was not merely forgotten, but deliberately rejected. The flood, along with Babel and the confounding of the languages, was still a reality, though many "versions" of the account were even then replacing the truth. What God desired was a witness to the righteousness that must be restored in any who desire eternal life with the only true God and absolute Sovereign. All other gods were false, and merely a mask for self-worship. Through Abraham's witness, the nations were convicted of both sin and righteousness, and of judgment to come(John 16:8) and this judgment would come with the seed of Abraham once freed from bondage in Egypt.
Before the overthrow of those nations, they would know of Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues upon Egypt, the parting of the sea, the overthrow of Jericho, and the other events that left no doubt of whom "Jehovah Elohyim" was: the only True God. We might consider these events as their "last call" for repentance before God would have to act. Rahab is evidence of the conviction that came upon all the inhabitants of that land.
Thanks Robert - to deliberately reject the most powerful God whould be utter folly, but by gradually stopping to interact with Him because other gods had been placed before Him in relation to their immediate needs, He has been moved to the back of the line-up of gods. This is, to me, a reasonable conclusion.
To deliberately reject, they would have had to known this God; I see rejection as the effidence of ignorance of the power of the true God, and so He had to introduce Himself to humankind again to show His Power, but also His Love and Mercy and reveal His Plan of Redemption. I believe that we need to see everything the Father does in the Light of Redemption of man.
What about John 16:8, Rom 1:18-23, and 2 Thess 2:10-12?
I believe that every step away from God is taken deliberately, especially when someone like Abraham is your neighbor, or when God intervened with Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, the nations of Canaan, etc. Everyone knew who it was. As the passage in 2 Thessalonians states, eventually one will believe lies, but before that point, the choice is made clear, since God is seeking to save all.
I once heard someone suggest that to declare one's self a Christian & then to act in un-Christian ways is taking the Lord's name in vain.
Look how extensive it can be. We might be guilty without even knowing it.
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
Those who are brought into covenant relation with God are pledged to speak of Him in the most respectful, reverential manner. Many refer to God and mention His name in their religious conversation much as they would mention a horse or any other common creature. This dishonors God. By precept and example parents should educate their children on this point, lest by irreverence they grieve away God’s Spirit from their hearts and the hearts of their children. {2SAT 185.2}
Ministers, by carelessly introducing the name of God into their conversation, may teach lessons of irreverence. By mingling His holy name with common matters, they show that they are not spiritually-minded; for they mingle the sacred and the common. They are not living up to their holy profession. While claiming to be worshipers of God, they walk contrary to His law. {2SAT 185.3}
Swearing, and all words spoken in the form of an oath, are dishonoring to God. The Lord sees, the Lord hears, and He will not hold the transgressor guiltless. He will not be mocked. Those who take the name of the Lord in vain will find it a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. {2SAT 185.4}
Long before the written/printed word, God would appear to those with whom He would communicate. Today, we must take this written word just as personally as we would a personal visit from God. Just put YOUR name in the narrative. Obviously, something as specific as packing up and moving to the “promised land” we must learn to understand correctly for our situation, yet the personal interest of God in YOU is no less than with Abram. We must each take this command to “walk before me, and be thou perfect” personally. Only those who do will inherit the kingdom of heaven.
The relationship between God and Abram was developing, and like us, must grow from faith to faith, as described in Prov 4:18. At this time, while sojourning in a land known for its wicked inhabitants, God's communication would have been comforting and reassuring. Only God could make a man so wealthy and yet safe without any visible protection as a sojourner in a land where the fear of God did not exist.
It is easy to have the idea that God was in constant communication with his saints in the Bible, but this is not the case. Long gaps occurred between God’s appearances to Abraham, Daniel, Jacob and others. Yet these were not signs of God’s disinterest. As you point out, his Spirit was constantly at work in the hearts of these believers as they grew from faith to faith by working out God’s will in their lives.
I am not a religious mystic who is constantly talking about God speaking to them or of miraculous interventions in their life; instead, I live an evidence-based life founded in a concrete physical reality. Yet, there have been a few times in my life when the presence of God was unmistakable, when “coincidence” stretched credulity beyond its breaking point – it was obvious that God was acting in my life.
These experiences occurred when I least expected them, leaving an indelible impression in my mind. They occurred when God was calling to my heart to serve the needs of others, rather than my own. It is when God calls each of us to go far outside of the limits we set for ourselves that we find his presence a dependable reality in our lives. But it is when we live inside our comfortable perceptions of who God is and how he thinks and acts that we totally lose sight of him.
QUESTION: I am a facilitator from Canada. We meet each Sabbath on Zoom during these times. Why is much of our lesson the exact same as 2003 quarterly? Are the lessons just repeated? Thank you.
For questions and concerns about the Study Guide,
please contact the editor of the Bible Study Guide, Clifford Goldstein
Editor
Thanks for the reminder that it was 2003. For me, after 18 years a repeat of theme and topics is welcome.
I believe and know that many of our Sabbath school lessons are repeated. We need repetition of the lessons because different generations are studying them for the very first time. Also, I've experienced though reading/studying a repeated Sabbath school lesson, I gained more insight and often times a deeper understanding of what the lesson was conveying to me personally. It's just like reading a scripture or passage from the Word of God many times, but reading it this last time, a "light bulb" comes on and now it's an moment of being enlighten. Same lesson, different year/decade, a new spiritual insight.
Trevor- I was told we normally rotate the quarterly on a ten yrs cycle. But this may have some advantage or disadvantage to many. Personally, I found there are so many untouched topics in the bible that we are not touching or studying as a church. That is why week after week I kept saying we need to be studying the bible for ourselves or in a group. For someone/anyone to grow we need milk but cant stay at milk all the days of our lives. We move from milk to meat. In between milk and meat are approx 7 different levels of foods. Paul council to young Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-7. Verse 7, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. While the Sabbath school lesson is good to study, that should not be the only thing we should be studying. I pray that none of us do not only study the quarterly but we are studying the bible from Genesis- Revelation and asking Jesus to open up his words to us in a clearer way.
Lyn, I was intrigued by your comment which implied that the study guides were just repeated every 10 years and that we should be studying topics not covered by the lessons.
I had a look at the archives and found a large variety of topics not just a repetition.
I was wondering which topics you felt were not covered by the study guides over time that you recommend we should be studying.
https://ssnet.org/study-guides/lesson-archives/
https://ssnet.org/study-guides/lesson-archives/1963-2015/
https://ssnet.org/study-guides/lesson-archives/cover-gallery/
its like reading the bible. i am re-reading the same verses over and over, but each time i read, i am provided with new spiritual insight through the Holy Spirit.