Monday, September 8, 2014

“El-Shaddai”



“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, I AM God Almighty (El-Shaddai); walk before me and be blameless.” Genesis 17:1 (NIV) 

I have been intrigued about the names of God. Here the LORD calls himself God Almighty. Further, the Lord tells Abram who He is and that he is to walk before Him. If Abram does this he, Abram, will be blameless.
My Bible dictionary explains that-the word used in the OT as the translation of the Hebrew shadday, “mighty” In the NT it is the word for the Greek pantokrator,” all powerful.”1

What does it mean to be blameless? If we are found innocent of a crime, we are acquitted. Does this mean we are without blame?

Some people play “the blame game” when they get into trouble. They blame anyone within shouting distance from them. I once heard an apology on national television that was anything but. The person tried to turn the situation around by saying he was being persecuted by those of the opposite mindset of how he should have been doing his job.

We learn to blame others at quite a young age. “But, Mom, everyone is doing it.” “But, Mom, the kids down the street get to do it.”

But God told Abram that he would be exempt of blame. I believe that through the death of Jesus Christ, all who accept Him and live for Him will be deemed blameless and will spend time in heaven with Him.



4 comments:

  1. I love the names of God, too, and their various meanings. This one is particularly encouraging, isn't it?

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    1. Jeanette; Thank you for your thought. The names of God tell something about Him. This always amazes me when I read about them.

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  2. I'm teaching Genesis right now. I've been meditating on this verse lately. That's for your additional insights on it!

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    1. Peggy: Thank you for stopping by. God puts ideas in our hearts and allows us to delve into His Word to find out more. I love the research aspect of writing. A friend had a booth at a flea market, I went with her one day to see what things the overall market had. I was drawn to one that had books. One item in that booth was a Bible Dictionary. It came home with me. Blessings on you and yours.

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