Laying on of Hands

We have all seen it at one time or another; a leader in the church praying for someone and laying on one or both of their hands at the same time.

Giving a Blessing

Genesis 48:9-20

And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

NOTES:

It can be traced back to the old testament when Jacob was blessing his sons before his death. The blessing he spoke to them while laying his hands on their heads was the prophecy that referred to the twelve tribes of Israel since each of them were considered the father of a tribe.

When Jacob blessed them, it can also be noted that the left hand has a different significance than the right hand. Joseph was bringing in his twelve brothers to be blessed by their father Jacob. Joseph would place the older brother at Jacob's right hand. However, on one occasion, Jacob intentionally crossed his hands since the greater blessing was to go to the youngest due to a sin that the older brother had committed.

Matthew 25:31-33

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

NOTES:

There is a spiritual principle that is not well documented concerning which hand to use during a blessing. Right hand seems to represent a greater power and authority than the left hand.

Sin Transfer

Leviticus 1:3-4

If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

NOTES:

Another reason to lay on hands is to transfer sins. Before Yeshua’s sacrifice on the cross. Priests would have animal sacrifices. They would lay their hands on the animal. This would pass the sins of the people to the animal which could be killed to temporally cover sins.

Leadership

Numbers 27:18-23

And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. And Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

NOTES:

It also can be used to pass leadership from one to another as Moses did to Joshua.

Yeshua’s examples

Matthew 8:14-15

And when Yeshua was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

Matthew9:18-26

While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Yeshua arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.... ... And when Yeshua came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them,

Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth.

And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

Matthew 19:14-15

But Yeshua said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

Mark 7:31-35

And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolisp. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him,

Ephphatha,

that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

Mark 9:25-27

When Yeshua saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him,

Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Yeshua took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

Acts 8:28

And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him

A Word of Caution

Just as blessings can transfer to the person being laid on, evil can also flow to the person and from the person.
This is why it is so dangerous in church services to have all these different people laying hands on one another. It is like children playing with fire, someone can get hurt by mistake.
Only the wise and spiritual adults who are well learned should lay on hands.
Keep in mind the potential risk in having someone you don't know lay hands on you or your child. If you are not 100 percent sure they are right with God and a believer in Yeshua, I would not let them touch me.
Be Cautious and Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Ask Him to lead you if you should avoid a stranger laying hands on you. Don't be afraid of people wanted to pray for you many blessings can occur from a man of woman of God laying on their hands and passing a blessing. Just be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's guidance.