What is ‘the shadow of the Almighty’? In the wilderness where Israel wandered for forty years, temperatures could reach over 54 degrees. (To put that into perspective, the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK was 40.3 degrees in 2022.) There was no shade, except what was provided by the tents in which the people lived. So they understood this powerful metaphor, ‘under the shadow of the Almighty’. If you were lost in the desert, the children of Israel were required by the law of hospitality to satisfy your need for food, water, protection from an enemy, and shade from the blistering sun. It worked like this: first you had to find out the chief shepherd’s name. Then you would take hold of the cord on his tent and cry out for help. When you did that, the law of hospitality required him to take you into the safety of his tent. ANd once you were safely inside his tent, the chief was duty-bound to protect you with his life. God’s name, El Shaddai, describes two wonderful aspects of His character. ‘El’ speaks of His power and strength. ‘Shaddai’ literally means ‘strong-breasted-one’, which refers to the gentleness of a loving mother. Some days you have to go to God for the strength you need to withstand the enemy’s attack; other days you just need to go to Him and let Him hold you in His arms and comfort you. A poet wrote, ‘Let me no more my comfort draw, from my frail grasp on Thee; in this alone rejoice with awe – Thy mighty grasp of me.’ When things get too much for you, run to ‘the shadow of the Almighty’.
