We will see that scripture is specific when the Right Hand is being mentioned. The Right Hand of God is significant and if we understand it, we will be able to maximize and engage this Right Hand of God, and when we pray using the Right Hand of God, we will know what we should expect.
Isaiah 41:8-11
8 But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, My friend— 9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest regions. And said to you: You are My servant; I have chosen you and have not cast you away 10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous Right Hand. 11 Behold all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced. They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish
This is one of the many verses in which the Right Hand of the Lord is mentioned. In some verses like this one, we will see the righteous Right Hand. In these verses, it was God himself speaking, making an affirmation of his Right Hand. This was not a report from someone else. He said I will uphold you with My righteous Right Hand. He was very specific. Righteous Right Hand! What I will use to uphold you is my righteous Right Hand.
When God speaks to us, telling us what He will do, we can trust Him, we can take Him by His word. He could have said I will uphold you and He will do it no doubt but He said I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous Right Hand, that is what I will use because it is significant. This is instructive and important for us to note.
We will read some verses to see where the Right Hand is mentioned and pick up lessons as we go on. The bible is specific. If the Right Hand of God is not very significant, it won’t be mentioned.
In some parts of the scriptures, only the hand of the Lord is mentioned. In many places, the Right Hand of God is mentioned, and in others, the righteous Right Hand of God. To tell us that the hand of God is in itself very significant but we are narrowing down and being more specific to talk about the Right Hand of the Lord
Isaiah 41:19-20
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, The myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine And the box tree together, 20 That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Isaiah 41:19-20 shows us one of the verses where the hand of the Lord was mentioned. And we can see God’s creative hand at work because the bible says, the hand of the Lord has done this.
Also, this is not to say that the left hand of the lord is useless so to say or not functional, or does God have a left hand if it is majorly the righthand that is predominantly mentioned in scriptures. I want us to wrap our minds around some things about God’s left hand, as a background but our consideration is on engaging the Right Hand of the Lord.
- If Isaiah 41 verse 19-20 that we read was not even specific on which hand of the Lord was used either right or left. The bible said the hand of the Lord has done this. So, we cannot tell which of the hands he used.
- And if we humans are created in the image and likeness of God with two hands, then it should give us a picture of the image of God.
- Also, since the bible is being specific about the Right Hand of God, that means there is an alternative hand. What is the need of being specific if it’s just one hand?
- And the left hand of God is very functional,
For example, for many soldiers on the battlefront, especially many right-handed people, the Right Hand is usually used to hold the sword for an attack, and the left hand is used to hold the shield for covering. The Right Hand seems like the more aggressive one, the one that is on the offensive, for an attack. And the left hand is the less aggressive one, for defence. Even though both are needed and very functional on the battlefront, they carry out different functions and come into play as needed.
Picturing the whole armour of God as believers, there is something to be used for different parts of the body, the head, feet, chest and the two hands, the sword and the shield.
What is the significance of the Right Hand of God? And what can the Right Hand of God do for us?
- The Right Hand of the Lord is a pointer to His Person and His integrity
Isaiah 62:8
The Lord has sworn by His Right Hand and by the arm of His strength, Surely I will no longer give your grain As food for your enemies; And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine for which you have laboured.
A passage in the Bible (Hebrews 6) says God could only swear by Himself because there was no one to swear by and here the scripture is saying, He swore by his Right Hand.
Heb. 6:13
For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself.
This scripture says He swore by His Right Hand. This is very significant. What does that say to us? When God swore by Himself to Abraham, He put His name, his person, and His integrity on the line. And now, He swore by His Right Hand, that means wherever you see My Right Hand operate, you have seen Me. You have my word. You have my integrity that his thing I said I will do, I will definitely do it.
Isaiah 41:10-11
10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous Right Hand. 11 Behold all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced. They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish
God could have said I will uphold you. Yes! He will do so but once again He brings forth His Right Hand, He puts his person on the line. This Right Hand of mine is enough for you. It can carry you. That means, My person can carry you. I can carry you because of the strength in my Right Hand and I can vouch with my Right Hand because it shows my Person.
There is this word that people normally use in Nigeria especially when you perhaps helped them in one way or the other. They say thank you, I have seen your hand oh! Or I saw your hand! Even when what you did, did not actually engage the use of your hands. They mean they saw your works, your person.
When we engage the Right Hand of God, we engage Him, His person. The Right Hand of God is a revealer of His person. Let’s not forget that.
- The Right Hand of the Lord is Righteous
What does this mean? Righteousness is God’s character. He cannot act otherwise. We pointed out that the Right Hand of God is His Person. So, when you see from scriptures My righteous Right Hand, that means a hand that is honourable, that will do right, that is just.
Psalm 48:10
According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your Right Hand is full of righteousness.
Everybody testifies, your Right Hand is full of righteousness. You are full of righteousness. This is You and this is how You operate. So, if God says a thing, He must carry it out and where he even put forth his righteous Right Hand, you can still be sure He will carry it out.
As is Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; and what is that praise? Your Right Hand is full of righteousness. Not you are righteous lord, your Right Hand because it is significant. When you see the hand of God, you see God, you experience Him.
- The Right Hand of the Lord is a place of honour
It is a place of closeness to God, proximity with God and a place of power
Matthew 22:44
"The Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at My Right Hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool'"
Let’s look at this verse well, sit at my Right Hand. My Right Hand! He could have said, sit by my side on the right. Sit by my right side. It’s like the same statement but the specific use of the Right Hand is what I want us to note. Sit at my Right Hand!
