El Shaddai – Genesis 17

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El Shaddai

 

Wednesday 05/10/17 

Message – El Shaddai

Series: Thru the Bible – Genesis 17

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El Shaddai

Genesis 17 (Chapter review)

  • God appears to Abram after 13 years of apparent silence.
  • Abram falls down before God – it is not said in reverence & worship or in fear and exasperation at what He might say…
  • At this point Ishmael was 13.
  • Abram had come to accept Ishmael as the answer to God’s promise
    • vs. 18 – “Oh that Ishmael might live before you”
  • God reveals Himself as Almighty God – El Shaddai
    • El Shaddai – these two words occur as a name for God only forty-eight times in the Hebrew Bible, thirty-one of which are in the book of Job.
    • “El shaddai – “I am God all-sufficient”;
    • El – is of course a name for God.
    • The word “shad” means “chest” or “breast”. “Shadah” means to shed, to pour out.
    • In using this name God reveals both a Masculine and Feminine side to His person. At times it may have in mind the strength of a man’s chest (God Almighty) while at others the comfort and nourishment of a woman’s breast (God of Tender Care). Because God is here revealing Himself as the God Who can and will keep His promises to Abram it is safe to say He is revealing both.
      • Male – because He is master and because He is able in strength and power to accomplish what He says.
      • Female – because He is pouring out a blessing to comfort Abram in all his walking before God in faithfulness and to nourish/refresh his soul.
    • This name of El Shaddai was used by the people of the Old Testament to identify Him as the God who could fulfill His promises of fertility, land, and abundance to them.
  • As El Shaddai, God commands Abram to walk before Him and be blameless.
    • Walk before Me – The idea is that of movement. Live your life – continue on your earthly journey before me and be…
    • Blameless – this word is linked with truth, virtue, uprightness, and righteousness but literally it just means “whole”. God wanted ALL of Abram and in obtaining ALL Abram would in fact live a life of truth, virtue, uprightness & righteousness.
  • God (El Shaddai) confirms promise again and God calls Abram by a new name to reflect the change God has made in him. So Abram becomes Abraham (Father of a multitude) “for a father of many nations I HAVE MADE YOU.”
    • Rom 4:17-22, “(17) (as it is written, “I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;  (18)  who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.”  (19)  And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.  (20)  He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,  (21)  and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.  (22)  And therefore “IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
  • I will establish (stand up) my covenant between me and you and your children and be their God and give them this land for an everlasting possession.
  • Your part Abraham – You will KEEP covenant with me and enter into the shedding of blood through circumcision.
    • Done in the male because of the bloodline.
    • The cutting is done in the symbol and organ through which new life is conceived to illustrate that this is a multi-generational covenant with God and the offspring of those who enter into the covenant.
    • Why the eighth day? Several reasons but two are of particular significance…
      • It “could” symbolize the “new beginnings” this covenant was instituting by going beyond the “sabbath” to the first new day.
      • Vitamin k is responsible for the production of Prothrombin and coupled together with it causes blood coagulation. New born males are particularly vulnerable to hemorrhaging and damaging vital organs between days 2-5 and it is during days 5-7 that vitamin K is produced in sufficient enough quantities to aid in the coagulation process. Interestingly enough – on the 8th day of a baby boy’s life prothrombin is actually elevated above 100% normal levels – they are at their peak of life and is therefore the PERFECT day to circumcise the infant.
    • V13 – This provision was for ALL who were born to or belonged to Abraham or his descendants. God excluded NO ONE!
    • If the foreskin is not cut off – the child will be cut off from the covenant.
    • God addresses Abraham ABOUT Sarai
      • He changes her name to Sarah – from “my princess” to “Princess – woman of nobility” – from whom nations would be born.
      • I will bless her
      • Give YOU a son from her
    • Abraham fell down LOL thinking in his mind, “will a child be born from a man who is 100 and a woman who is 90?”
    • Abraham SAID to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you” – let MY plan for children become YOUR plan for children.
    • God said – “NO”
    • …but, “I’ve heard your cry” – Abraham loved Ishmael and desired good for him as any father would so God honored his desire.
      • I HAVE blessed him (He did so while speaking to Hagar)
      • I WILL make him fruitful and multiply him EXCEEDINGLY
      • 12 princes will come from him.
      • He will be a great nation.
    • BUT – my covenant I will establish with Isaac which Sarah will give birth to next year.
    • When God is done talking – He’s done talking – He left!
    • ON THE SAME DAY – Abraham circumcised all males in his household
  • Read Gal. 4:21-31


There is much more information in the audio/video of the actual message. I hope you listen, learn and enjoy!

…Blessings! 

 

 

 

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Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!