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Laying
on of Hands
Hebrews
6:1-3 - Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto
perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and
of faith toward God, Of
the doctrine of baptisms,
and of laying on of hands,
and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Laying
on of hands, from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, has always been used as
a means of imparting something. What was imparted can sometimes be viewed
negatively and positively in the light of scripture. Only the context of its use
could determine the negative or positive aspect of the imparting.
In
this study, what we will do is hop from negative impartations to positive
impartations, from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant and recognize and
acknowledge the
scriptural validity of its use today as well as understand its spiritual significance
in our Father’s eyes.
Negative
(Left)
Leviticus 4:13-15 - And
if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid
from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the
commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are
guilty; When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the
congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the
tabernacle of the congregation. And the elders of the congregation shall lay
their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock
shall be killed before the LORD. [Emphasis added are mine]
In
this instance, when the congregation of Israel would sin through ignorance
(unknowingly) before the Lord and it later it was made known, the elders of the
congregation would act as representatives of the whole congregation of Israel.
They would all lay their hands upon the head of a bullock, passing on the sins
(of ignorance) of the whole congregation of Israel upon the bullock, and then
kill the bullock before the Lord. The law required a death penalty for sinning
against God. The bullock paid the penalty, in place of the people, for sinning
against God unknowingly.
Now,
if you were the bullock, this whole course of events would be negative from your
perspective and rightly so. But for the people of Israel, it was the way that
God would pass on the sins of the people on to an animal to pay the price of the
sin. In the light of the people, that was a positive way for God to deal with
sin in the congregation. The only problem is you had to keep offering these
sacrifices for sin. Thank God He paid the penalty Himself in Jesus, once and for
all.
Positive
(Right)
Leviticus 9:22 - And
Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them,
and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and
peace offerings. [Emphasis added are mine]
In
this short excerpt, Aaron lifted up his hands, stretched them toward the people
and blessed them. Without touching them, he pronounced a blessing over them. The
physical act of stretching his hands toward them and blessing them was the
unseen act of God blessing the people. Here we see the impartation of a blessing
accompanied with the stretching out of hands.
Negative
(Left)
Leviticus 16:21-22 -
And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head
of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of
Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the
head of the goat, and shall send him
away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon
him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat
in the wilderness. [Emphasis added are mine]
In
this instance, Aaron, the high priest, is shown laying both of his hands on a
live goat. As he touches the goat, Aaron confesses and over the goat all of the
sins of the children of Israel. This confession and act of laying on of hands
imparted all the sins of Israel on to the live goat. The goat would then bear
upon himself all of the iniquities of Israel and would be sent away to an
uninhabited land in the wilderness.
This
is a foreshadow of the end result of a man left in his own sin, come judgment
day. He will bear all his sins and be thrown into the lake of fire, just as the
goat took the sins upon himself into an uninhabited land.
Positive
(Right)
Numbers 8:10-14 - And
thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel
shall put their hands upon the Levites: And Aaron shall offer the Levites
before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute
the service of the LORD. And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the
heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering,
and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the
Levites. And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his
sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD. Thus shalt thou separate the
Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Here
we see laying on of hands imparting several things for several purposes. The
children of Israel first laid their hands on the Levites. The Levites were the
priests of all of Israel and would be the ministers to the Lord for the
Israelites. Hands were laid on to show representation for the people by the
people. As they did this Aaron, the high priest, offered the Levites, as on
offering for the children of Israel to the Lord. Laying on of hands can
sometimes designate offerings by the people to the Lord. Hence, we observe
infant dedications to the Lord rather than baptisms to offer our children to the
Lord as His own.
The
Levites in turn, place their hands upon the heads of the bullocks. One of the
bullocks was a sin offering and the other was a burnt offering. Both were to
make an atonement for the Levites unto the Lord. Then the Levites were offered
to the Lord, to be separate from the children of Israel, for they had become the
Lord’s for specific service unto Him through this ceremony.
Negative
(Left)
Leviticus 24:10-16 -
And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was
an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp; And the
Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed.
