What is the scriptural meaning of the lifting up of the hands? Ezekiel 20 gives us several examples of the Lord lifting up His hand when He made a covenant with His people. We read in the following verses that He “sware unto them,” which meant in the original Hebrew that He lifted up His hand unto them.
Ezekiel 20:5–6: … Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when I chose Israel, and sware (the margin reads, “lifted up My hand”) unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I sware (lifted up My hand) unto them, saying, I am Jehovah your God; in that day I sware (lifted up My hand) unto them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt. Verse 15: Moreover also I sware (lifted up My hand) unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them. Verse 23: Moreover I sware (lifted up My hand) unto them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations… Verse 28: For when I had brought them into the land, which I sware (lifted up My hand) to give unto them… Verse 42: And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I sware (lifted up My hand) to give unto your fathers.
What does it mean for someone to lift up his hand to the Lord? An example of this can be found in Genesis, the book that gives the seed thought and definition for almost every scriptural pattern. There we read about Abraham’s return after defeating the kings who had taken captive his cousin Lot and Sodom: And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto Jehovah, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread nor a shoe-latchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich. Genesis 14:22–23. When Abraham said that he lifted up his hand to the Lord, he meant that by the integrity of his soul he set himself on a certain course of action.
The book of Nehemiah tells about an assembly of people lifting up their hands. They had gathered together to observe the Feast of Tabernacles, the time of the great revival of the reading of the Word. They had just finished rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem after their return from captivity. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people); and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God; and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8:5–6.
At this restoration of Jerusalem, when the Word was being read again, all the people stood and lifted up their hands. No one sat, because it was considered irreverent to sit while the Word was being spoken. They not only stood at the reading of the Law, but they lifted their hands together. The lifting up of their hands meant, “We not only believe the Word that is coming to us, but we accept its covenants. We accept its directions, and we act upon them. We bond ourselves to the Lord in this Word that is being spoken.”
Throughout the Scriptures the hand was lifted up for blessing, for judgment, and for giving reverence to the Lord in everything. I Timothy 2 will make the definition yet clearer in our minds, because it deals with our prayers and the presenting of ourselves to the Lord. Verses 1–2: I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity. Verse 8: I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing (or “doubting”). Paul laid other guidelines upon the church at Crete through Timothy, but this was the important focus: that everyone pray and give himself to intercession, lifting holy hands without wrath or doubting.
Lifting our hands in worship to the Lord must become more than a custom in these days. We must understand fully in our hearts what it means to stand with our hands lifted up before the Lord. Let us consciously lift our hands before the Lord as a sign that we are taking from Him the Word that He is giving, but not as an audience of spectators. We must do more than just hear and watch. Let us enter into a covenant relationship with the Lord in that Word, wherein we say, “Lord, we accept what You say. We bind ourselves in obedience to Your Word that is confirmed to our hearts, lifting holy hands in prayer without wrath and without doubting.” Paul understood the scriptural significance of the lifting of the hands; he was referring to the time described in the book of Nehemiah when the people heard the Word of God and responded to it by lifting their hands in affirmation to it.
Another aspect of responding to the Word and lifting up the hands is found in Hebrews 12:5–13. It speaks about responding as a true son when you are being chastened, not as an illegitimate son. The Lord chastens every son whom He receives. If you endure the chastening, it will yield righteousness. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Verses 12–13. God does not want your hands to hang down. He is concerned about you, because you will not be able to walk with Him unless you keep your heart open to what He is saying to you. Are you wondering how you can open your heart to God? Just lift your hands to the Lord. If you understand this simple gesture, and your spirit responds to it, just lift your hands to the Lord whenever a difficult Word from God comes to you. In this way you are saying in your heart, “Lord, I take this Word. I accept it completely. I am bound by this Word that I hear. I believe it and I am going to walk in it.” This is the lifting up of holy hands before the Lord in prayer, just as Paul wrote, “I desire therefore that men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting.”
The hands can have many spiritual expressions, but the covenant that we make with the Lord with our hands is very important. At Jesus’ last meeting with His disciples, just before His ascension, He made a covenant with them with His hands: And he said unto them, These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures; and he said unto them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these things.
Jesus had commissioned His disciples, and now He was ready to enter into a covenant with them. And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with Power from on high. And he led them out until they were over against Bethany: and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them (notice that He lifted up His hands). And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the temple, blessing God. Luke 24:44–53.
The disciples’ last view of the Lord at His ascension was characterized by the covenant that He made with raised hands—the commission and the Word that He gave to them. Some may see the lifting of hands as just a custom, but if there were not something truly significant in it, why did the apostle Paul so many years later say, “I want you to lift your holy hands without wrath or doubting in prayer”? There is only one reason: the risen Christ, seated at the right hand of the Father, has His hands extended to you, too, in a covenant blessing.
How can we know the full extent of the meaning of the Scriptures for blessing one another and receiving blessings? When we open our hearts and reach into God, and into the depth of His Word, to bless one another and receive blessings, we are actually sealed to the covenants, the promises, and the commissions of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we lift our hands in worship to the Lord, we open our hearts to the Lord.
Jesus opened His disciples’ minds that they might understand the Scriptures. And when their hearts were open, He led them out and lifted His hands to them and blessed them. Then He departed out of their sight. The relationship they had with Him was established by virtue of His speaking and their responding. From that time onward the disciples moved in what He had commanded them, one step after another, until the day they were endued with the Spirit of God from on high to be the witnesses in all the world as Christ proclaimed they would be.
When you lift your hands, it can be a very significant step, if you know what it means. When Israel fought with Amalek, Moses lifted his hands out over the children of Israel. While Moses’ hands were raised, the children of Israel prevailed. When his hands grew weary and he put them down, the children of Amalek prevailed. Moses sat down on a rock and Aaron and Hur stood on either side, holding up his hands until the sun went down. Then the Lord made a covenant with Israel that He would war with the descendants of Amalek, from generation to generation, and utterly blot out their remembrance from under heaven (Exodus 17:8–15).
If you want to take hold of the Lord, just lift your hands and start worshiping and you will touch the Lord. If you feel far from His presence, and you are bogged down in the midst of problems, enter into a covenant relationship with the Lord, saying, “You are my Lord, and I am Your person. I will love You as Your bond servant. I am Your possession, Lord. I proclaim that there will not be any defeat or withdrawal in my spirit. I shall lift holy hands without wrath and without doubting. Nothing within me will draw back from Your blessing and from the Word You have spoken. I am going to walk in it with all of my heart.”
A gnawing anxiety can take hold of your heart during a waiting period when you are looking for the Lord to bring answers while you stand on His promises. That happened to Abraham when God told him to make a sacrifice before Him. Abraham laid it out on the altar and waited until dark, meanwhile fighting off the vultures. It looked as if his effort was premature and pointless, and that God was totally ignoring him. Finally God came and made a great covenant with him (Genesis 15). Whenever you find yourself in a similar position, shoo off the buzzards, raise your hands before the Lord, and keep worshiping Him, saying, “The promise is mine.” Though the vision may tarry, wait a little while, and it will surely come.