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Power Arm, Hand, and Fingers Behold, the Lord GOD
will come with strong hand, Tom Ruggirello The Lord uses many metaphorical descriptions to help us understand his ways and actions. In the Old Testament we read of the arm of Jehovah being outstretched, which describes the exercise of his power. The figure is taken from the position of ancient warriors who similarly outstretched the arm in battle. God’s words to Israel employ this same imagery when he says, “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with stretched out arm, and with great judgments” (Exodus 6:6). God wanted the Israelites to see him as a warrior prepared to fight their battle of deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The symbol is also used to describe the breaking of Pharaoh’s power over Israel. God says, “I have broken the arm of Pharaoh … and ... it shall not be … healed” (Ezekiel 30:21). It is a striking image when we grasp the comparison between the mighty arm of Jehovah and the broken arm of Pharaoh. The abuse of power demonstrated by Pharaoh has been a common occurrence in the history of man. The prophet Job says, “Men cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful” (Job 35:9, NIV). Cruelty and tyranny are often the result when human beings have too much power. The English historian Lord Acton said: “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” He saw that a person’s sense of morality diminishes as the power possessed increases. Such is not the case with God. In describing the consistency of his actions God said, “I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice. … I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:5,6, NIV). We should be deeply grateful that God consistently applies just and moral principles to all his actions. When he extends his arm to fight for a cause, it is always just and right. In looking back to the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage the Scriptures indicate that the experience placed requirements upon the Israelites. God said to them, “Remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:15). God’s deliverance of Israel established one reason for keeping the Sabbath. It was to be a regular reminder of the battle that God won for them through his outstretched arm. It was to be a day of rest, in contrast to their servitude under the cruel taskmasters who gave them no rest. The Sabbath, though no longer required of Christians, conveys this principle of remembrance. God should be recognized and remembered regularly because of his willingness to deliver us from evil, and give us rest in his might. The outstretched arm of God was to bring an even deeper responsibility upon Israel than just keeping the Sabbath: “But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice” (2 Kings 17:36). Keeping the Sabbath was only the beginning of Israel’s recognition that God was their protecting warrior. They were to also fear (or reverence) him, worship him, and sacrifice to him. These added responsibilities took Israel’s duties beyond a mechanical weekly remembrance. These words are also meaningful to a Christian. Israel’s deliverance from Egypt foreshadowed our deliverance from the bondage of sin and death. Our deliverance is also accomplished through the outstretched arm of Jehovah because Jesus is referred to as the arm of Jehovah in Isaiah’s wonderful Messianic prophecy. The prophet rhetorically asks, “To whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1). Part of Isaiah’s answer was that he would be revealed through suffering and death. The image of God’s arm had previously been seen through mighty victories over the enemies of his people Israel. Now, for the first time, it was to be seen through the humble sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The contrast is truly amazing. When confronted with the enemies of God, Jesus seemed but a frail man. How could the might of our Creator be revealed through him? That question can only be answered once the true power of God is understood. God could have easily wiped out sin and death. He could have destroyed Satan with a single command. And yet such direct exercise of power would have also destroyed something precious. It would have destroyed the free will of mankind. A principle by which God governs even himself is that human beings have been created with the ability to choose their course in life, even if that course means disobedience to him. Because of this principle, we see a much more subtle manifestation of God’s power. His aim is to destroy sin and death without destroying humanity’s free will. Providing Jesus as a sacrifice for sins sets in motion the plan that will accomplish such a lofty goal. Once the ransom is applied, and the Mediator set up and functioning, the righteous training of the kingdom will bear the wonderful fruitage of willing consecration to God. The outstretched arm of Jehovah, as represented in Jesus, will finally gain the tremendous victory that began at the cross. The natural result of appreciating these things should be the words spoken by God when he told Israel that they should reverence, worship, and sacrifice to him. To a believer he has proven his worthiness for such a response and we join with the psalmist in declaring, “Sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten the victory” (Psalm 98:1). The image of an outstretched arm is amplified when we see the phrase, “his right hand,” or, “a mighty hand.” As we envision an ancient soldier, we see him going into battle with an outstretched arm, and in that hand a sword or other implement of war. When the hand of God is used in connection with his outstretched arm, we see that the hand may be referring specifically to the instrument used by God. In the case of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, the instrument used was the plagues. In other battles it was his angelic hosts. In the deliverance of mankind, it is the crucified Lord. So, in the outstretched arm and mighty hand of Jehovah, we see the power, and the instrument used by God in gaining the victory. The Hand In the Bible, hands