El-Shaddai

This Sunday, the choir is scheduled to bring the song: “El-shaddai,” written by Michael Card and John Thompson and originally performed by Amy Grant. The song reminds us of some of the aspects of God’s character, captured in the various use of His names. The chorus reads:

El Shaddai, El Shaddai
El Elyon-na Adonai
Age to age, you're still the same
By the power of your name
El Shaddai, El Shaddai,
Erkamka-na Adonai
I will praise and lift you high, El Shaddai.

In our society, names are just names and words are just words. But to the ancient Hebrews since the time of Abraham, words had life and power and names bespoke the character of the individual. Many of the names of God are compounds of the base term, "El" from the root word meaning “might”, “strength” and “power.” Compounded, El-shaddai means “Almighty God” or “God Almighty” or it can mean “the God who is all sufficient.” El-shaddai is used principally in the Old Testament with reference to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The song writers also used the names El-elyon na Adonai, “God Most High, O Lord.” The name El-elyon is first found in Genesis 14:18 in relation to Abraham. In Chapter 12, God has told Abraham to leave his home and go to the dessert. There he meets the intriguing character, Melchizedek, whom he has never met before and never sees again. Melchizedek, by way of greeting, blesses Abraham in the name of the God, “El-elyon.” God gives Abraham a revelation that this is a true name for another aspect of Himself that Abram has not heard before and that Melchizedek is his high priest, thus Abram gives Melchizedek a tithe of his possessions as a gift to God. This revelation is affirmed by the writer of Hebrews in Chapter 7 where he compares Jesus to Melchizedek and confirms Melchizedek as a true High Priest.

Later, we find the Hebrew phrase, “erkamka na Adonai,” meaning “we will love You, O Lord.” It is taken from Psalm 18:1, which is the only place in the Bible this particular usage appears. The Psalmist tells us of this passage in the introduction that it is “For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul." He [David] said: “I love you, O LORD, my strength.” Taken in the larger context of that Psalm we have:

I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

The verses of “El-Shaddai” tell us of God’s love and His divine provision.

Through your love and through the ram, You saved the son of Abraham;
Through the power of your hand, Turned the sea into dry land.
To the outcast on her knees, You were the God who really sees,
And by your might, You set your children free.

Through the years you’ve made it clear, That the time of Christ was near,
Though the people couldn’t see What messiah ought to be.
Though your word contained the plan, They just could not understand
Your most awesome work was done Through the frailty of your son.

“The ram” is a reference to the passage in Genesis 22 where Abraham’s faith is tested as God directs him to take his only son, Isaac up on the mountain and sacrifice him. As you will remember, at the last second, an Angel stops Abraham’s hand and points out a ram caught by the horns in a thicket. The ram is to be the sacrifice. Thus, God provided a sacrifice through His love. This is, of course another type of Christ, our once for all sacrifice sent because God first loved us.

“Turned the sea into dry land” comes from Exodus where God parts the Red Sea allowing the Hebrew children to walk across on “dry land.”

Lastly, “to the outcast on her knees” is a reference to Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, sent away by Abraham’s wife to die in Genesis 21. She prays to God on her knees who sends an angel to tell her that Ishmael will live and will be the father of many peoples. This is a great blessing to Hagar, who is undeserving, but whom God, nevertheless loves.

All these types point us to Christ, our High Priest, our Sacrifice sent to die for our sins so that provision could be made for us simply because God loves us and it pleases Him to do it. Thus we can say with David, “erkamka na Adonai” – “I love You, O Lord, my strength."

New Beginnings - Part One

Last week, we started a new chapter - Interim Worship Leader at Gilgal Baptist in Duncanville (near Tuscaloosa), Alabama. It's an interesting story how I got here.


Gilgal is my wife's, Susan's home church and it is in the community where she grew up. It's also the church where I was Music Director when I was in school at the University of Alabama. It's also the community where we have an interest in Susan's late Mother's house that was rebuilt in 2001 after being destroyed in a tornado. Our default plan after I retire is/was to retire to that home. It had crossed my mind that it would be great to direct music there again after I retire in a year or so. - But they had a director.


Last summer the Pastor, Bro. Bart called me out of the blue and said their music director had quit and would I like to be considered by the church to do it. I told him I would be thrilled to do it, but we had a timing problem. The church is 106 miles from my home in Montgomery, Alabama and I'm not ready to retire. So, I told him "no."


God would not let me let go of it, so after about week, I called Bart back and asked if we could revisit it. We discussed a plan whereby I would do the job for them only on weekends, forgiving me Wednesday night duties and moving choir rehearsal to Sunday afternoon. Bro. Bart was amenable to "floating" that idea by the church which he did. After discussing with Susan, Bro. Bart invited me to come up a lead music one weekend and see how the church liked me and visa versa. The appointed weekend came and I drove up to the church, lead music, met with various committees and waited for the church's response. I thought I had done a good job and thought I had given it my best effort.

Well, the response was a little slow in coming; there were some questions so we decided to just let the idea rest and see what God would do. I had no idea what would happen.

Your see, though I thought I was walking fairly closely with God especially on this music at the church issue, in fact, I was doing my own thing and living life my way. I guess I thought I'd call on God when I needed him. I could do that music thing on my own - after all, I used to do that.

Then came the first Saturday in September and I fell off a ladder. I broke six ribs and a collar bone and punctured a lung and was in ICU for several and in the hospital for a week total. Recuperation was long and I went through "side issues." God was teaching me a lesson through all this - a hard lesson. I didn't know how much I needed Him, but when you are praying in the hospital bed just that your body will work right, you get an interesting perspective on life. I really do need God, not now and again and really not even daily. God taught me to live life like a football game, one quarter at a time - and I need Him in each quarter.

Time passed. A few weeks ago, Bro. Bart called me again and asked if we could re-consider the music position at Gilgal. I told him that I still had several side issues that would make it difficult for me, but I would pray about it. God wouldn't let it go. He told me, though you really aren't much on your own, you can say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

So, I agreed to try the church - one quarter at a time - not a quarter of a year, but a quarter of a day. Did I have the physical strength and stamina to drive to Tuscaloosa on Saturday? Then lead the music on Sunday morning, standing in the pulpit and singing? Then planning music in the afternoon? Then rehearsing a choir? Then leading an evening service? Then driving home on Sunday night getting home at 10:00? Then getting up to go to work on Monday?

God said, "trust Me, try Me, prove Me and see if I will not open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that you are not able to receive." I told Bro. Bart point blank, "Bro, Bart, I'm not up to this, but if God wants me to do it, He'll just have to do it through me." -Through me - what a concept. That's what I was missing before. God was not singing through me, I was singing through me. But now my perspective is surely different.

It's been two weeks now - and God has been faithful . . . to be continued.