And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was Shelomith,
the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:) And they put him in ward, that the
mind of the LORD might be shewed them. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Bring
forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him
lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth
his God shall bear his sin. And he that blasphemeth the name of the
LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall
certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when
he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Here
we see a story of Israelites getting into a fight. During there fight, as often
happens nowadays, someone blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed. The Lord
said to Moses that all of them that “heard him” should lay their hands on
his head and commanded that all the congregation stone him. Previously, we read
in Leviticus, that when hands were laid on the goats head, the sins were passed
on to the goat and the goat was sent away alone into the wilderness to suffer
for the sins of the people. In this case, the Lord made an example of this man
and how much the Lord reveres and demands respect of His name. The man who
blasphemed His name and cursed bore his own sin and paid the death penalty
himself for that sin, by stoning.
Positive
(Right)
2 Kings 4:32-37 - And
when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon
his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and
prayed unto the LORD. And he went up, and lay upon the child,
and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon
his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the
child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro;
and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed
seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi, and
said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And
when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she went in, and
fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went
out. [Emphasis added are mine]
This
was the story of Elisha resurrecting the Shunammite woman’s child. He went
upstairs to the child’s room and shut the door. He proceeded to pray unto the
Lord. He then did a very strange thing, that if it were done today people would
think this man was absolutely crazy and probably call Elisha pervert of some
kind. Nevertheless, it says that Elisha laid upon the child, put his mouth on
the mouth of the child, put his eyes on the eyes of the child, his hands upon
the hands of the child, and then stretched and sprawled himself upon the child.
Very strange indeed! The child being dead and cold, began to warm up. Elisha
then walked to and fro downstairs and went back up again and stretched himself
upon the child again and the child sneezed 7 times and opened his eyes. The
child was brought back to life through prayer and much more than the laying on
of hands. It was prayer and physical body contact.
Negative
(Left)
Nehemiah 13:21 - Then
I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall?
if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you.
From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Nehemiah
used the term “I will lay hands on you” as a threat meaning, “I’m gonna
beat you up”. I’m sure he said it in a manner that was
more intimidating than that, but it’s one of those “you had to have been
there” type of things. So here laying hands was meant to bring harm to someone else.
Esther 3:5-6 - And
when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman
full of wrath. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone;
for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to
destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even
the people of Mordecai. [Emphasis added are mine]
In
Esther, the term “to lay hands on” was used with the same meaning as in Nehemiah and that
was to inflict harm on another person.
Moving
into the New Covenant we see the same meaning used in these following verses:
Matthew 21:45-46 - And
when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they
perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on
him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Luke 20:19 - And
the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on
him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken
this parable against them. [Emphasis added are mine]
Luke 21:12 - But
before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you,
delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before
kings and rulers for my name's sake. [Emphasis added are mine]
Acts 5:17-18 - Then
the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of
the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common
prison. [Emphasis added are mine]
Acts 21:27-32 - And
when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when
they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on
him, Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all
men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further
brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. (For
they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they
supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) And all the city was moved, and
the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple:
and forthwith the doors were shut. And as they went about to kill him,
tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an
uproar. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them:
and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of
Paul.
[Emphasis added are mine]
In
these passages Jesus spoke against the Pharisees and other religious leaders and
how in their hearts they wanted to “lay hands on Him” to do Him harm, but
they were afraid of the people because they thought Jesus to be a respected
prophet. Then Jesus warned His disciples that the religious leaders would lay
their hands on them, persecute them, and bring them before the courts for His
name’s sake. In Acts, the fulfillment of this prophecy of Jesus concerning His
people is recorded. Notice when laying on of hands is described in the negative
aspect of inflicting harm, it’s the Pharisees and religious leaders that are
always trying to harm with their hands.
Positive
(Right)
In
contrast to these verses, we see laying on of hands in a much different light as
you finish the Old Covenant and come in to the New Covenant.
Proverbs 31:19-20 - She
layeth her hands to the spindle, and her
hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she
reacheth forth her hands to the needy. [Emphasis added are mine]
In
this instance, Solomon is describing a virtuous woman and uses the words
“layeth her hands to the spindle” meaning she puts them to work to
accomplish a task. But this virtuous woman also stretches out her hand to the
poor and needy. Here we see that laying her hands and stretching out her hands
are used in a manner that is fruitful, productive, and blesses others just as
when Aaron stretched out his hands to bless the people.
