1 Now when Abram was ninety- nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,
“I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be blameless.
2 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly.” (Genesis 17:1-2 NASB)
In these last days it is imperative that God’s people have a more complete knowledge of God. So, in light of this, let us look at one of the names of God that speaks much about His power and provision. God keeps His part of the covenants He makes and it is this name, El-Shaddai, that God used for Himself that gives us much comfort as we come to understand that He helps and blesses His people….
El-Shaddai ( אל שׁדּי ) – We must never forget that in Hebrew we read from right to left and this name of God is two separate words, Ēl ( אל), meaning, “might,” and Shaddai (שׁדּי ) , meaning , “the Almighty, the Powerful One, or the Mighty One.” As a combined name of God, El Shaddai, which occurs seven times in Sacred Scripture, was the covenant name for God to the Patriarchs until the time of Moses. The Jewish rabbis believed that the term meant the “One who is self-sufficient.” God’s covenant was moral and ethical in character, not ritualistic or orgiastic.
The NASB translates El Shaddai as God Almighty. This covenant name of God is spoken to Abram (Genesis 17:1-2 above) very appropriately here because it carries with it the concept that it is El Shaddai who sustains His covenants. He is the one who preserves His saints. He is the one who saves.