Tonight’s family service looked at the question ‘What’s Up God’s Sleeve?’ Apart from discovering a variety of different names for sleeves, this question really enabled us to look at what the Bible has to say about the hands or arms of God.
A raglan sleeve
A calypso sleeve:
A leg o’mutton sleeve:
When we talk about the hands of arms of God (not literally, of course, since God is Spirit!), we are generally talking about His power and authority. Deut 5:15 (see also Deut 11:2) says ‘Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.’ The Exodus is the greatest sign in the Old Testament of the power of God. First of all, the plagues God brought on Egypt demonstrated His superior power to the Egyptians, but then the parting of the Red Sea conclusively proved God’s ability to save His people. There is no power in people to save like this (see Is 59:16), but God’s arm is not too short to save (Is 59:1), as is comprehensively demonstrated at Calvary. Our amazing Creator God, who made both the heavens and earth by His great power and outstretched arm (Jer 32:17), is the one who came up with the great plan of salvation and not only thought of it but actually carried it out. Paul says ‘God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’ (2 Cor 5:21) God thought of this divine exchange and He was prepared to take on human flesh and die for our sins so that we can become children of God.
God’s arms are strong enough to carry us through every trial and difficulty we face. Deut 33:26-27 says, ‘There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.’ God is not only strong enough to save us, powerful enough to defeat death and sin and hell at the cross; He is also therefore strong enough to be our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Ps 46:1), close enough to hold us safe, close enough to be our hiding place. In these verses from Deut 33, God gives us a promise of His personal help. He ‘rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.’ (Deut 33:26) He will ‘drive out your enemies before you, saying “Destroy them!”’ (Deut 33:27) Because of this, Israel were promised safety and security (Deut 33:28), often the very things we crave the most. ‘Jacob will dwell secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew.’ (Deut 33:28) The promise is for abundance – a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew. Because of God’s presence and promises, Israel are called blessed: ‘Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord?’ (Deut 33:29)
God’s arms are also welcoming arms. In the Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32), we read of the father who waits every day for his prodigal son to return. Eventually, we read how the son decides to return home and then it says, ‘But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.’ (Luke 15:20) God is not indifferent to us. He is not uncaring. He wants to welcome us home with open arms, with love and mercy and forgiveness. There is a welcome in the arms of God. Jesus took the children in his arms and said, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’ (Mk 9:36-37) We can be sure that when we come home running,God is running out to meet us, arms open wide, ready to welcome us home.