Mark 5:22-24,35-43 -
And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the
synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And
besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I
pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall
live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and
thronged him… While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's
house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master
any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the
ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to
follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh
to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that
wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make
ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed
him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and
the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the
damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said
unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say
unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was
of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that
something should be given her to eat. [Emphasis added are mine]
Here
we see Jairus’ faith confession in Jesus and His ability to heal his daughter
by simply laying His hands on her and saying “and she shall live.” Notice in
this excerpt, Jesus came to the house and removed mockers, scoffers, and
unbelievers from the environment he was about to work. That is very similar to
Elisha going upstairs, closing the door behind him, and praying alone for the
Shunammite woman’s child. Jesus then simply took her hand and told her to
rise. She did and was resurrected from the dead.
Mark 16:15-18 - And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with
new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it
shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly
thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover. [Emphasis added are mine]
One
of the signs that will follow those who believe and are baptized will be the
laying of hands on the sick and their recovery. We are supposed to expect this.
We need to go out by faith, praying and laying hands on the sick and seeing them
recover, so the glory of God would be manifest to those receiving.
Acts 6:1-7 - And
in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a
murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were
neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the
disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of
God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of
honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this
business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry
of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose
Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus,
and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom
they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on
them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples
multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were
obedient to the faith. [Emphasis added are mine]
Here,
like the Levitical priests in the Old Covenant, the laying of hands for
commissioning brethren for service is recorded even amongst the apostles and the
early 1st century church. This is not the only occurrence seen in
Acts.
Acts 8:14-19 - Now
when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the
word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the
Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them,
and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on
of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying,
Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy
Ghost. [Emphasis added are mine]
In
this event, the apostles from Jerusalem sent Peter and John to the Samaritans.
They heard that the Samaritans received the gospel and were baptized, yet the
Holy Spirit had not fallen on them. When Peter and John arrived, they prayed for
the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter and John then laid their hands
on them, and then the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit. Here, the Holy Spirit
is seen to be imparted through prayer and the laying on of hands - another
impartation of blessing. This blessing is the impartation of the Holy Spirit of
Jesus.
Acts 13:1-4 - Now
there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers;
as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen,
which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered
to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for
the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and
prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they,
being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they
sailed to Cyprus. [Emphasis added are mine]
In
the church at Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers, which included
Barnabas and Saul (Paul), who were fasting and praying. The Holy Spirit spoke
and said He wanted Barnabas and Saul separated unto what He had called them for.
When they heard the Holy Spirit speak, they fasted, prayed, and laid hands on
them and sent them out according to the Word of the Lord. Here the laying on of
hands is seen as commissioning certain people for a service unto God, similar to
what was recorded in the Old Covenant.
Acts 19:6 - And
when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. [Emphasis added are mine]
Here
is another instance where laying on of hands is used to impart the Holy Spirit
with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Notice, they also prophesied.
Paul spoke in Romans of desiring to see them so that he may impart to them some
spiritual gift (see Romans 1:11). Prayer and the laying on of hands, according
to the Spirit, will allow the body to impart "some" (this word means any) of the spiritual
gifts to be used for God’s glory and the edification of the body.
Acts 28:7-9 - In
the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name
was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. And it came
to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to
whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and
were healed: [Emphasis added are mine]
Here
Paul is seen carrying out the Word of the Lord in that when he came into the
house of one that was sick, Publius, he prayed, laid hands on him, and healed
him. This is according to the Word of the Lord recorded in Mark 16:15-18
testifying that this type of sign would follow those that believed and were
baptized. This is something that the people of God should walk in by faith.
1 Timothy 4:14 - Neglect
not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy,
with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. [Emphasis added
are mine]
Here,
Paul is reminding his spiritual son, Timothy, to not neglect a gift that was
prophesied over him with the laying on of hands by the elders. This act of
laying on of hands was a common occurrence in the early church and it was for
the purpose of blessing that person with any spiritual gift to be used according
to the Word of the Lord to edify His body.
In
spite of this Paul also warned his
spiritual son, Timothy, regarding laying hands in this regard:
I Timothy 5:19-22 - Against
an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them
that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. I charge thee
before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou
observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by
partiality. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's
sins: keep thyself pure. [Emphasis added are mine]
In
the context of this verse and chapter, it is discernable that Paul warned
Timothy not to lay hands on sinners in the church, especially the
unrepentant type. First, Paul tells Timothy to rebuke those that sin that all
others may fear. But this statement was made after Paul said to not take any
accusation against an elder unless it is by two or three witness. This is all
about brethren in the church. Second, Paul said to do this without showing any
partiality to any member in the church. Why? Because Paul understood that sin is
transferable. Just like the anointing can be imparted to an individual, so can
sin be imparted to you, especially when you know a man is unrepentant. This is
not a New Covenant issue.
