Why Names Matter
It's one thing for us to have a name for God based on our relationship with Him, it's another thing for God to tell you exactly who He is. That name should be noted. Hagar names God, the One who sees me, but Abram was spoken to by God Almighty- El Shaddai. The weight of that revelation must have been a heavy moment for Abram, as he had already been faithfully obeying the instructions of the LORD God for almost 25 years at this point. He understands God is the Supreme One. He acknowledges God is his Lord and Master. He understands there are others who claim to be a god, yet they could never be #1. Abram even understands God has personal relationships with others and makes them feel seen, as I'm sure he learned through Hagar. Yet, God still took the time to introduce himself to Abram in a new way.
In Genesis 17, the God Abram worships, serves, obeys, reiterates his position by saying He is the Almighty God. The Most Powerful, that's who He is. He then proceeds to instruct him on how to live a blameless life before God.
If Abram already knew God and understood God, why did God feel the need to show Abram even more of Himself?
Because God is the #1 fruit producer of all time. We cannot out produce His level of fruitfulness. His seeds never stop sprouting and his fruit vine get longer and stronger with every branch.
He is always producing variety. He does not just produce your average apple, orange, and banana fruit bowl- sort of your standard, day-to-day needs. He is always producing variety, every type of fruit known to man, just not eaten on a daily basis.
When He chooses to unveil another aspect of Himself, it's not because He has changed, it's because our understanding of Him is ready and needing to grow. He needed to tell Abram that He is The Almighty (Most Powerful) God so Abram could understand what was about to happen. It had been almost 25 years of standard relationship where prophecy, promise, and provision had become expected. This new level required new understanding. Don't you love the fact that Yah is willing to take us from glory to glory as we keep seeking Him?
In addition to introducing Himself as God Almighty, Yah even goes to the extent of changing Abram's name to Abraham so his name would match the level of favor and grace he was about to walk into. Abram means 'exalted father', Abraham only adds an additional syllable 'ha' and changes the meaning to 'father of many' because that is what he was about to become. Now tell me that doesn't make you want to shout!
By the time the chapter concludes, God Almighty has changed Abram and Sarai's name to Abraham and Sarah, given a promise for another son within the year, and introduced the covenant all of Abraham's descendants are required to keep. It is important that He is known as The Almighty God in this situation so Abraham can understand who he is choosing to enter into covenant with and he can accept the destiny and responsibility of this moment as he moves in faith. Understanding Yah as The Almighty is critical to Abraham's obedience just as much as it is critical for us to understand who God is introducing Himself as to us.
So the next time you consider the name of God to use, make sure you understand and embrace the meaning of it. Make sure you believe God to be who He says He is and that your actions match your belief.
As you reread the account of Abraham and God's conversation in Genesis 17, consider the significance of El- Shaddai.
