At the palace theater in New York City in 1938, one of the world's greatest movies, Jezebel, opened. It stared Bette Davis and Henry Fonda (father of Jane and Peter). In the movie, Jezebel said, “I have deliciously wicked hands.”

In the scriptures (Book of Kings), Bible history tells us that Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, King of Israel. Worshipers of Baal, both were wicked beyond words to describe. After Ahab's death, Jezebel was the power behind the throne. The prophet Elisha had anointed Jehu king of Israel. Cleansing the country, Jehu threw Jezebel out of the window at the palace at Jezreel, even the dogs would not eat her hands, so wicked.

I was in Nepal, Asia, in one village I saw a woman caring for a baby without hands. In a disastrous fire, she had lost both of her hands, but she was still working with stubs at the end of her arms. I can not begin to understand what life would be like without hands, each hand with 27 bones, 17 muscles, more nerve endings and tactile sensors than any other place in the human body. I use my hands to guide me through life...helping me make judgments about everything.

Think of the magnificence of hands, the training necessary and hand-eye coordination to interpret music on the music stand and play the keys on a piano, to play any musical instrument, to accomplish delicate surgery, to type on your computer. You can do the grossest, yet most delicate work with your hands: shoveling dirt or delicate embroidery.

My first time in China, for gifts I purchased very old, delicate Chinese embroidery, many delicate drawings...these examples of artistic perfection could only be accomplished with hand-eye coordination...any time, any where anyone questions you about your belief in omnipotent, omniscient, sovereign God ask that they explain to you the neurology of such tactile, intricate work. It is like the clotting of blood, I have memorized all the procedures, no one but almighty God could perfect the act. The laying on of hands is as old as man, God told Adam and Eve not to touch just one tree of all the trees in the garden, “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Man always rebels, had rather believe a slimy serpent than Almighty God, and here we are, thousands of years later, still suffering from the disobedience of our first parents, but still disobeying, “we are such slow learners.”

My mother and grandmother could tell you your temperature with their hands much better than a thermometer, they you could tell you more about the health of the unborn with their hands than could the obstetrician. The hands of women have worked in birth delivery, just as they have worked in laying out the dead. I had rather have an old doctor with sensitive hands and a stethoscope than all recent graduates with their computers. Long after I had quit practicing, too blind to actually care for patients I had other people doing everything, just my walking into the examining room and taking a patient by the hand was sufficient.

The anointing by hands at any religious service, the right hand of fellowship at any service, spiritual or secular. The lifting of holy hands (1 Timothy 2:8) in an evangelical setting is always sufficient for every need. Many hands never have a manicure, never experience greed, theft, lust and other sinful acts, but think of the hands that do, taking money and graft under the table, back door political dealing, throwing the dice, or the working the gambling machines. We have a dominant hand just like we have a dominant eye, a dominant foot, just make sure your hands do not dominate your mind with cravings, addictions and appetites which start in the mind.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

Is it possible for anyone, Christian or otherwise, to read this and not know that everything here is happening now, all brought on by hands. In Raleigh, greedy hands buy influence, in Washington, lustful hands buy anything Satan offers. The most corrupt place in the world, and if Washington escapes, God will apologize to Sodom.

The hands, such a magnificence of God's creation, even God wrote the Ten Commandments by hand, commandments...not suggestions. Even God covered the earth with darkness, seeing Jesus wonderful hands pierced, hands that had healed the sick, raised the dead, fed thousands.

I would like to have seen my mother and father before they were buried in the ground, but I did ask the mortician to let me feel their hands in the casket. I did not think of what they had not done for me, but what those hands had done for me...hard work, loving care, inspiration.