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the Right Hand of the throne of God.
This talks about a place. A place of honour, a place of lifting.
1 Peter 3:22
Who has gone into heaven and is at the Right Hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him
This verse talks about authority, being above
When Stephen was being stoned, he lifted up his eyes, and he said he saw God’s glory and Jesus standing at the Right Hand of God. You cannot stand close to glory or around glory and not be in glory
When you pray to be at the Right Hand of God, you are praying dominion, you are praying glory, you are praying for lifting. But I must put a disclaimer to it because Jesus didn’t get to that place on a platter of God, there was something he went through, there was something he endured.
There is a path, an endurance you will go through to take that position at the Right Hand of the Father. And this is not to say until you go to heaven, see God. No! there is requisite work needed to engage the glory situated at the Right Hand of God.
That’s why when the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus requesting that her sons sit at the right and left, Jesus said it’s not in my place to choose that, there is a cup they must drink from and they will surely drink of it. So, there is honour at the Right Hand of God.
The Right Hand of God, therefore, is a reference to both a place of proximity (closeness) to God the Father and a position of power above all other powers.
When we hear right-hand man, or when a person says this is my righthand man, it means the person is not an ordinary person so to say. He occupies a special place of honour.
The right hand on a person conveys authority, blessings, power and strength.
Lets’ see an example from scriptures in Genesis 48, from verse 12
Joseph brought his sons to his father Jacob before Jacob passed on
12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his Right Hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s Right Hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his Right Hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” 17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his Right Hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your Right Hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
Jacob blessed the child who would receive a greater blessing by placing his right hand on his head. Jacob was deliberate about who his right hand was on and Joseph was finding it hard to comprehend it. In the natural order, this should not be, the firstborn should take the place of honour but Jacob said they will both be blessed but at the right hand is a special kind of honour and authority.
This was a man operating of the inspiration of God, seeing into the future.
In verse 20, he set Ephraim before Manasseh, which means above.
- The Right hand of the Lord is mighty. It delivers and saves.
Psalm 60:5
That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your Right Hand, and hear me
That’s why we said, the Right Hand holds the sword, to do what? Save by all means, deliver. “Save with your Right Hand.”
Psalm 138:7
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your Right Hand will save me.
Here, the bible said you will stretch forth your hand, but specifically, your Right Hand will save me. The Psalmist said I know the hand that I should engage. The Right Hand of the Lord saves
We are seeing the Right Hand of God operating in different dimensions so that when we want to engage him in different areas of our lives, we are sure and engage properly. When we are engaging God in the place of warfare, we are engaging the person of God
- The Right hand of God guides
Psalm 139:8-10
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your Right Hand will lay hold of me.
This talks about guidance. Your hand is leading him, yes! But specifically, your Right Hand lays hold of me means I am guiding you on this journey Myself. It’s like you want to cross a busy road with a small child. You can’t at that time be giving instructions and say, follow me when I am crossing, What you do is hold the child? You lay hold of the child and take him across. Your hand does not leave the child because it can be fatal.
Your Right Hand will lay hold of me, will carry me through. And when your hand is being held, you really do nothing but follow because the person laying hold has the final say so to say or knows the way.
In the uttermost parts of the sea, in the most unpalatable places, your Right Hand will lay hold of me.
Take note again, The bible didn’t say God will use his Right Hand to hold me, the bible says your Right Hand will lay hold of me. It sound more like the hand of God acting independent of God. If I was to cross a road with a child, I would say, I held him to cross the road. Take note of the word “I”. David in this scripture said your Right Hand will lay hold of me, not God, you will lay hold of me. Once again saying the Right Hand of God is God’s person so it can stand in place as God. When you see God’s hand operate, you see God himself.
- The Right Hand of God has Creative Power
Isaiah 48:13
Indeed my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My Right Hand has stretched out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together.
Effect of the Right hand of God being withdrawn from a person
We want to see what happens when the Right Hand of the Lord is withdrawn, what is the state of a life without the Right Hand of God
Psalm 77:10
I cried out to God with my voice—To God with my voice; And He gave ear to me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; My soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. 4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old, The years of ancient times.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search. 7 Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more?
8 Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? 10 And I said, “This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the Right Hand of the Most High
The Psalmist said, this is what is paining me the most, despite all that is happening to me, “I remember when the Right Hand of God was evident in my life.” From verse 7, it’s like favour has ceased, mercy, no more, I don’t see the graciousness of God, His promises are not coming to pass. That means His Right Hand is missing. I am missing something. “I will remember the years of the Right Hand of the Most High.”
Reading down the remaining verses, we will see the writer of this particular psalm 77 talking about the goodness and the works of the lord, remembering when the Right Hand of God was present with him
In Lamentations 2, the Lord was angry against Israel and He withdrew His Right Hand because of their sins. In fact, reading through the verses, you will see that His hand became an adversary to them, like an enemy. The Lord withdrew his hand from Isreal’s enemies and began to attack them, his own people.
Lamentations 2:3
In fierce anger He has cut off All the strength of Israel; He has drawn back His Right Hand From before the enemy. And He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire Consuming round about.
Since we withdrew his hand, He withdrew His strength.
In 1 Peter 5: 6-7, the bible was telling us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and we will be lifted in due time. If the mighty hand of God can lift, if the person of God can lift, then the same hand can bring down.
Knowing that the Right Hand of God can be withdrawn as much as He is available for our benefit will help us know how to carry ourselves. How to engage with God.
We need to be conscious of and engage the hand of the Lord
Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Benedicta Apeh!
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