Laying On Of Hands
2 Timothy 1:6
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you
through the laying on of my hands.
What does the Bible teach about laying on of hands?
In the Old and New Testaments, "laying on of hands" can mean a few
but very different things:
- To inflict harm on others
Genesis 22:12
And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad,
or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since
you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
Genesis 37:22
And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this
pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand
on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring
him back to his father.
Exodus 7:4
But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand
on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the
children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
Leviticus 24:14
“Take outside the camp him who has cursed; then let all who
heard him lay their hands on his head, and let
all the congregation stone him.
Matthew 21:46
But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they
feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.
Mark 12:12
And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared
the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against
them. So they left Him and went away.
Luke 20:19
And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to
lay hands on Him, but they feared the
people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
- To transfer curses or sins
onto the offerings and sacrifices
Leviticus 4:24
And he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat,
and kill it at the place where they kill the burnt offering
before the LORD. It is a sin offering.
Leviticus 16:21
Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live
goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of
Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins,
putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it
away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man.
- To commission leaders for
the work of the Lord
Numbers 8:10-11
10 So you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the
children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites;
11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD like a wave
offering from the children of Israel, that they may
perform the work of the LORD.
Numbers 27:18-19
18 And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with
you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on
him;
19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the
congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight.
Deuteronomy 34:9
Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for
Moses had laid his hands on him; so the
children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded
Moses.
Acts 6:5-6
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And
they
chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit,
and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a
proselyte from Antioch,
6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed,
they laid hands on them.
Acts 13:2-3
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit
said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for
the work to which I have called them.”
3 Then, having fasted and prayed,
and laid hands on them,
they sent them away.
1 Timothy 4:14
Do not neglect the gift that is in you,
which was given to you
by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the
eldership.
- To receive the Holy Spirit
Acts 8:17
Then they laid hands on them, and they
received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 9:17
And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying
his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus,
who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you
may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 19:6
And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came
upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
- To pray for healing
Matthew 9:18
While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and
worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and
lay Your hand on her and she will live.”
Mark 6:5
Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He
laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
Luke 4:40
When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick
with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid
His hands on every one of them and healed them.
Luke 13:13
And He laid His hands on her, and immediately
she was made straight, and glorified God.
Acts 28:8
And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever
and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he
laid his hands on him and healed him.
- To bless others
Genesis 48:14
Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it
on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on
Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was
the firstborn.
Psalm 139:4-6
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
Matthew 19:13-15
13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might
put His hands on them and pray, but the
disciples rebuked them.
14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do
not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
15 And He laid His hands on them and departed
from there.
Mark 10:16
And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them,
and blessed them.
It is important to note that healing can take place even without the laying on of
hands.
Genesis 20:17-18
17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his
wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children;
18 for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of
Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
2 Kings 20:5
“Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says
the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard
your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you.
On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 7:14
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and
seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Matthew 8:8
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You
should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my
servant will be healed.
James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent
prayer of a righteous man avails much.
3 John 1:2
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things
and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit can also happen without
the laying on of hands.
Acts 2:3-4
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire,
and one sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
Acts 10:44-45
44 While Peter was
still
speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard
the word.
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as
many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had
been poured out on the Gentiles also.
Laying on of hands can do good, and it can also cause harm. It will
depend on the intentions and conditions of both parties, the giving
side and the receiving side.
1 Timothy 5:22
Do not lay hands on anyone hastily,
nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.
Taking in the scriptural context, Paul was telling Timothy how to honor
the elders, and how to appoint them:
1 Timothy 5:17-25
17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double
honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it
treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from
two or three witnesses.
20 Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that
the rest also may fear.
21 I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect
angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing
nothing with partiality.
22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s
sins; keep yourself pure.
23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your
stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.
24 Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to
judgment, but those of some men follow later.
25 Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and
those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.
We should never be in a hurry to appoint and commission
church elders for the work of the Lord. We should not be haphazard in laying hands on people
to dedicate them quickly for the Lord's service. In doing so, we may
have overlooked their sinful lifestyles, and we may have unknowingly
approved their sins. We should not take part in the sins of others.
We must keep ourselves pure.
Church elders are properly selected, appointed, anointed and commissioned
by the laying on of hands. Why? This is to ensure that they will be
able and counted worthy to do the work of the Lord without any
reproof. The work of the Lord includes the laying on of hands to
pray for the healing of others, and to anoint and appoint others for
ministry.
Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid
properly, especially those who work hard at both preaching and
teaching the Word. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep
it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another
place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” If there is any
accusation against an elder, it must be confirmed by two or three
witnesses. For those elders who keep on sinning, they should be
reprimanded in front of the whole church. This will serve as a
strong warning to others.
We should not take sides or show favoritism to anyone. We should
not be in a hurry about appointing a church elder. We should not
share in the sins of others. We need to keep ourselves pure. The
sins of some elders are obvious, leading them to certain judgment.
But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In
the same way, the good deeds of some elders are obvious. And the
good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.
What are some of the qualifications of church elders?
1 Timothy 4:12-16
12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the
believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in
purity.
13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation,
to doctrine.
14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by
prophecy with the laying on of the hands of
the eldership.
15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them,
that your progress may be evident to all.
16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and
those who hear you.
Church elders are to be good examples for the believers in
speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. They must spend time in
reading the Word of God so that they are able to exhort and teach
others also. They should not neglect the spiritual gifts that have been
bestowed upon them by the laying on of hands by other elders. They
should practice, and devote themselves completely to serving God so
that their progress may be evident to all. They need to watch over their
own personal lives, and also what they teach and preach. In doing so, they
will be able to help not only themselves, but also others.
James 5:13-16
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone
cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of
the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will
raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another,
that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous
man avails much.
If there is anyone sick among us, the church elders should pray
over him and pour a little oil upon him, calling on the Lord to heal
him. If the elders are faithful and righteous before the Lord, their
prayers will be answered, and the sick will be healed.
Laying on of hands in itself has no power. If done in agreement
with God’s Word, it will bring forth good and great results. The
answers, blessings and healings come from the Lord Himself. Our eyes
should always look towards the Lord, and not on those who lay their
hands on us. We should not hastily or frequently ask to be anointed
or appointed for ministry unless we are willing to be a good example
of those who
desire to know God, to be hearers and doers of His Word, and to
serve others faithfully.
1 Corinthians 14:40
Let all things be done decently and in order.
Let us be diligent in doing all things properly
in an orderly manner before God.
Written on 8 September 2021