The significance of touching one another

This week we will look at a foundational Christian truth concerning being touched by God or experiencing God in the covenant community through the laying on of hands.

Relationship, fellowship and community are at the very heart of Christianity. Through Christ we are enabled to enter into a personal relationship with the Father in the Holy Spirit. In the Spirit of God we are baptised to become one body in Christ and members of one another. As members of the same body we relate to one another and function together. All the members of the body of Christ share the same life in the Spirit and are nourished by the same word of life which creates faith in each one of us.

Exercise:

Tell of a meaningful experience you have had by being touched by somebody’s hand

Touching one another

From the moment of our birth a caring and loving touch from parents and brothers and sisters are essential for our wellbeing and a healthy growth and development as people. The medical and psychological sciences inform us in many ways of the importance of the loving touch of human hands throughout life. Newborn human beings cannot survive on their own without the loving support of the family. Likewise an adult person will not thrive or flourish in isolation, but only in a meaningful interaction with other people.

From the beginning of human history the laying on of hands has been a familiar practice. Naturally, we find the first Biblical account in the book of Genesis in the account of Jacob the Patriarch (Gen. 48:13-22). Through laying his hands on the two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, he adopted and identified them as his own sons, giving them full inheritance rights alongside his other sons. Later we find that this practice of the laying on of hands was an integral part of the sacrificial system in the Tabernacle in the wilderness and in the Temple and on many other occasions.

Ancient writings from Mesopotamia and Babylon record the practice of the laying on of hands. Ancient Eastern literature spoke of an overabundance of energy in a healthy person which could be transferred to a sick person by a touch of the hands of the healthy one. In Sanskrit this concept was described by the word prana, meaning “vitality or vigour”. The sick person was viewed as having a deficit of prana. Through the laying on of hands one believed the deficit to be changed into a surplus, bringing health to the person.

During this week we will help you to discover the full Biblical meaning of the practice of the laying on of hands. This teaching will enable you to receive many blessings from God through human hands and to see the power of God released through your hands when you touch people in need.

The significance of the term “hand” in the Bible

When we understand the way the word “hand” is used in the Bible, it will be easier for us to grasp the importance of a purposeful touch of human hands. The word “hand” is used in the Bible to describe that which is associated with great power, authority, might and strength. It is also used as a term for the placement of borders, setting certain boundaries or placing within prescribed areas. Of course the hand is used for ministry, preparation and giving. We will now take a look at the usage of the term hand in the Scripture.

The hand is used as a term denoting power

When the people of Israel saw the mighty power (lit. hand) that the Lord had displayed against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord and put their faith in him and his servant Moses. (Ex 14:31-15:1)

For the Lord has brought you out by his mighty power (lit. hand). (Ex 13:3).

The great deliverance of the people of Israel and the destruction of the hostile Egyptians are described as a result of God using his hands. Many times we find the literal Hebrew expression the “strength of hand” translated his “mighty power” (see Exodus 13:3,9,14,16).

The hand is used as a term denoting authority

Then David destroyed the forces of King Hadadezer of Zobah, as far as Hamath,when Hadadezer marched out to strengthen his control (lit. hand) along the Euphrates River (1 Ch 18:3)

All these men were under the direction (lit hands) of their fathers as they made music at the house of the Lord (1 Ch 25:6)

The Father loves his Son, and he has given him authority over everything (lit. has given all things into his hands) (Jn 3:34-35)

All these verses the word “hand” in the Hebrew text is used in the sense of authority, ruling, giving direction or having dominion. The idea is that the power of the hand provides and secures the authority of the person. When you have got something in your hand, you exercise authority over it.

The hand is used as a term denoting placement

The Hebrew term for “hand” is often used in the Bible in the sense of placement, of being set into place or in order or within proper boundaries. In many places, such as Numbers 13:29; 24:24; 34:3, the word “hand” is used to describe sea coast and in other places, such as Deuteronomy 2:37; Exodus 2:5 or Daniel 10:4, to describe the bank of river. The idea is that the coast or river bank is like a restraining hand holding the waters within its proper borders. In 1 Chronicles 7:29 we find the word for hand translated “border” and in Genesis 34:21 the hand is a typical term for dimension, size or measurement, “for the land is large enough” – (lit. large of hands).

The hand is used as a term denoting dedication or ordination

The dedication of the Old Testament priests is described in Exodus 29 (see also Exodus 32:29; 1 Chronicles 29:5). The dedication and ordination of the priest qualified him to minister unto the Lord. The Hebrew word translated: ordain, dedicate or consecrate, literally means “to fill the hands”. It speaks of filling the hands of the priests with sacrifices from the altar. No one was allowed to come empty handed before God. A priest who had not been properly ordained was viewed as coming before God with empty hands. His hands had not been filled the proper way.

The hand is used as a term denoting ministry

We use the hand in almost everything we do and “hand” stands for service and action.

“Now these are those whom David appointed over the service (lit. hand) of song in the house of the Lord” (1 Chronicles 6:31) and God gave parables “by the ministry (lit. hand) of the prophets” (Hosea 12:13). Ministry is then not to be understood as something abstract but rather as a practical function being given away to somebody.

Exercise:

How has this teaching opened your eyes to the significance of the use of your hands?

Continue to memorise the previous Bible verses and add this one to your list:

These signs will accompany those who believe: They will be able to place their hands on the sick and heal them. (Mark 16:18)