LIVING IN THE SHADOW

In 1998 Carol and I moved to New York City to spend a year overseeing a special evangelism project at the request of a ministry we were assisting. Our apartment was four blocks south of the World Trade Center, directly “in the shadow” of the Twin Towers.

More than once Carol asked me, “What would happen to our apartment if those towers ever came down?”

I blithely replied, “But that could never happen; those buildings are engineered to withstand all kinds of weather, earthquakes, and explosions. They will never fall down!”

In ancient times the word shadow held a stronger, more ominous meaning than our current usage does and, in fact, the word exercised a superstitious influence upon people. In some cultures it was thought that if a person’s shadow was trampled upon, that person would suffer injury. This superstition grew from the belief that the shadow was a reflection of the soul. In some parts of Asia, everyone attending a funeral would leave before the casket was closed because they feared that a portion of their shadow might get caught in the casket. Superstition said that if any part of your shadow was trapped in a casket, sickness and ill health would follow.

We are given a glimpse of the superstitious aspects of the word in Jewish culture in Acts 5:15, where it says, “They even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them” (ESV).

Whether or not God used the superstitious thinking of the people as an occasion for miracle healing is hotly debated, and it is difficult to prove one way or the other from this passage. Personally, I believe that God did a “special” miracle in this instance, as He later did through Paul, and many were healed (see Acts 19:11-12).

The word shadow also spoke of the influence or power that a leader or a person carried with him in the society where he lived. To live under the shadow of a ruler/leader meant that you were being covered by all the might, power, and influence that belonged to the person in authority.

In Psalm 91:1 the Psalmist declares, “He who dwells in the shelter (secret place) of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

The last part of this verse is a promise to the person who chooses to make his relationship/communion with God a priority of his or her life. The person who chooses to honor God with all parts of his life — his private life, his personal life, his vocational life — is the recipient of a powerful promise. I call it “living in the shadow.” The promise is that we will live within or under the influence of God’s all-sufficient power.

The term used in this verse — “the Almighty” — in the Hebrew is Shaddai. El Shaddai is commonly known as one of the names used throughout the Old Testament to reveal the character of God. Each of the names of God in the Old Testament served to express another aspect of His character. El Shaddai indicates the richness and fullness of God’s grace, His readiness to pour out His mercies on His children — merices that He is more ready to give than we are ready to receive.

In Hebrew the word shaddai also means “the breast,” as speaking of a nursing mother. It is meant to convey the understanding that the same way a mother’s milk is completely sufficient for a newborn, El Shaddai’s sufficiency is more than enough for us as we draw on it.

We are not to live or dwell in the shadow of superstitious thinking. We are to fully embrace the understanding that we are a part of the family of God and, as such, we live under the influence or shadow of Him. We did not deserve to live in this relationship but He took us into His family and made us one of His children. As His children, we live under His protection, provision, and sufficiency.

God is the Shepherd and we are the sheep; we live in His pasture and He takes care of “all our needs.” He is a good and loving shepherd. Charles Spurgeon, the great British pastor, wrote about this phrase and said: “The Almighty Himself is where His shadow is, and hence those who dwell in His secret place are protected by Him. What a shade in the day of noxious heat! What a refuge in the hour of deadly storm! Communion with God is safety.”

Welcome to “living in the shadow.”