AC 1992 - God Shaddai

AC 1992 [1-5]
I am God Shaddai.
(Genesis 17:1)
. . . In Syria, where Abram came from,
there still existed remains of the Ancient Church,
and many families there retained its worship . . ..

But this was not the case with the house of Terah,
the father of Abram and Nahor,
for this was one of the families of the nations there
that had not only lost the name "Jehovah"
but had also served other gods,
and instead of Jehovah had worshiped Shaddai,
whom they called their god . . ..

In his early manhood, Abram, like other Gentiles, was an idolater,
and that up to this time, while living in the land of Canaan,
he had not rejected from his mind the god Shaddai
- by which is meant in the sense of the letter the name of Abram's god -
and that by this name the Lord was first represented before them
(that is, before Abram, Isaac, and Jacob) . . ..

The reason why the Lord was willing
to be first represented before them by the name "Shaddai"
is that the Lord by no means desires to destroy suddenly
(still less in a single moment)
the worship that has been instilled in anyone from his infancy;
for this would be to tear up the root,
and thereby destroy the holy state of adoration and of worship
that has been deeply implanted,
and which the Lord never breaks, but bends.
The holy state of worship
that has been rooted in from infancy
is of such a nature that it cannot endure violence,
but only a gentle and kindly bending.
The case is the same with those Gentiles
who in their bodily life had worshiped idols,
and yet had lived in mutual charity.
As the holy state of their worship has been inrooted from their infancy,
in the other life it is not taken away in a moment, but successively;
for in those who have lived in mutual charity,
the goods and truths of faith can be easily implanted,
and they receive them afterwards with joy; for charity is the very soil.
And such also was the case with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
in that the Lord suffered them to retain the name "God Shaddai,"
insomuch that He said He was God Shaddai;
and this from the meaning of the name.

Some translators render Shaddai "the Almighty;"
others, "the Thunderer;"
but it properly signifies "the Tempter" or "Tester,"
and "the Benefactor," after the temptations" or "trials,"
as is evident from the book of Job,
which mentions "Shaddai" so frequently
because Job was in trials or temptations . . ..