Hands

Of all the tools at your disposal, none is more important than the human hand.  The hand can be used to build things or break them apart.  The hand can be used to hold things in place or move them around.  The hand can make tools and fix you something to eat.  The hand can be used to preserve thoughts by writing them down.   The hand can protect you from danger and hold close someone that you love.  Your hands are the most versatile tools that you own.

Given that fact, it’s hardly surprising that the Bible has much to say about hands.  Eve was supposed to use her hands to care for the Garden of Eden; instead, she committed the first sin by picking the forbidden fruit.  Cain used his hands to bring God a sacrifice, yet not long after he used those same hands to commit the first murder.  Noah built the ark with his hands, yet after the flood those same hands made so much wine that Noah passed out drunk.  God designed the human hand to be a constructive tool, but we often misuse our hands to cause hurt and destruction.

We use our hands without thinking, and such hasty action often leads to trouble.  On one occasion, the Israelites were moving the Ark of the Covenant.  The Ark was personally designed by God, and He treated it as His earthly throne.  For that reason, the Ark was holy and not to be touched—it had to be transported by using long wooden handles.   Listen to the tragedy that resulted from a moment’s thoughtlessness: When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled.  The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God (1 Chronicles 13:9-10).  Uzzah knew full well that to touch the ark was to die, yet he acted without thinking—when he put His hand where it did not belong, he paid the ultimate price. 

We are just as guilty of misusing our hands as any sinner mentioned in the Bible. God says, your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt (Isaiah 59:3).  Some of you have written nasty emails or forwarded jokes that should have been deleted.  Some have thrown rocks at animals or committed acts of vandalism.  Some have touched others sexually when they should have kept their hands to themselves.  Everyone reading this has hit or pushed someone for no good reason.  Each of us has held back from offering a comforting touch because we were afraid to get involved in another person’s troubles.

God warns us against using our hands to commit sin.  Jesus said, if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell (Matthew 5:30).  In the book of Job we are told, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear (Job 11:14).  If we insist on doing evil, we can expect God to oppose us: He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success (Job 5:12). 

God’s hands are not like ours.  Actually, God has no hands—He is spirit without physical form.  But that does not make God powerless—He created our universe, and He sustains it with His mighty power so that it does not crumble into dust.  The Bible speaks of God’s incomprehensible work in terms that we can understand—so even though God is spirit, when He acts the Bible speaks of His mighty hands. 

God’s hands are capable of judgment and great destruction.  When God freed the Israelites from slavery by punishing Egypt with terrible curses, Moses praised the Lord with these words: Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy (Exodus 15:6).  In Deuteronomy 32:39 the Almighty said, There is no god besides me.  I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.  John the Baptist urged the people to repent before God’s anger consumed them: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12).  You’ve heard the phrase “read the handwriting on the wall”?  This comes from the time when God wrote words of judgment on the wall of an evil king: Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.  His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way…That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom (Daniel chapter five).  We should all remember the words of Hebrews chapter 10: It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

But God’s anger is tempered with mercy.  The book of Job also says, he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal (5:18).  God does not want us to suffer; He would rather bless than curse.  That’s why He sent Jesus to bear our sin on the cross.  Jesus suffered and died in our place.  This is how God forgives us—He allows us to hand our sins over to someone else.  We see this concept at work in the Law of Moses.  When a person broke God’s law, a sacrifice was required for the sin to be forgiven. He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him (Leviticus 1:4).  This looked ahead to Jesus’ work at Calvary, when all of our sins were handed over to Him who died in our place.  Only God could free us from the power of sin and death, so we trust ourselves to God as David did: Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth (Psalm 31:5).

At Jesus’ trial, Governor Pilate tried to hand off responsibility for Jesus’ illegal death. He took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" (Matthew 27:24)  But the only one who could forgive Pilate was the Son of God—Pilate remained guilty of an innocent man’s blood, because he did not hand his guilt to the right person!

Jesus’ hands show His love for us.  A man with leprosy came to Jesus for healing.  Leprosy was incurable and highly contagious—getting the disease made you an isolated loner.  But Jesus is not like us.  When the man said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean," Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy (Matthew 8:2-3).  In Jewish culture, no one touched a corpse if they could avoid it.  But when Jesus was brought to the side of a little girl recently deceased, he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!"  Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up (Luke 8:54-55).  Jesus loved touching people: he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10:16). 

Jesus’ hands are permanently marked by His love for us.  The hands of Christ still bear the scars of being nailed to the cross so we could be forgiven.  Thomas wanted to touch the scars as proof that Jesus had risen from the dead; in response the Lord said: put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe (John 20:27).  Through Isaiah God said, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands (49:16).  And those hands are strong; so strong that no one can snatch us out of His hand (John 10:29).

Because of His work on our behalf, God the Father has given Jesus the place of honor at His right hand.  Most people are right-handed, so when we speak of someone as our ‘right hand man’, it’s a way of showing how important that person is to us.  As the right hand of God, Jesus has the authority to forgive our sins— God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:31).  David trusted in the saving power of God’s right hand: Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you (Psalm 17:7).  This gives us confidence to face every problem of life: do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).  In response, we are moved to sing God’s praises: Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him (Psalm 98:1). 

The hands of God give us all kinds of blessings.  His hands made the universe: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1).  His hands made each of us: O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand (Isaiah 64:8).  The hand of God gives us everything we need to live: A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too…is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25) The hand of God protects us: I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you (Isaiah 41:13).  The hand of God builds the church: The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord (Acts 11:21). 

Much of the time, we are proud of what our hands have accomplished.  But Moses puts things into perspective: You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."  But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).  When we put our hands to work, we ought to pray for God’s blessing as Moses did: May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; give success to the work of our hands—yes, give success to the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17). 

Since God gave us our hands, how ought they to be used?  We should be using them to build things that make life better for others.  We should be using them to write words of comfort and encouragement.  We should use them to fix what’s broken and improve things that could be made better.  Our hands should offer help to those in need and touch those who feel lonely, sad, or afraid.  But the most important ways to use our hands are laid out by God in the Bible.  Psalm 134 says, Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.  We are to honor God by offering Him our hands. Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground (Nehemiah 8:6).  David promised, I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands (Psalm 63:4).

Another important use for our hands comes from the writings of Saint Paul: I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer (1 Timothy 2:8).  David begged God, May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice (Psalm 141:2).  When we pray, we show God that we realize our need for His help—our hands alone are not enough. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land (Psalm 143:6).

God promises to reward the proper use of hands. Blessed is the man who…keeps his hand from doing any evil (Isaiah 56:2).  When we mess up, Jesus is there to catch us; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand (Psalm 37:24).  The Lord protects us from evil: he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone (Psalm 91:12).  And when we die, Christ will bring us to His home up above: You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:11).