Whether tightening a bolt, crocheting, or typing on a computer, there is so much that we do with our hands. The Greek physician Galen called them the instrument of instruments. Indeed, hands are instruments that can do a great deal of things. Hands can be used to heal or hurt, work or wreck, build or break, seize or surrender, and on and on. Our Creator has bestowed on us these amazing instruments.
It is no surprise that mentions of hands appear all over the Bible as God’s Word speaks to us in ways that we can understand. All things are the work of the hand of the Lord (Psalm 102:25). The Lord’s hand is referred to over two hundred times in the Old Testament. The Lord’s hand is active in creation, power, control over happenings of the world, judgment, and salvation. The hand of the Lord was upon Ezekiel when He gave him a vision (Ezekiel 3:22), and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines in the days of Samuel (1 Samuel 7:13). The hand of the Lord is both Law and Gospel.
Perhaps surprisingly, specific references to the “hand of the Lord” are not all that frequent in the New Testament. However, it is precisely in the New Testament where the hand of the Lord takes on literal meaning. The One through whom all things were created took on real, literal hands in His incarnation (John 1:1–14). We have several examples throughout Scripture that speak of the way that Christ used His hands alongside His life-giving words to bring forgiveness, life, and salvation. Jesus used His hands to save drowning Peter, to feed the multitudes, to touch those who were unclean, to stop a funeral procession in its tracks, to lift up Jairus’s daughter, and to bless the children. The hand of the Lord has come to us in Jesus.
On the other hand, the literal and figurative actions of mere human hands in the Bible are often the means of our own sin. After all, our own Lord was “delivered into the hands of men” (Luke 9:44). However, on a greater level, we know that it was the hand of the Lord at work all along, most especially in His crucifixion. Christ laid down His life of His own authority as He allowed Himself to be delivered into the hands of sinful men (John 10:18). His hands were pierced for the sins of the world. His hands rested on Holy Saturday. Yet, on the third day, He rose again. He now holds us in His hands, and no one can snatch us from His hand (John 10:28). Our Lord has hands, real hands. Jesus has accomplished all that we need. Amazingly, He takes our manipulative, distorted, self-serving hands and restores them into useful hands for His purposes, both to literally use them in service and to make our whole lives into His instruments of witness, service, and praise.
“The Hand of the Lord” will be this year’s Lenten theme for our midweek services. Make plans to gather for suppers at 6 pm and worship at 7 pm as we journey through this special season of spiritual renewal.
God’s blessings,
Pastor Tuma