神的全丰全足所要求的完全
创世记十七章一节说，“亚伯兰年九十九岁的时候，耶和华向他显现，对他说，我是全足的神，你要行在我面前，你要完全。”（另译）。在这里我们看见，神嘱咐亚伯拉罕两件事－亚伯拉罕必须行在全丰全足的神面前，并且必须完全。在十六章亚伯拉罕没有行在神面前；他行在撒拉、夏甲和以实玛利面前。他既没有行在神面前，神就来告诉他，要行在神面前，并且要完全。神告诉亚伯拉罕要完全，指明他在那时以前并不完全。
我们需要先知道十七章一节之全足的神这名称的意义。在希伯来文里，这名称是“以利沙代，”El－Shaddai。“以利，”El，意思是强者，大能者；“沙代，”Shaddai，含示胸部，乳房，意思是全丰全足的。“以利沙代，”El－Shaddai，是有乳房的大能者，有全丰全足供应的大能者。乳房分泌乳汁，而乳汁是全丰全足的供应，其中有水、矿物质和多种养分，含有我们日常生活所需要的一切。所以以利沙代的意思是全丰全足的大能者。
当亚伯拉罕凭他天然的己行事的时候，他忘了他供应的源头。换句话说，他忘了神是他全丰全足供应的源头。所以，神临到亚伯拉罕，似乎这样说，“你缺少甚么？为甚么不到我这里来？你饥渴么？到我这里来。你供应的源头不是你天然的己。我是全丰全足者，能供应你生活所需要的一切，以及你成就我永远目的所需要的一切。我是源头，你不是源头。你不该靠自己或凭自己而活。你必须凭我作你供应的源头而活。”
在十七章一节，神吩咐亚伯拉罕要完全。要完全是甚么意思？亚伯拉罕不完全，意思不是他不好，乃是他缺少神。我们没有神，就不能得完全。没有神，就没有完全。没有祂，我们总是缺了甚么。无论我们在自己里面多完全，我们还是缺少神，需要凭着并藉着神得完全。你的家庭生活若没有神，你的家庭生活就不完全。神若不在你的婚姻生活中，你的婚姻生活就不完全。没有神，就没有完全。你曾否看见，无论你在人的眼中多美好、多完全，没有神你就有所缺？我们在自己里面没有完全的因素，那完全的因素乃是神自己。神必须加到我们的生命中。祂若没有加到我们的生命中，我们的生命仍不完全。
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Confirming the Divine Covenant with Circumcision (2) — Gen 17:1-2
The Perfection Required by God’s All-sufficiency
Genesis 17:1 says, “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am the All-sufficient God; walk before Me, and be perfect’” (Alternate translation). Here we see that God charged Abraham with two things — Abraham must walk before the All-sufficient God, and he must be perfect. In chapter 16, Abraham did not walk before God; he walked before Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael. Since he did not walk before God, God came to tell him to walk before Him and to be perfect. God telling Abraham to be perfect indicates that prior to that time, he was not perfect.
We first need to know the meaning of the title “the All-sufficient God” in chapter 17:1. In Hebrew, this title is “El-Shaddai”. “El” means the Strong One, the Mighty One; “Shaddai” implies the breast, the udder, meaning all-sufficient. “El-Shaddai” is the Mighty One with an udder, the Mighty One with an all-sufficient supply. The udder produces milk, and milk is an all-sufficient supply, containing water, minerals and many nutrients, comprising everything we need for our daily life. Therefore, the meaning of El-Shaddai is the all-sufficient Mighty One.
When Abraham acted by his natural self, he forgot the source of his supply. In other words, he forgot that God was the source of his all-sufficient supply. Therefore, God came to Abraham as if to say, “What do you lack? Why do you not come to Me? Are you hungry or thirsty? Come to Me. The source of your supply is not your natural self. I am the All-sufficient One who can supply everything you need for your living and everything you need to accomplish My eternal purpose. I am the source; you are not the source. You should not rely on yourself or live by yourself. You must live by Me as the source of your supply”.
In 17:1, God charged Abraham to be perfect. What does it mean to be perfect? Abraham being imperfect does not mean he was not good, but that he lacked God. Without God, we cannot be perfect. Without God, there is no perfection. Without Him, we are always lacking something. No matter how perfect we are in ourselves, we still lack God and need to be made perfect by and through God. If your family life is without God, your family life is not perfect. If God is not in your married life, your married life is not perfect. Without God, there is no perfection. Have you ever seen that no matter how good or perfect you are in the eyes of man, without God you are lacking? We do not have the element of perfection in ourselves; that element of perfection is God Himself. God must be added to our life. If He is not added to our life, our life remains imperfect.