generally convey a picture of human action. Clean hands suggest pure actions (Psalm 24:3,4), bloody hands describe sinful actions (Isaiah 1:15). This was not lost on Pontius Pilate when he washed his hands, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person” (Matthew 27:24). He understood that clean hands meant innocence, and thus claimed to be blameless in the crucifixion of Jesus. Hands laid upon the head was a gesture of despair and sorrow (Jeremiah 2:37). The right hand was lifted up in swearing or taking an oath (Genesis 14:22). Lifting up the hands was used as an act of worship to God (1 Timothy 2:8). Raising the right hand expressed the will of each individual as each cast his vote in ecclesia matters (2 Corinthians 8:19, Emphatic Diaglott). To shake the right hand was a pledge of fidelity and was considered as confirming a promise (Ezra 10:19). The apostles Peter, James, and John offered the right hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas (Galatians 2:9). This handshake was more than a simple greeting. The Greek word for fellowship in that verse is koinonia and contains the thought of communion, or sharing something in common. In this case these brethren shared the work of spreading the gospel. Seeing the gifts that God had bestowed upon Paul, the other three apostles wanted to convey their support and blessing on his work among the Gentiles. They truly felt a kinship with one another, so they offered their right hand of communion. Even today brethren express their heartfelt unity in the bonds of Christ when they exchange the right hand of fellowship. According to Adam Clarke the original Hebrew of 2 Chronicles 30:8 conveys the thought that the Israelites should “give the hand” unto the LORD. God wished them to “yield themselves” (KJV rendering) to him in obedience and submission. This goes beyond the general usage of the hand as picturing the action of an individual. God desires his people to submit their every action to him. What we do in the common experiences of life should be done in such a way that they would be in harmony with the will of God. In that sense we give him our hand, as a child would to an adult. We see a mental picture of God “holding hands” with his children. They are in full accord, walking hand in hand. The Fingers A similar thought is conveyed in the consecration of the Aaronic priesthood. During that service the blood of the ram of consecration was placed on the right ear, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the high priest (Leviticus 8:23). Bro. Russell explained the blood on the right thumb by saying, “Our hands are consecrated, so that whatsoever our hands find to do, we do it with our might as unto the Lord” (Tabernacle Shadows, p. 45). As we compare the arm, hand, and fingers of God, we see a refinement in the use of his power. The arm is a general picture of God’s power. The hand draws attention to the instrument used by God to exercise his power. When we consider the fingers, we see an added refinement. When Jesus refuted the Pharisee’s accusation that he cast out devils by the power of Beelzebub, he said: “If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you” (Luke 11:20). The Matthew account of this same experience gives an added insight: “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you” (Matthew 12:28). This slight variation helps us see that the finger of God is symbolic of the holy spirit. Bro. Russell suggests that the finger here depicts a small portion of the power contained in the arm of God: “So Jesus said, if I by the finger of God do so and so, God is able to do more, these are little things in comparison to God’s power” (Question Book, p. 496). This understanding of the finger of God is in accord with the words of Pharaoh’s magicians. As they marveled at the plague of lice, they said, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). Even the servants of Pharaoh were able to discern the spirit of God working a small miracle which they themselves were unable to duplicate. The heavens are said to be the work of God’s fingers (Psalm 8:3). The finely crafted creation of the universe required the special wisdom and genius of God. Similarly we are told that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). The tables of the law are described as being written with the finger of God (Exodus 31:18). How fitting that with his finger, his spirit, the law should be given to Israel. It was not only a miraculous carving out of two stone tablets, it was also a revealing of God’s spirit through each command and every ordinance. That law has been a standard of righteousness since the time it was given. Just as Jesus played a special role in the revealment of God’s spirit as the finger of God, so every consecrated member of his body is given a function in dispensing the holy spirit. In describing this role Bro. Russell says: “Each individual Christian, so to speak, is a finger of the Lord; as our dear Redeemer expressed the matter, ‘I, as the finger of God, cast out demons’ (Luke 11:20). … If we would be used and useful as God’s agencies, ambassadors, we should seek to be impulsed and guided by him” (Reprints, p. 4357). This is an interesting analogy. As Jesus was a finger of God, so Christians are called to be used in the manifestation of the refined power of God. We are the extension of his hand and arm. This does not mean that in our day we should expect to do miracles, but we should expect that the spirit of the Lord will be manifested through us in various ways. What a blessed privilege we have in being part of the expression of God’s spirit. It is a responsibility we should not take lightly. A day is coming when God’s power will be manifested in great works that will revolutionize the world. We look forward to that time. But today we are to look for the small, refined expressions of God’s spirit that come through the brethren, and that reveal themselves in the little things of life. If we learn to obey these leadings and become attuned to reading the subtle expressions of God, then we will be used as his fingers and be prepared for the great manifestations to come. |