In Genesis 35 and 49 you read about El Shaddai making Jacob fruitful.
But He is also the One Who chastens His people.
Job 5:17 “Behold, happy is the man whom El Shaddai chasteneths; therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.
God is called over 30 times el Shaddai in the book of Job. This is one of the reasons why it is believe Job wrote the book of Job before Moses came to being.
Hebrews 12:6-11 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 arepartakers, then ye are bastards and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not far rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits, and live? For verily they chastened us for a few days according to 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 those who are exercised thereby.
Chastening is not very nice when you go through it, but it produces something. That is how our mothers showed us true love, showed us she cared.
Lets see the story of Ruth and Naomi. Naomi has lost her boys and is bitter. Ruth has come to known God through Naomi and wants to follow her. Naomi tells her she has no more boys to give her.
Ruth 1:19-21 So the two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved concerning them; and they said, “Is this Naomi?” And she said unto them, “Call me not Naomi that is, Pleasant. Call me Mara that is, Bitter, for the Almighty (El Shaddai) hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me and the Almighty (El Shaddai) hath afflicted me?”
He afflicts, but He has a purpose for the affliction. He brings Naomi back were she can be blessed again and get rid of her bitterness and become sweet again. It is in love that He chastens us. He wants to produce in you and me something that parallels His character of righteousness, holiness, love, tenderness, and compassion. But sometimes we want our own way, and when we don't get our own way, we become bitter. Some Christians are bitter.
The Lord chastens us not because He hates us but because He loves us.
Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High (El Elyon) shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (El Shaddai).
He preserves His people. He calls us from separation from evil.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God. As God hath said: “I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate,” saith the Lord. “And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,” saith the Lord Almighty (El Shaddai).
He calls you and me from separation; but at the same time, supplies all your needs.
Revelation 1:7-8, 17-18 Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so. Amen. “I Am Alpha And Omega, The Beginning And The Ending,” saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty (El Shaddai). And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, “Fear not; I am the First and the Last. I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death.
Jesus is El Shaddai
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on earth.
Aren't you glad that your God is El Shaddai? The One Who can meet your daily needs, Who is all sufficient, never leaves you, never forsake you, and we can sing how great Thou art! The One Who can redeem us, the One Who can bring peace into this world, the Almighty God, El Shaddai!
If you put your trust in Him, why don't you praise Him and worship Him everyday with all our lives?
Jehova
Jehova, the ever present God, the self-existent, the great I am, always was is and always will be.
The Jewish people never use this name. To them, it is too sacred. Instead they use Adonai (Lord).
Does this not show us to be reverent when we use any of His names? Instead I see the lack of reverence and understanding and especially ignorance when they throw around His name with no reverence or awe. We must revere Him.
The first time this name is used is in Genesis chapter 2. This shows us how Moses could have only written the Pentatauch through revelation. In the first chapter, that concerns with creation, He is called Elohim; but in chapter two where we see more of His relationship with man He is called Jehova. The name Jehova is especially used with the people of Israel.
In Romans 3 Paul tells us He is the God of the Jews and gentiles.
Exodus 3:14-15 And God said unto Moses, “I Am That I Am.” And He said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, ‘I Am hath sent me unto you.’” And God said moreover unto Moses, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you.’ This is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.
Exodus 6:2-3 And God spoke unto Moses and said unto him, “I am the Lord. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty (El Shaddai), but by My name Jehovah was I not known to them.
Jehova is God's eternal name. It is the name most commonly used in connetion with the people of Israel; therefore, Israel is an eternal nation.
Isaiah 66:22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me,” saith the Lord, “so shall your seed and your name remain.
The Jews have wandered all over the world, and still God has preserved them. He is Jehovah, the eternal God.
This is the name that is also always related to redemption. He is the ever-present God.
Isaiah 44:6, 8 “Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the First, and I am the Last, and besides Me there is no God. Fear ye not, neither be afraid. Have not I told thee from that time and have declared it? Ye are even My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Yea, there is no God. I know not any.”
Isaiah 43:3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior...
Isaiah 43:14-15 Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I have sent to Babylon and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.”
Up until Exodus 6, Bible characters like Job, Isaac, Jacob, Abraham knew Him as El Shaddai. In Exodus, God is going to take Israel out of Egypt to a 40 year journey through a terrible wilderness, an arid desert. And He is no longer going to be know as El Shaddai, the Almighty One, but as Jehovah, the ever-present God, always there for His people, always sufficient, wherever they are.
Whne you've felt alone and forlorn, remember the ever-sufficiente God there to meet your needs. May He be your joy and your blessing today.
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