Right Hand/ Left Hand

God has a purpose for everything! When the Word mentions right hand or left hand, it DOES have a purpose. That is what I found when I started studying for this message.

When the Word mentions "right hand" and "left hand" what does it mean?

According to biblical theology, right hand represents honor, authority, blessing, divine favor, righteousness, judgement. There are also 5 significances that the right hand stands for in the Bible.

1. Power, Strength, and Salvation.

2. Proximity to Authority and Rule

3. Covenant Blessing and Destiny

4. Wisdom and Moral Direction

5. Secrecy and Humility.

Sounds like God has a purpose for when the Word mentions right hand.

What about the left hand? It symbolizes judgement, rejection, secondary status. It is also associated with the mundane, uncleanness, reflecting hygienic practices, and limitation.

Ecclesiastes 10:2, "A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart is at his left."

In other words, a wise man's heart is about honor, authority, blessing, divine favor, righteousness, but a fool is focused on the mundane, unclean things (sin), self, and limitations.

When we apply right hand and left hand definitions to His Word, the scriptures come alive.

It is the same in Matthew 25, Jesus started talking about gifts and talents, each man/ woman is given a talent, some greater than others, but He has a purpose in why He does everything. The bottom line is, He gives talents to each of us. Then He tells the outcome based on our actions with the talents He gave us. Those who used them gets to become a partner with Him, those that buried them and did their own thing, He will take from you and give to someone else, then cast you aside.

For those that didn't understand that parable, Jesus continued with another parable, called the Parable of Sheep and Goats, also known as the Parable of the Final Judgement. God has a purpose for everything, Jesus told this parable for a purpose. I believe there is a purpose it is given right after the Parable of the Talents.

In the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, there is a list of what separate's a sheep from a goat. So, with our talents:

• When we see those hungry, do we feed them?

• When we see the thirsty, do we give them something to drink?

• When we see the homeless, do we give them a room?

• When we see the shivering, do we cloth them?

• When we see the sick, do we visit?

• When someone is in prison, do you go?

Same with all parables, there are deeper meanings beyond the natural implication with this list, do we use our talents to reach people who need?

God stretched out His right hand to us on Sunday, He has given each of us a talent, are we going to use what He gave us and be a witness to others, or are we going to bury it and be too busy with our personal lives? In both parables, the outcome is the same, if we use the talents and tell others, we will be His sheep and he will gather us on His right hand and we get to enter into His Kingdom. If we laid dormant and did nothing, He will cast us aside.

God has given us all that we need to do what He is asking us, "Go into the highways and byways." Through this message, He is reassuring us, He is extending His right hand to us to give us authority, to bless us, and give us divine favor. We can take the power, strength and salvation that is in His hands to others.

Questions:

1. Are you right handed or left handed?

2. Elaborate on what parts of the message made a difference in your life?