Today there are many questions and speculations about where and how God is moving at the current time in our nation, in the world and in our lives personally. There are over 160 references to “the hand of God” in the Bible, highlighting God’s power in creation, judgment, power, mercy and care. For example, the phrase “the hand of the Lord” is used to describe His mighty acts, such as drying the Jordan River for the Israelites to cross, and His guidance in the lives of individuals like Ezra, where it is stated, “The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.” The LORD spoke to Moses and said, “Is the LORD’s hand become short? Thou shalt see now whether My word shall come to pass unto thee or not.” Isaiah 48:13 affirms His hand as Creator, “My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.” And in Isaiah 59:1 we read, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” In other words—the universe, the earth and all creation and nations belong to God and He is in control! Nothing or no one is more secure than the one who is held in God’s hand. God brought these words to me this week “Not be the strategies of man but by God’s hand.” With this in mind, I believe that God wants us to consider three truths about the image of God’s hands in the permanence of God’s plans as He deals with His people Israel, the purpose of God’s power made manifest through Christ and His personal manifestation in the security of the Believer in Christ.
When we see what is going on in the Middle East and Israel in particular, we must recognize that long ago God decreed an unconditional covenant with the descendants of David. He said in Isaiah 49: 16 “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” The word “etched” means “to cut in, inscribe, decree.” God’s symbolism in this verse is that He promised never to forget His people or to break His covenant and to identify Him as their LORD, not a slave master. Genesis 11 and 12 marked an important turning point in the Divine Plan of the Ages. Up to this point there was neither Jew nor Gentile; all had been one in “the first man Adam.” In the call of Abram and the creation of the nation of Israel, God separated off a people through which He would purify and make holy (set apart) for His purposes. Israel was called: (1) To be a witness to the unity of God in the midst of universal idolatry (2) To illustrate the blessedness of serving the True God (3) To receive and preserve the Divine revelations (Scripture) (4) To be the human channel for the Messiah.
It is important for us to focus on two of the covenants that God made with Israel—the Abrahamic and the Davidic since they seem to be the subject of current events today. God made these promises to Abraham according to Genesis 12: (1) “I will make of thee a great nation.” (2) “I will bless thee.” (3) “I will make thy name great.” (4) “Thou shalt be a blessing.” (5) “I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee.” The covenant not only promised that great nations should come from Abraham but also included a title to the land of Canaan. (Genesis 13: 14-17) God made it clear that this covenant was unconditional in that He used “I will” four times! The Promised Land according to this covenant was a gift or grant that cannot be duplicated, bought or sold. Christ holds the title. The sign of the covenant was circumcision of all males on the eighth day which set them apart as a marked people. This was God’s mark of ownership, separation, purity and possession. This also set them apart from the pagans who worshiped false gods and the practice forbidden in scripture according to Leviticus 19: 28: “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.”
Now, let’s look at the promises God made with David in the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob recorded in 2 Samuel 7: 8-19. It was made with David, through the prophet Nathan, 500 years after the days of Moses. (Psalm 89 is a repetition of the covenant.) The Davidic Covenant, upon which the future kingdom of Christ, “which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3), was to be founded and provided for David: (1) The promise of posterity in the Davidic house; (2) A throne symbolic of royal authority; (3) A kingdom, or rule on earth; and (4) Certainty of fulfillment, for the promises to David “shall be established forever.” The Davidic Covenant, given to David by the oath of the LORD and confirmed to Mary by the Angel Gabriel, is immutable; and the LORD will yet give the only one from the Davidic family who was crowned at Jerusalem—crowned with thorns to sit on “the throne of his father David” (Lk. 1: 31-33; Acts 2: 29-32; 15: 14-17) The coming of King Jesus to earth will mark the introduction of His Millenium Kingdom. (5) It was unconditional! God said, “I will.”
Jesus looked over Jerusalem and wept that the Jewish people had not recognized the time of their Messiah’s advent. And yet, prophetically, this rejection had already been prophesied in response to the people’s rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah. God would discipline His children Israel by casting them aside for a season which has been almost 2000 years. Jesus’ sacrificial death was allowed by God’s hand—the travail of His soul and bore our iniquities according to Isaiah 53: 10, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” Paul was always reminding the Jewish people that Christ was the fulfillment of God’s covenants with David and Abraham. This is because from childhood, they would have looked forward, looking for an earthly deliverer, rather than the eternal salvation the Lord offered. The Jewish people today are still looking for an earthly leader—a deliverer but they will again be fooled by a man who will arise and deceive them known as the man of sin—the Antichrist.
