Colossians 3:1
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
There is always so much more understanding with God and especially what we learn from His Word, so I thought I’d share just some of what I’ve looked at regarding the “right hand of God” with you all, and in turn, it helped me understand it as well!
When a father gave his blessing to a child in the lands and times of Israel, it was done with his right hand. It was a sign and statement of covenant made to the child and everyone associated with the family that signified not only a “blessing” but it bestowed the heritage, power, authority, the rights to lead the family, and imparted the promise of inheritance of ALL that the father owned! It was almost always given to the “first born son”!
Genesis 48:17,18
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.
Moses saw the right hand of God as the place where power and authority came from.
Exodus 15:6, 12
Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Attributing a hand to God is a figure of speech called condescencio. This is just one member of the human body attributed to God who is spirit. Others include, eyes, ears, arms, feet etc. According to E.W. Bullinger, figures of speech are words or expressions used to “give additional force, more life, intensified feeling and greater emphasis”. They elaborate and expand a greater truth! Since God was the author of His Word, He had it written with these figures to arrest our attention and cause us to stop and consider the point with a broader and deeper understanding.
The use of hand is also the figure Metonymy and is put for the actions performed by it. There are a number of different ways in which the figure hand is used throughout the Bible but mostly it relates to the agent, vehicle or power to deliver something with authority. This could be in the form of inspiration, counseling, thoughts, purposes, care, blessings, power, deliverance and victory.
In Duet. 32:36 the Hebrew word yad which is most often translated hand, is translated as the word power.
Duet. 32:36
For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power (yad-hand) is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
Saul had all the priests that helped David from the city of Nob killed, because they were on David’s side, they fed David, cared for him and even kept secret his whereabouts! They gave David a helping hand!
1 Sam 22:17
And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
And just putting their hands on the priests would not have killed them, later they were slain by the sword.
Here the hand of Moses describes the guidance and counsel that he delivered from God.
Lev. 8:36
So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
Lev. 10:11
And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
David acted on behalf of God to save His people from the power and authority of all their enemies.
2Sam. 3:18
Now then do it: for the LORD hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand (agent, vehicle, power and authority) of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.
Uriah actually delivered his own death sentence by his own hand.
2 Sam. 11:14
And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
God has always worked through his people to deliver His Word, His Will and Purposes by giving us the privilege being the messengers of His great and precious promises!
1 Kings 8:56
Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.
David understood the meaning applied to the truth of the right hand of God, and knew that it was the place of eternal delight!
Psalm 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
He also believed that when he went out to battle, God was with him and fighting for him, and that He was a shield and would “hold him up”. His right hand, (the agent of His power and authority) holds up the individual but honestly is the power that is keeping the Earth in place and the whole Universe together! “He’s got the whole world in His Hands”!
Psalm 18:35
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
God’s Right Hand is His Righteousness, where there is All strength, and NO fear!
Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
In a court of law when someone testifies, they are asked to “raise their right hand”. God has also sworn by His right hand to signify the truthfulness and weight of HIs Words! Here his strength is illustrated also by His arm.
Isaiah 62:8
The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, (power and authority) and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:
Prophetically, Jesus Christ IS the agent, vehicle, blessing, power and authority of the right hand of God, the one who would come and save God’s people, the actual implementation of His Will on Earth, the one who would not only be the “blessing” for all mankind but have the “authority and power” to deliver all men from destruction.
Psalm 60:5
That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.
Psalm 80:17
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
Psalm 98:1
O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
The Psalmist knew that when they were in the presence of God, they were being upheld by His mighty Hand, the place of “all blessings, honor, power and glory”.
And just like us today, when the Psalmist came to his senses about his circumstances, he described it as his “weakness”, and then turned his heart toward God’s endless blessings, power and authority!
Psalm 77:10
And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
Psalm 110:1 is proof that the Lord Jesus Christ is spoken of as The One who would sit at God’s Right Hand! It is quoted often in the Gospels and New Testament.
Psalm 110:1
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Complete confidence about victory was and is attributed to the Lord at God’s Right Hand! Jesus Christ would be exalted to God’s Right Hand!
Psalm 110:5
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
Psalm 118:15, 16
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
Jesus Christ absolutely knew of the power and authority contained in the Right Hand of God, and that he himself would be placed there by God’s will!
Matt. 26:64
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
At the birth of the Church, the day of Pentecost, Peter knew that after he received the Spirit, he would receive power from on High and that the Comforter would testify all things concerning Jesus Christ. Here he quotes Psalm 16 in his tremendous sermon, all the time receiving words coming directly from The Right Hand Of God!
Acts 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear
The people listening to Peter where astonished, believing initially that what he and the other disciples were saying was the result of their being drunk! Peter testifies that what they were seeing and hearing was being poured out, shed forth from the Right Hand of God!
Peter knew where his authority, power and blessings were coming from and testified to the same council that crucified Jesus, that Christ was now seated at God’s Right Hand!
This must have shocked the scribes and Pharisees knowing all the many scriptures throughout the Old Testament referring to God’s Right Hand and all that it represented!
Acts 5:31
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Stephen was actually given the awesome privilege of seeing the glory (power and authority) of God by seeing Jesus standing at the Right Hand of God!
Acts 7:55, 56
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
The apostle Paul was also given the vision of seeing and understanding Jesus being at God’s Right Hand and then receives the awesome understanding of our identity with Christ, seated with him with all spiritual blessings, power, authority and inheritance.
Romans 8:34
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Eph 1:20, 2:6
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
And hath raised us up and made us to sit together with him in heavenly places.
Paul exhorts us to think about, to seek the blessings and reality of what God has already accomplished. All spiritual blessings flow from this majestic place.
Col 3:1
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Jesus is the express image of God’s will, of God’s compassion and deliverance, upholding All things by the word of his power!
Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
As The High Priest, Jesus is constantly before the Father God at HIs Right Hand interceding with HIs precious blood for God’s people. He is truly God’s Right Hand Man!
Hebrews 8:1, 10:12
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
The One who sits at God’s Right Hand has perfected Faith for us! And he did it with Joy! Keep your eyes always looking to him, “turn your eyes upon Jesus”.
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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Being at the Right Hand of God, Jesus is always full of joy, strength, love, wisdom, peace, rest, truth, victory and honor. There is no sin there and no sickness either. Where he is, we are, and as he is, we are! Not by our own works of righteousness, but by his alone!
All of the attributes of God’s Right Hand are where we are now seated, in Christ Jesus! All spiritual blessings, power and authority, wisdom and guidance, care and help, all inspiration and counseling are seated in Christ.
Being seated, we are at rest there knowing it is by God’s great grace that we are given this extravagant gift of righteousness!
And as the first born son legally received all from the Father, so we to are joint heirs with Christ to all that the Father has given him!
1 Peter 3:22
Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Psalm 46:10
According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth:
thy right hand is full of righteousness.
When the apostles were told not to speak or preach anymore in the name of Jesus, they prayed to God for more boldness to speak. Their words and their actions would be coming from that position of God’s Right Hand. When we speak God’s Word, it holds the same authority as if Jesus Christ himself were speaking, as the agent of the Almighty!
Acts 4: 29,30
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
In His Grace,
Sal
