Living at the Right Hand of God! Part 1 of 2

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

May 1, 2006

Psalm 44:1-8

Did you ever notice that the Bible always talks about the right hand of God; never the left? Why is that? Well, I can’t tell you for sure; I can only speculate. But it could be that the right hand was thought of as the strong hand, and the right arm the strong arm. That’s true today for most people, since most people are right handed. Let’s have a show of hands and see if that’s true for this group. If you’re left-handed, hold up your left hand.

Count hands: _____ out of_______. Do you think that’s a typical number? 10% of the world's population is left-handed.

This evening the subject of the lesson is “Living at the Right Hand of God.” The text for the lesson is Psalm 44, verses 1-8. While David was fighting with the Syrians, the Edomites made an invasion into Israel. In the midst of the anguish that that caused, this Psalm may have been written by the Sons of Korah.

1 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. O God, we have heard it with our own ears— our ancestors have told us of all you did in other days, in days long ago:
2 You drove out the pagan nations and gave all the land to our ancestors; you crushed their enemies, setting our ancestors free.
3 They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strength that gave them victory. It was by your mighty power that they succeeded; it was because you favored them and smiled on them.
4 You are my King and my God. You command victories for your people.
5 Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes.
6 I do not trust my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me.
7 It is you who gives us victory over our enemies; it is you who humbles those who hate us.
8 O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name. (NLT)

Today, I would like for us to focus upon the greatness of God and the joy and pleasure He has in store for those who desire to live and serve Him. It often seems strange to hear from those who claim to be faithful believers and followers of Christ as they complain about the condition of the world and the problems that they face. Many talk about these things as if we have neither hope nor the power to be overcomers of life's difficulties. Paul talks about hope in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." Christians experience sorrow sometimes, but it is not the hopeless sorrow of the world.

Jesus is coming again, and that means reunion and eternal rejoicing!
Paul said, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, (and then, because he doesn’t want to miss anything, he adds) nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is In Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)

The assurance that nothing can ever separate the believer from God’s love is based on what God has done in the past, and what He doing for us in the present. Christ continually intercedes for believers in a courtroom where deliverance replaces condemnation. Christ, the One who could condemn believers, is in reality pleading their cases. Every day, I am becoming more convinced of the truth of God's "right hand" of protection, provision, and promotion.

Now I need to give a disclaimer to today's lesson. I’ll speak a lot about the "Right hand of God" today. Scripture continually mentions the "right hand" of God as He deals with His people throughout history. This is not to say that those who are predominately "left-handed" are less than us right-handers. This is not about what hand you prefer to use in your daily routine, it is about the blessings of God that Scripture states are found in His right hand.

Let’s examine our hands for a moment. Look at your hands closely; what a wonderful marvel of God's creative design. Are you looking at your hands? Some of you aren’t looking. You can do a lot of things with your hands. With your hand, you can say "HELLO!" We extend our hand to others as a greeting and a gesture of welcome. Could you think of tying your shoes or buttoning your shirt without one of your hands? Eating your favorite messy hamburger without a hand would not be nearly as fun. The hands have nerve endings that make it possible to feel the soft skin of a newborn baby or the weathered skin of an aged saint. The hand can be raised in blessing or raised in anger to bring pain to someone with a slap or a powerful blow. I know some people that couldn’t talk if they didn’t have hands.

Think about the hand. It’s connected to the body. The hand doesn’t act alone; there are other factors that are involved. It receives communication from the mind. The brain sends a message to the hand to direct its movement. The brain tells the hand to open and it opens; it does whatever the mind tells it to do. It was created for a purpose. The hand did not simply grow itself on the end of the arm. God had great plans for the hand. One of its purposes is to remind us—every time we look at it— that God's hand is upon us and that God is in control.

Let’s take a look at Psalm 44, for there we will discover the mighty hand of God working among his people. The first thing you will notice is that His hand is a hand of justice & authority.

Verse 3 says, “They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strength that gave them victory. It was by your mighty power that they succeeded; it was because you favored them and smiled on them” (NLT).

The reference here is to the time when Israel first entered the Promised Land. The conquest of Canaan was accomplished by the power of God’s hand. It’s true that God used Israel’s armies, but they weren’t the conquerors of Canaan. The Lord alone can be considered the conqueror of the Promised Land.


We can’t look at the goodness of God's hand until we are willing to see and respect God's hand of justice and authority.

In the book of Habakkuk, we are told, "You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and be exposed! The cup from the Lord's right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory"(Habakkuk2:19).

And Exodus 15:6 states, "Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy."


In God’s hand there is justice and authority, but it’s also a hand of provision. Every child of God has plenty of reasons to rejoice, because when He saves us He also gives us an inheritance. The Bible declares that we are joint heirs with Jesus. Isn’t that wonderful that Jesus is willing to share what He has with us? That’s just one more sign of God’s great love for His children. When they walked by sight, Israel complained; but when they believed God and saw His mighty hand at work, they praised Him.

Listen again to verses 1 and 2: “…O God, we have heard it with our own ears— our ancestors have told us of all you did in other days, in days long ago: You drove out the pagan nations and gave all the land to our ancestors; you crushed their enemies, setting our ancestors free.”

God provides for every need that the believer will ever have. Paul stated,"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). God promises to meet all of our needs, but not all of our wishes, wants, or whims. His supply is infinite, abundant, and inexhaustible. God's right hand has been providing for His children since the beginning of creation and has continued until now. All that we are, and have, and hope for, is the gift of God’s undeserved mercy. We don’t need to boast about it, but we also shouldn’t worry about losing it either. God will provide.