Numbers 16:23-26 - And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get
you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Moses
rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed
him. And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray
you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be
consumed in all their sins. [Emphasis added are mine]
In
the Old Covenant, Korah’s rebellion testifies to the transference of sin and
guilt. The Lord commanded Moses to get up and get out of the midst of the
unrepentant rebellious ones – Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Not only do they
depart from their midst, but Moses commands them to not even touch a thing of
theirs, lest they also be consumed in theirs sins. As the Lord spoke, so Moses
and the elders of Israel obeyed. The result being that soon enough, the ground
opened up and swallowed Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and all their family and even all
their possessions. There was nothing left of them or their possessions after the
Lord consumed them. The unrepentant sin of those in the church is a very serious
issue in the eyes of the Lord and it should not be taken lightly. You are to
remove yourself from those who confess Jesus and walk contrary to His
commandments.
In
summation, from Old Covenant to New Covenant, the act of laying on of hands was
a very regular and frequent incident. It was used in conjuction with prayer and
the Word of the Lord in order to impart something. On the negative side,
scripture has recorded impartations or transfers, by the laying of hands, of sin
to animals or other people. Laying on of hands has also been used to describe
threatening and inflicting harm on other persons. In the New Covenant, this term
and connotation was usually inflicted by the Pharisees and religious leaders of
Jesus’ day.
In
contrast, when laying on of hands is used according the Word of the Lord, it is
strictly for the purposes of imparting a blessing of some kind. The blessing
could be a dedication, presentation, or offering to the Lord, especially for a
specific service. The blessing was also seen to be imparting life to the dead,
help to the needy and poor, and for the purposes of producing productive and
fruitful work. In the opening of the New Covenant, laying on of hands was seen
primarily to heal the sick and resurrect the dead. After the gospels, like the
Old Covenant, laying on of hands was used for commissioning particular
individuals for service according to the Word of the Lord. And an overwhelming
amount of evidence shows that laying on of hands was used to impart spiritual
gifts to the body in order to edify the body according to the Word of the Lord,
and most importantly, to impart the Holy Spirit to those who have put their
trust on Jesus and had been baptized.
Since
the focus of this study is on Hebrews 6:1,2 and the origins or beginnings of the
doctrine of Christ, it is safe to assume that the reference to laying on of
hands included all that we have shared, but maybe, primarily, to
impart the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands. If you have
studied the doctrines of Christ thus far, you will see that the doctrines of
Christ are all focusing on salvation. First, repentance from dead works is
necessary, followed by exercising faith in God (Jesus Christ), baptisms (which
include water baptism in Jesus’ name and baptism in the Spirit), and now
laying on of hands. The reference in Hebrews 6 to the laying on of hands may be
particular to imparting the Holy Spirit to others after you have come into the
kingdom.
-Addendum
to Laying on of Hands-
At
this point, you may be wondering why I listed verses with “Negative (Left)”
and “Positive (Right)”.
This
latter addition to this study is to be explain the idea of left hand being a
curse (or something less than a full blessing) and the right being the blessing
or full blessing.
Genesis 48:1-19 - And
it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy
father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and
Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. And Jacob said unto Joseph,
God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, And
said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will
make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after
thee for an everlasting possession.
And
now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh,
which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into
Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. And thy issue, which
thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of
their brethren in their inheritance. And as for me, when I came from Padan,
Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a
little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath;
the same is Bethlehem. And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are
these? And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me
in this place. And he said, Bring
them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel
were dim for age, so that he could not see.
And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God
hath shewed me also thy seed.
And
Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his
face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand
toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right
hand, and brought them near unto him. And Israel stretched out his right hand,
and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon
Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac
did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which
redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be
named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow
into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his
father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and
he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's
head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the
firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and
said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also
shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he,
and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. [Emphasis added are
mine]
In
the Jewish culture, it was not uncommon for the father of the family to lay
hands on his children or his children’s children to impart and invoke a
blessing upon their lives,And so it was with Jacob (Israel). Before he died,
Joseph went to see his father and brought his own two sons with him. Israel at
this time in his life could not see very well and was speaking to Joseph when he
noticed two other people with him. Joseph told his father that they were his
sons, so Israel requested them to come to him so that he could bless them.
