The Power and Point of Touch

The Power of Touch

In 2 Kings 13:21, a dead man came back to life when his body touched Elisha's bones in Elisha's tomb (Elisha is a type of Christ). Jesus Himself often (though not always) healed people by the power of touch. 'God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them' (Acts 19:11-12, NIV).

Negiah

Interestingly, there is a concept in Jewish religious law - Negiah, literally 'touch' - that forbids or restricts physical contact with a member of the opposite sex (except for one's spouse, children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents). Of course, I'm not saying that we need to observe Negiah. Nevertheless, it is instructive to think about the reasoning behind it.

Under the Old Covenant, things were made clean or unclean, holy or unholy, sacred or defiled by the power of touch. Sins were symbolically transferred from people to animal sacrifices (and hence atoned for) by the laying on of hands (i.e. the power of touch). The word 'touch' appears almost 30 times in the book of Leviticus alone, not counting implicit references like the laying on of hands!

The Hebrew word for 'touch' (משמוש) is cognate to the Hebrew word for 'marital relations' (שימוש).

"Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die."" - Genesis 20:6-7 (NIV)

"So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled."" - Ruth 2:8-9 (NIV)

"Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished." - Proverbs 6:27-29 (NIV)

The Greek word for 'touch' (άπτομαι) directly relates to the sexual relationship within marriage.

"Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman."" - 1 Corinthians 7:1 (ESV)

"Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry." - 1 Corinthians 7:1 (NIV)

"Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman." - 1 Corinthians 7:1 (NKJV)

"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

""Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."" - 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NIV)

The Four Major Prophets

The four major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel) were all commissioned by the power of touch.

Isaiah

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."" - Isaiah 6:5-7 (NIV)

Jeremiah

""Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."" - Jeremiah 1:6-10 (NIV)

Ezekiel

"He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you." As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me... And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat." - Ezekiel 2:1-2, 3:1-2 (NIV)

Daniel

"While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, "I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe." Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong."" - Daniel 10:15-19 (NIV)

The Point of Touch

God justified us in Christ/imputed Christ's righteousness to us spiritually when God raised Christ from the dead in the past; God will justify us in Christ/impute Christ's righteousness to us physically when God raises us from the dead in the future!

In other words, the point of spiritual imputation is the resurrection of Christ; the point of physical imputation is the second coming, when Christ returns one day to consummate our marriage and become one flesh with us!

The point of touch is that it happens in the second coming - Christ touches us (and hence physically clothes us with His righteousness) when He returns one day to consummate our marriage and become one flesh with us!

Links: The Point of Imputation (21 Jan 10), The Point of Justification (26 Feb 10)