This week, we turn our attention to Abraham, whose story is foundational in our study of the Names of God. Last week, we were introduced to the Creator Elohim, the Mighty God who has no beginning and no end. Because He is Elohim, He is also El Elyon: God Most High, “Possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19), who restored our purpose and desires to have a relationship with us!
Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3 NASB95
Genesis 12:1-3 marks a pivotal moment in Abram’s story when God proposed a covenant with him. A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties that obligates them to meet specific conditions. There are several types of covenants throughout the Old Testament, a fascinating subject for another study. Covenants were always either conditional or unconditional. It is important to note that God’s covenant with Abraham was unconditional, dependent only on God and His promises.
Picking up in Genesis 15, we read, “The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.’ Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.’ Then behold the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’ And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then [Abram] believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:1-6 NASB95 emphasis added). Abram was approximately 85 years old at this time, and the chapter continues showing details of how God “cut covenant” with Abraham.
“The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. When a covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments, then both parties would pass between the pieces of animals. In Genesis 15, God alone moves between the halves of the animals. Abraham was in a deep sleep. God’s solitary action indicates that the covenant is principally His promise. He binds Himself to the covenant” (gotquestions).
God’s covenant promise to Abram involved a land, a people, and a Seed, through whom all nations of the world would be blessed (see Genesis 22:16-18). Do you remember the “Seed” we discussed last week, who was prophesied to bruise the serpent’s head in Genesis 3:15? Well, that is the same Seed ultimately spoken of in Genesis 22, referring to Jesus Christ. He is the promised Redeemer who would become a descendant of Abraham and bless the whole earth by His coming. Abraham wholeheartedly believed God, and Scripture tells us that his faith was accounted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).
“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to his seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is Christ.”
Galatians 3:16 (NASB95)
Abraham went from hearing God’s promise in Genesis 15 to listening to Sarah, who took matters into her own hands in Genesis 16. We don’t know the exact time frame between the two chapters, but most scholars believe it was only a few months.
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, ‘The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.’ And Abram agreed with her proposal” (Genesis 16:1-3 NLT). Scripture tells us that once Hagar had conceived a child by Abraham, she despised her mistress, Sarai. The Hebrew word for “despise” has the idea of “speaking lightly of another or cursing another person” (Zodhiates, CWSB Dictionary, #H7043). It appears that Hagar began disrespecting Sarai and acting as if she were “trivial, or nothing.” This greatly upset Sarai, and she treated Hagar so harshly that she ran away. Sarai’s “harsh” treatment of Hagar is the same word used in Exodus to describe the treatment of the Israelites by the Egyptian taskmasters. If Sarai treated Hagar with such severe harshness, it explains why Hagar fled. It’s interesting to note that Hagar’s name means “flight” (preceptaustin).
Pregnant Hagar was now destitute in the wilderness, but the Angel of the LORD found her! I believe the Angel of the LORD is a reference to the preincarnate Christ! What a glorious picture we have of the lost being found by Christ! He called her by name and asked her where she had come from and where she was going. “The Angel of the LORD said to her, ‘Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand.’ Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, ‘I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude [more descendants than you can count].’ And the Angel of the LORD said to her: ‘Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction” (Genesis 16:9-11 NKJV).
I am reminded of Psalm 34:18, which says, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (NASB95).
“Certainly, Hagar must have felt both ‘lost’ and ‘misplaced.’ Alone in a barren desert wilderness, pregnant with a child because of another person’s willful desire…but she was not alone, and the ‘Angel’ found her. This is where He often finds many of us – alone in the wilderness. But rest assured, He will find you. And He knows all about our past as well as our future.(preceptaustin)
Genesis 16:7 tells us that God “found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur” (NKJV). “Shur means ‘Wall.’ It would appear she had hit her wall and was at a dead end, but “Hagar ran away from Sarai and ran into God. Hagar’s wilderness experience brought her face to face with God and taught her that He is the living God who SEES our plight and HEARS our cry when we hurt. He is a personal God, concerned about abused people and unborn babies. He knows our past and our future and cares for those who will trust Him” (preceptaustin).
Of course, it was here at the spring that God met her as El Roi, the God Who sees. Hagar’s journey began with wandering and ended in worship. The Greek of the Hebrew word “sees” means “to gaze upon, to fix one’s gaze on, and thus to regard, to show concern for” (preceptaustin). What a beautiful insight into God’s character. What wilderness do you find yourself in today? God sees you! He knows exactly where you came from and where you are. Will you trust Him today?
Genesis 16:11 says, “And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress” (NLT, emphasis added). Ishmael was not the chosen covenant son (Isaac), but God’s interaction with Hagar and His choice to bless her through Ishmael shows His compassionate heart. He not only sees the one in distress, he hears their cry!