In
Jewish culture, the firstborn was usually the one to get the greater blessing.
The rest of the children would also get a blessing, but usually the firstborn
got the greatest blessing. Joseph expected this so he placed his children before
his father, the firstborn to the right of Israel and the second child to the
left of Israel. In the Jewish culture, special significance was given to the
right hand. To give you a brief explanation of the significance of “the right
hand” in the scriptures, David Bernard in his book entitled The
Oneness of God says this,
“In the Bible, the right hand signifies strength, power, importance, and
pre-eminence just as it does in the English phrases, "He is my right hand
man" and "I would give my right arm for this."
“Some biblical examples to show
this association of the right hand with power are interesting and instructive.
Exodus 15:6 proclaims, "Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in
power." Psalm 98:1 and Psalm 110:1 associate the right hand of God with
victory over enemies. When the Bible speaks of Jesus sitting at the right hand
of God, it means Jesus has all the power and authority of God. Jesus Himself
made this clear in Matthew 26:64: "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man
sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."
(See also Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69.) Jesus thus claimed to have all the power of
God; by this implication He declared Himself to be God. The Jews understood
these claims and because of them the high priest accused Jesus of blasphemy
(Matthew 26:65). Apparently, the high priest knew the symbolic meaning of the
right hand in the Old Testament, and he therefore realized that Jesus was
claiming to have God's power and to be God. First Peter 3:22 further
demonstrates that "right hand" means Jesus has all power and
authority: "Who is gone to heaven, and is on the right hand of God;
angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him."
Similarly, Ephesians 1:20-22 uses this phrase to say Jesus has pre-eminence
over all principalities, powers, dominions, and names. This passage also links
the right hand with the exaltation of Christ. In this connection, Acts 5:31
states, "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a
Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." (See
also Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:33-34.)
Acts
5:31 indicates that the right hand of God or the arm of God sometimes
specifically refers to God's power in salvation. Many other verses of
Scripture speak of the right hand of God as representing the deliverance and
victory God gives to His people (Exodus 15:6; Psalm 44:3; Psalm 98:1). Isaiah
59:16 says, "His arm brought salvation." It appears, therefore, that
the description of Jesus on the right hand of God connotes that Jesus is the
expression of God's saving power. This concept harmonizes with the association
of the position of Jesus on the right hand of God with His mediatorial role,
particularly His work as our intercessor and high priest (Romans 8:34; Hebrews
8:1).”
With
this understanding of the biblical significance of the right hand in Jewish
culture, it is understandable why Joseph would place his firstborn at the right
hand of Israel and his second born at the left hand of Israel. However, when
Israel went to lay hands on his grandchildren, he stretched his hands
out to lay hands on them knowingly and willfully crossing them so that his left hand would touch the
firstborn of Joseph (Manasseh) and his right hand the second born of Joseph
(Ephraim). This resulted in Israel purposely giving the greater blessing to
Ephraim (the second born), altering what was normally expected when giving and
receiving a blessing. Israel refused to uncross his hands and told Joseph, “I
know it, my son, I know it: he [Manasseh – the firstborn] also shall become a
people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother [Ephraim
– the second born] shall be greater than he, and his seed shall
become a multitude of nations.” [Emphasis
added are mine]
With
this idea of the left and right hand in mind and its significance lets jump to a
peculiar event in the New Covenant.
Matthew 20:20-28 -
Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children
with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he
said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my
two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy
kingdom.
At
this point, knowing the idea from the Old Covenant of the right and left hand,
someone is going to get the lesser blessing. Who is it going to be? The one on the left hand side.
But
Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to
drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism
that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto
them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I
am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not
mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my
Father.
First,
Jesus said to them that they did not know what they asked. It was not for him
(being a man) to place people at His right or His left, at this
time. That position is prepared beforehand by His Father, God.
