The Old Covenants
El Shaddai – Genesis 17:1-8 Written By: Liz Jones
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram]; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
When Abram was an old man – the Lord appeared to him. This wasn’t the first time God appeared to Abram – but it is the first time God identifies Himself by this name. The Lord declared “I am Almighty God” – in Hebrew this name is: El Shaddai.
A traditional analysis of the name is ‘God (el) who (sa) is sufficient (day) or all powerful. Another translation is “One who has His hand on everything”. God asks Abram to do two things at the end of verse 1:
- Walk before Me and
- be blameless.
No pressure Abram! My first thought when I read “be blameless” was “Well, I’d have been out! How could a human be blameless before Christ?” According to Strong’s Concordance the word blameless is translated as: complete, whole, entire, sound, healthful, wholesome, unimpaired, innocent, having integrity, what is complete or entirely in accord with truth and fact. H8549 – tāmîm – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)
13 years prior to this encounter – God made a covenant with Abram. (Genesis 15:18) God hadn’t forgotten what He promised. God is not on our human timetable. He is trustworthy and faithful but things don’t always happen instantly. In fact, most of the time it seems like God moves a lot slower than we’d like for Him to.
I wonder how Abram felt during those 13 years of silence. Waiting. No “word” from the Lord. No visitations from God.
13 years later, God shows up. God declares His name and changes Abram’s name to Abraham.
God’s covenant with Abraham is amazing because He promises legacy, prosperity, royalty, descendants, land, heritage and everlasting relationship between Himself and Abraham’s descendants. Some of these promises may not seem like a BIG deal but each of these blessings reveal God’s heart for His people. Look at the last few words of verse 8. “…and I will be their God”
These exact words are recorded here in Genesis and in Revelation. (The beginning and the end of the Bible)
Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
Are you in a season of waiting? Perhaps you have a stirring, passion, desire for something but it seems to be taking a LONG TIME to get here.
The teacher is always quiet during the test.
Will you be faithful in the waiting room? Will you walk in integrity? Will you abide in Him? Will you walk with Him even when You don’t see Him?
Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank You for being our God and declaring that we are Your people. Thank You for Your promises. Thank You for being faithful.
Jesus, thank You for the cross. Thank You for making us heirs to the promise. (Galatians 3:28-29) We bless You God and praise You for Your goodness and kindness to us.
Holy Spirit, teach us how to walk in dependance on You. Remind us of the Word that was spoken and keep us in step with You. In Jesus name, amen.
Digging deeper:
God identifies Himself as El Shaddi to Abraham, Issac and Jacob – but identifies Himself by a different name to Moses and the children of Israel in Exodus 6:2-3. Why do you think that is?.
I declare that I serve a mighty God. Nothing is impossible for Him. I will remain faithful even when I can’t see Him working. He is my God, and I belong to Him.
