The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 159

y(lur fathers." The knowledg~ of God by t~s ne.~e in the present passe.ee has obvious reference to a knowledge derived from manifestation of the attributes implied in the meaning of the name. I. "JEHOVAH" IN oo~"TRAST WITH "EL-SHADDAI" (ver. 3). 1. El-Shaddai means 11.s translated, "God Almighty." It denotes in God the simple attribute of powe~ All-ll'ligbtiness-power exerted chiefly in the region of the natural life. 2. Jehovah on the other hand, has a deeper and wider, an infinitely fuller and richer meaning. It denotes God as poss~ssed of the perfections of ~he Absolute-self-identical and change- less because self-eXJ.stent and eternal. God is eternally what he is (eh. iii. 14)-tho Being who is and remains one with himself in all he thinks, purposes, and does. 'l'his implies, together with immutability, the attribute of self-determining freedom and that unlimited rule (dominioJ?,, sovereignty) in the worlds of matter and mind, which is of the essence of the concept10n of the Absolute. Hence such passages as these :-" I am J cbovah, I change not " (Ma.I. iii. 6); " Whatsoever Jehovah pleased that did he in ~eavcn'. and in earth, in the seas, and in all deep places" (Ps. cm. 6); "Jehovah, he 1s God m_ heaven above, and upon the ~th beneath; th~re i~ non~ else" (Deut. iv. 39), Jehovah 1s, moreover, the God of gracw'll,S purpose. It 1s this which gave the name its depth of interest to the Hebrew bondsmen, who were not likely to be greatly influenced by J?urely ontological conceptions. The chosen sphere for the manifestation of the attrihute-8 denoted by ~hese 'lUl,~ of God_ was that mar~ed out by the promises of the Covenant. El-Shaddai, e.g., while declanng the possession by God of the attribute of power in general, had immediate reference to the manifestations of power which God would give in the birth of Isaac, and in the fulfilment of the promise to Abraham of a ~umerous :posterity (Gen. xvi. 1-7). _It was power working in the interests of grace, m subserv1ency to love. The same 1S true of the name Jehovah. A view of God in his bare absoluteness would awaken only a. speculative interest ; but it is different when thls self-eristent, eternal Being is seen entering into history, and revealing himself as the God of compassionating love. Grace and mercy are felt to be no longer foreign to the meaning of the name, but to be as much a part of it as changelessness and freedom. This, ar..cordingly, was what the name told to Israel; not simply that there was an Absolute, or even that he who had entered into covenant with the Fathers, and was now about to undertake their deliveranee, was this absolute God ; but rather, that it was in the work of their salvation that his perfections as Absolute were to be surprisingly and surpassingly exhibited. Their redemption was to be a chosen :field for the manifestation of his Jehovah attributes. There would be given in it a discovery a.nd demonstration of these surpassing everything that had hitherto been known. And was not thi.ts glorious comfort to a nation lying in darkness and the shadow of death ! II. THE HISTORICAL EXHIBITION OF THIS CONTRAST. 1. God revealed as EZ-Shaddai (ver. 3). God was made known as El-Sha.ddai in the birth of Isaac (Rom. iv. 17-22), in the care exercised over the patriarchs in their wanderings (Gen. x.x.viii. 15), in the provision made for their temporal necessities (Gen. xlv. i>--'-9), in the increase and preservation of the chosen race in Egypt (EL i. 7, 12, 20; iii. 2). This name, however, was inadequate to express the richer aspects and relations of the Divine character brought to light in the Exodus, and in the subsequent experiences of the people. 2. The transition from El-Shaddai to Jehovah. Vers. 4-6 narrate the steps by which the way was prepared for the new and higher manifestation. The preparation involved-(1) The establishment of a covenant of promise (ver. 4). If God is revealed as Jehovah when seen acting with unbounded freedom in fulfilment of a purpose, then it was necessary, in order that the freedom and sovereignty of the worker might be rendered completely manifest, that the purpose should be previously declared. Only on the basis of a previously declared purpose could the Jehovah attributes be conspicuously and conclusively displayed. (See interesting remarks on this in Bruce's 'Chief End of Revelation' eh. iv.). (2) The development of a crisis in the situation of Israel (ver. 6), This crisis ~as marked on the hU1T1U1,n side by the sufferings of Israel reaching a pitch of intensity which imperatively called for a Divine interposition ; and on the Divine side by God arousing himself, and determining himself to interfere on their behalf (eh.' ii. 23-25). We have already seen that the bondage was not without Divine permis- sion. We have traced it in-(1) A punishment for sins, (2) A trial of faith, and (3) A IJH, VI, 3----8,] TilE BOOK OF EXODUS. 143