Articles
“The Right Hand of Fellowship”
“Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man…”
Judges 3:15
The author of Judges points out that Ehud, Israel’s appointed deliverer, though from the tribe of Benjamin (literally, “son of my right hand”), was “a left-handed man.” What seems like an odd piece of information turns out to be a significant part of the story. Ehud’s dexterity (and possible ambidexterity) played an important role in Israel’s deliverance from Moab and her oppressive king, Eglon.
Living in a relatively peaceful society today, it is difficult for us to fully appreciate how important a simple handshake was in the ancient world. Back then, men regularly carried a weapon and, as it is today, most people were right-hand dominant. Therefore, the sign of peace was to offer one’s right hand because it meant one would not draw his sword. Historically, left handed men were distrusted because even while shaking hands they were fully capable of drawing their sword to deadly effect. Hence, the reader of Judges may suspect some treachery is afoot in the Ehud/Moab narrative just from the introduction. Indeed, the story unfolds to reveal that Ehud’s rather gruesome and deceptive assassination of Moab’s king was facilitated by his left-handedness.
Obviously, we do not—and should not—distrust people based on their dominant hand. But even still, we generally greet others by offering our right hand or by some other peaceful touch. Christians are commanded to “greet one another with a holy kiss” (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26). Peter calls it a “kiss of love” (1 Pet. 5:14). We shake hands or offer hugs in the same “holy” manner as expressions of peace, unity and affection. These physical greetings communicate something words fail to.
When Paul, Barnabas and Titus traveled to Jerusalem they were met with such a greeting by Peter, James and John. Peter and the rest of the Jerusalem leaders recognized Paul had been given a special ministry to the Gentiles just as Peter did the Jews and offered them “the right hand of fellowship” (Gal. 2:9). This was an expression of their support, unity and mutual sharing of labor. The apostles were not just giving their consent, they were effectively saying, “We are with you in this effort.” Their handshake was a physical affirmation, a kind of tangible “Amen,” to Paul’s work.
For various reasons, some people may feel uncomfortable with this kind of greeting and we need to be sensitive to them and respect their physical boundaries. Also there may be situations where this kind of greeting is inappropriate. For example, I remember a time of strife in my family years ago during Christmas. My step-grandma was in the process of unjustly suing my parents. We drove to their house on Christmas Eve mainly because dad said it was the right thing to do. After my step-grandma gave a round of awkward hugs to my brothers and I she finally reached for my mother who, in a rare display of boldness, rejected her show of affection and said, “I’m not feeling so warm and fuzzy right now.” Talk about the Christmas spirit! The image was indelibly etched on our young minds. It all worked out in the end, but the point is that when there is disharmony in the family these touches feel like forced, shallow attempts to convey feelings that aren’t genuinely there.
This is why the spiritual unity and genuine love of God’s family is so important. Without them, these expressions of greeting are meaningless or even injurious. We express our love and spiritual fellowship in various ways. Greeting each other warmly with “the right hand of fellowship” is just one example. Thanks be to God who touches us with his grace through Jesus Christ!