And
when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two
brethren. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes
of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise
authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever
will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief
among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Then
Jesus doesn’t elaborate on why they don’t know what they are asking, except
to say that it is prepared for by the Father. Because the disciples were
indignant with each other over the request, Jesus seeing the heart of his
disciples addresses the issue of their heart. They were fighting for a position
of eminence and greater blessing then others. But Jesus said that if any of them
want to be the chief among them let them serve. Jesus exemplified that statement
in that He was God clothed in the flesh (humanity) and came to serve, not to be
served, even though He was the Mighty God and Eternal Father. He did this to give
His life a ransom for a great many. To sacrifice Himself for His beloved.
The
next passage is a parallel passage of the one just read.
Mark 10:35-45 - And
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we
would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And he
said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant
unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left
hand, in thy glory. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not
what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized
with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. And
Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and
with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: But to
sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be
given to them for whom it is prepared. And when the ten heard it, they
began to be much displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to him,
and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the
Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority
upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great
among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest,
shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
To
be placed in a position of greatness or distinction in the kingdom of God in His
glory, you must first humble yourself and serve all. It’s not about climbing
the ladder of success and stepping on anyone who gets in your way. That is the
way of the world and is born of pride and self-exaltation, but the man of God is
not so. He is humble and meek and lowly of heart, putting others before himself
and sacrificing his own life for the good of many. Sound like the ministry of
Jesus? This is us being conformed into the image of Jesus. Now, let us find out
why the disciples did not know what they were asking in sitting at His right
hand and left hand in His glory.
Matthew 25:31-46 -
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and
all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he
shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then
shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me
drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was
sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the
righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and
fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and
took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in
prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of
these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also
unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no
meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me
not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me
not. Then shall they also answer
him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or
naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he
answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one
of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
When
Jesus returns in His glory, He shall be on the throne of His glory. Before him
will be gathered all nations and He will separate them from one another, like a
shepherd will divide his sheep and his goats. The sheep will go to His right
hand and the goats will go to his left hand. Are you realizing the significance
of sitting at His right and His left hand now?
He
will say to those on His right to come and inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. Jesus was speaking to them that it was
already prepared for them. Just like when He told His disciples that it was
already prepared about who would sit on the right or left of Him. Jesus is the
Father sitting on His throne of glory. He had it prepared for them from long
ago.
They
were the ones that fed Him when He was hungry. They gave him drink when He was
thirsty. They took Him in even when He was a stranger. They gave him clothes
when He was naked and when He was sick and in prison they came to Him and
visited Him. These sheep that He set on His right are considered righteous
in His eyes. Even the righteous did not understand when they had
done these things. Jesus tells them, “Verily I
say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me.” This is the humility and
servant-hood attitude that Jesus was teaching the disciples to walk in in the
previous scripture references. This is what it is to serve each other laying
down our own lives for the sake of the brethren. These on the right hand will
inherit life eternal – the kingdom prepared before the foundation of the
world.
On
the other hand, Jesus tells the goats on His left hand to depart from Him. In
contrast to the righteous, the goats lived for themselves and exalted themselves to
the death of those around them. They neither gave food or drink, nor clothes to
Jesus (to His people – the body). They did not clothe Him when He was naked or
visit Him when He was sick or in prison. They were too busy climbing up the
ladder of self-exalted success to even stop and help out a brother. It was all
about them and obtaining a place of eminence or distinction that was not freely
given to them for they trusted not in the Lord. These on the left hand will be
cast into everlasting fire and punishment for the error of their ways.
What
the disciples didn’t realize is that in the question they were asking, they
were really asking Jesus to place one to inherit eternal life (on the right
hand) and to place another into eternal fire and punishment (on the left hand).
Revelation
20:11-15 - And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away;
and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened,
which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in
them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and
hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
What
was given in an analogical description of the Son of man coming in His glory is
really the great white throne judgment depicted in Revelation. The great white
throne (“the throne of His glory”) will be the great judgment of all the
dead (see Resurrection of the Dead). Those
that are found in the book of life inherited the kingdom (eternal life) and
those not found therein were cast in to the lake of fire (eternal fire and
punishment). This leads us into the Resurrection
of the Dead.
Questions
Comments?
[ Repentance from Dead Works ] [ Faith Toward God ] [ Baptisms ] [ Laying on of Hands ] [ Resurrection of the Dead ] [ Eternal Judgment ]
©
copyright 2001 Jesus M. Ruiz