How is God Almighty?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The name "God Almighty" or "Almighty God" attributed to the Lord in the Old Testament is from the Hebrew name El Shaddai usually translated "God, the All-powerful One." In contrast with the numerous gods of the nations surrounding Israel, God was to be known as the almighty God who reigned over all. The gods of the nations were unable to compare or compete with God Almighty. God performed miracles through Moses and overpowered the sorcerers of the Pharoah (Exodus 7—12). Elijah’s call out to God brought a consuming fire upon the priests of Baal and their altar (1 Kings 18). First Samuel 5:1–8 recounts the idol of Dagon, god of the Philistines, falling down before the ark of the covenant of God twice, once his hands cut off and lying on the threshold of the pagan temple. The people were also afflicted with tumors. All this was a demonstration to the Philistines of God’s almighty power and might over the false gods. God being almighty calls us to recognize who He is and who we are in light of that.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The first use of God Almighty is found in Genesis 17:1 during an encounter where God speaks with Abraham. The Lord refers to Himself by this name, saying, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless."
• When Isaac sent Jacob to Laban, he said, "God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples" (Genesis 28:3). Later, God told Jacob, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body” (Genesis 34:11). God's power to bless and provide a nation through Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3) is mentioned alongside this important name of God.
• Jacob asked for mercy for his sons: "May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin" (Genesis 43:14).
• Jacob, in a later passage, tells his son Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me” (Genesis 48:3). In this passage, Jacob referred to the Lord's promise to bless his family with many descendants.
• God tells Moses, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them." In this passage, God identifies Himself as the same Almighty God who appeared to the forefathers of Moses, now referring to Himself as YHWH (Exodus 6:2–3).
• Ezekiel mentions the power of God as Almighty God: "And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks" (Ezekiel 10:4–5)
• Job uses the name Almighty (Shaddai) for God (e.g., Job 5:17; 6:14; 11:7; 13:3). The nature of the dramatic poetry in Job also demonstrates God’s might and power (Job 26:7–14).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The Lord, in His revelation to the apostle John, declares His might as the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty: “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Revelation 1:8).
• The angels who stand before the throne of God continually confirm God’s might by declaring, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8–11; cf. 11:15–17; 16:7).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

It is clear that God is Almighty in the sense that He is all-powerful. There is no act of strength too big for Him. There is no other person or so-called god who compares with His power. As the people of Israel discovered many times in the Old Testament, the Lord Almighty could conquer any enemy and provide answers when there appeared to be no answer. More pertinently, God overcomes sin and death in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15). By His grace, through faith, we can be reconciled to God and to one another (Ephesians 2). He can take us from death to life (2 Corinthians 5:17–21). When He does, He gives us His indwelling Holy Spirit who is at work in us (Ephesians 1:3–14; Romans 8). We have the Spirit’s power and we’re called to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13). We are invited into God’s work in the world (Matthew 28:18–20; John 15:1–17). Our belief in an all-powerful God should give us the confidence to pursue the things He entrusts us with, knowing that we are not alone, that we have the Creator God working on our behalf, and that He will accomplish all of His good purposes (Ephesians 3:14–21; 1 Peter 1). Understanding His almighty power not only gives us confidence; it causes us to look to Him with a deeper, more reverent sense of worship and to give Him praise.

UNDERSTAND

• God is almighty, meaning He has infinite power and sovereignty.
• God being almighty is demonstrated through miracles and authority in both Old and New Testaments.
• God’s being almighty should lead us to worship and trust in God.

REFLECT

• How does recognizing God as almighty shape your perspective on personal challenges and difficulties?
• How does believing in God's infinite power influence your daily decisions and actions?
• How does understanding God's almightiness impact your relationship with Him and your worship of Him?

ENGAGE

• How does the concept of God’s almightiness inform our understanding of His role in historical and biblical events?
• How does God’s infinite power challenge or encourage you considering the sin and consequences of sin in our world?
• How does the doctrine of God’s almighty nature influence theological discussions about His interaction with the world and His sovereignty?