The circumstances surrounding the revelation of El Roi have a direct connection to the revelation of God as El Shaddai. Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. Fast forward thirteen long years. Abram, at the age of 99, was visited by the LORD who said to him, “I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]; walk before Me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly” (Genesis 17:1b-2 NASB95, emphasis added).
“God revealed Himself as God Almighty when Abraham was struggling to believe that God could still carry out His promise to make him a father of many nations. God’s Name in this context conveys His ability to fulfill His promises” (preceptaustin). I love that before God gives Abram the impossible command of walking before Him and being blameless, He says: I AM EL SHADDAI! I AM THE ALL-SUFFICIENT ONE! The name El Shaddai shows us that God is Almighty, and He is All-Sufficient to keep His promises.
This truth is further illustrated by God changing Abram and Sarai’s names to Abraham and Sarah. Note the “ah” sound in their new names. “It is not unreasonable to consider that God took the letter H (Hebrew=Heth) sound from His name, and He put it in their names, as another aspect or manifestation of the covenant relationship between God and man” (preceptaustin, from Precept Ministries course on Covenant). I love this so much because when God re-established His covenant with Abram, it was after Abram had tried to accomplish in his own strength (by having a child with Hagar) what God had promised. The significance of God introducing Himself as El Shaddai to Abram at this moment is huge! I feel like He is saying to Abram, “I am God Almighty! My covenant is unconditional and cannot be accomplished by man! It is I who will establish this covenant, and it is I who will multiply you exceedingly.”
The changing of Abram’s name to Abraham is so important because God is reinforcing the fact that the promised son will come by HIS power, and not Abram’s. God said, “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year” (Genesis 17:21 NASB95). I believe this is also a foreshadowing of Jesus, who would come through Abraham’s descendants by El Shaddai’s power alone.
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.”
Zehcariah 4:6b
El Shaddai kept His promise! He is a covenant-keeping God! In Genesis 18, we see three “men” appearing to Abraham. These were angelic beings, one being the pre-incarnate Christ! They reaffirmed what God had already told Abraham. Sarah, who was 90 years old by this time, overheard the announcement and laughed! But God has a sense of humor in naming the child Isaac, which means “laughter.” The LORD kept His word and did for Sarah exactly what He had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac” (Genesis 21:1 NLT).
Inherent in the meaning of El Shaddai as God Almighty is the fact that God avails Himself to us and, because of His love for us, chooses to pour forth His power in and through us by the means of grace. I am reminded of the quote by Major Ian Thomas, ” I can’t, He never said I could. But He CAN, and always said He would!” “God does not ask us to meet His requirements on our own – in fact, He knows we can’t live humbly, holy, obedient lives without Him. God makes available to His children an incredible resource to make it possible to live a godly life. That amazing, extravogant provision is called grace” (author unknown).
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8 (NASB95, EMPHASIS ADDED)
Week 2 Reflections:
- Read Genesis 15:1-6. What did God promise Abraham? Now Read Genesis 16:1-6. How did Sarai take matters into her own hands?
- Read Genesis 16:7-15. What did the Angel of the LORD say to Hagar and what was Her response?
- Read Nahum 1:7; Hebrews 4:13; Exodus 3:7; Psalm 33:18-19; Psalm 121; 2 Chronicles 16:9; and Psalm 139:7-16. What do you learn about your El Roi?
- Read Genesis 17-18:15. How does God reaffirm His covenant to Abraham? (Keep in mind that the Abrahamic covenant was an unconditional covenant. However, God instituted a sign of the covenant which was circumcision. Although this “sign” was something they had to do, the Abrahamic Covenant in and of itself was unconditional. The sign showed that they had a special relationship with God). How do you see El Shaddai (The Almighty, The All Sufficient One) in this passage?
- Read John 1:14-18; Romans 5:12-17; Titus 2:11-14; and Romans 5:20. What do you learn about God’s grace? Now read 1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 4:15-16; Romans 6:14. What do you learn about God’s provisions when we are tempted to sin?
- Read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 2 Corinthians 4:7-11, 17; and 1 Peter 5:10. How do our weaknesses provide a showcase for El Shaddai to show His power?
Journal Prompts:
How is God speaking to your heart through His Word? Take some time to ponder the following questions. Are you in a wilderness season? Have you considered that El Roi sees you and knows where you have come from, where you are going, and where you are right now? Do you feel like you’re at a Dead End? How does knowing God as El Roi change your perspective? How can God’s grace transform our suffering into something of value and beauty? What is the importance of humility in experiencing Christ’s sufficiency in our lives? Have you ever struggled to trust in God’s promises? Have you ever struggled to live the Christian life? How does El Shaddai provide a refuge to us in our struggles?
Resources:
Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has an awesome teaching on El Shaddai. You can access it through the Revive Our Hearts website by clicking here.
Session 2 Video and Podcast:
Simply Persuaded 