It is important for us to realize that the modern political movement in Israel can be compared to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. The Zionist movement of today has been infiltrated by the god of this world in an attempt to establish his throne in Jerusalem. Jesus revealed in His letter to the Churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia in the Book of Revelation that there would be Jews who say they are Jews and are not but are of the synagogue of Satan. History reveals that many in Israel’s government, IDF and Mossad are part of the global cabal seeking to establish a one world government. This confirms a quote by an old Bible teacher, A.W. Pink, who said: “God is working out His eternal purpose, not only in spite of human and satanic opposition, but by means of them.” God’s providential hand has allowed over the last century, the Jewish people to be regathered to the homeland according to the Balfour Declaration of 1917; to reclaim Jerusalem with the Six Day War of 1967; and the recognition of Jerusalem as capital in 2017 via Donald Trump. The prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of the valley of dry bones in Chapter 37 when the Jews would return to the land in unbelief. In verse 14 God said He would put His spirit in them and they would live and they would know that the LORD has spoken and performed it! However, God will continue to allow threats to fester all around Israel because He wills to hone and refine the Jewish people to draw them to Himself. By the end of the Tribulation, Israel will find itself in a time of absolute desperation. That is when they will realize that their salvation cannot be found by the strategies of man but only by acknowledging that Jesus is their Messiah. Zechariah 12:10 reveals the time when God will pour upon the house of David the spirit of grace and of supplications when they mourn in bitterness when they see Jesus whom they pierced when Jesus returns according to Revelation 19: 11-16 in His glory as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Until then Jerusalem will be, as Christ said, “trampled by Gentiles.” (Luke 21: 24) We are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem according to Psalm 122: 6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” Israel’s blindness and chastisement ends in restoration and conversion! This call to prayer is not only a spiritual act but also a way to align with God’s will for the city, which is the place that Jesus the Prince of Peace will return and reign for 1000 years and associated in that reign will be His saints of all the ages! (Rev. 20: 2,6) The Hebrew letter “Shin” is the name of God and is written in the terrain of Jerusalem seen from an aerial viewpoint. 1 Kings 11: 36 says: “And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.” It is the City of the Great King!
God is not finished with the Jews and He likewise is not finished with our nation and us as individuals! The reference to marks on God’s hands in Isaiah 49:16 serves as a bridge between the Old Covenants and the New Covenant of Jesus’ blood, given for all who submit to Him. Charles Spurgeon compares those engravings on God’s hands with the marks of crucifixion, a memorial Jesus sees eternally because “it is on Himself He bears the memory—the permanent memory of all who He has bought with blood.” Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father and interceding for us and His Spirit is within us marking and sealing us as a child of God as a guaranteed of our salvation and ultimate redemption. (Ephesians 4: 30) Paul wrote, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Col. 3:1)
We read in 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” This is actually a double reference to God’s hands. We are exhorted to humble ourselves under God’s hand, so that as a result, God will lift us up to bless us with this same hand. The opposite is also true. If we fail to humble ourselves, we can’t expect God to lift us up. How then should our hands respond to God’s hands? Three things come to mind when we consider what should be our natural response to God’s hand of protection, blessing, and mercy:
Hands lifted in praise is a practice seen as an outward expression of worship, surrender, and dependence on God. Psalm 63:4 says, “So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your Name.” It has been observed from the time of Moses to the early church. 1 Timothy 2: 8 says, “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” Clean hands—we need to live out our sanctification by pursuing holiness; this will lead to a more consistent experience of enjoying God’s presence. Psalms 24: 3-4 says, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” Hands that serve others—Like the Good Samaritan, we need to sacrificially meet the needs of those in our path and reach out to the least, the lost, and the last. (Luke 10: 25-37)
We can’t trust ourselves, but we can trust the God who, by His hand, created us, and saved us. The marks Christ’s enemies made on His hands remind Jesus of His merciful promise to us and His terrible promise to shatter His enemies. By way of His death in the flesh, Jesus took our punishment so that He could be resurrected and offer us His hand in peace. As followers of Christ, it’s good for us to have tangible evidence of God’s help in the past and rest in His promises. Those mementos remind us that His faithfulness continues today, and we can follow Him confidently into the future. The memories of what God has done for us can become building blocks for today and tomorrow. We can be confident in tomorrow if we cling to God’s unchanging hand today!
Do we see delays, changes of plans, redirections as intrusions or do we see God’s hand in the delays, the changes of plans, and redirections as His Divine appointments—Dis-appointment or His-appointment? What we see of God’s provisions teaches us to trust Him for what we cannot see of His purposes. We must put our problems in His hands. We are not expected to enjoy trials or to celebrate suffering, but when these unwelcome visitors arrive, we can look for God’s hand in them and trust that He can use them to make us more like His Son. “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.” (Revelation 1:7) Jesus is the Hero of the Bible!