Study #23: KAF

KAF AS THE OPEN PALM OF GOD’S HAND OVER JERUSALEM

Isaiah wrote down a poignant revelation of God’s abiding concern for the city of Jerusalem in Isaiah 49:16

” Behold, I have carved you upon the PALMS of My Hands “.

Imagine God is saying He scarred His own Hands as a permanent reminder of His commitment to Jerusalem…unlike any other capital city of the world.

It is even more telling when we realise that Jesus was crucified outside the city walls of Jerusalem. And the image of His nail-scarred hands affirm and elevate Isaiah’s words into a prophecy.

But what strikes it home is the visual of God’s Name over the city in the shape of the letter SHIN which is etched in the 3 valleys surrounding Jerusalem – the Hinnom to the West, the Tryphopean in the Middle and the Kidron to the East. This remarkable phenomenon is visible from an aerial viewpoint.

Since I don’t have a drone with me in my study tours of Israel, I take my students to the Israeli Museum instead to view the miniature replica of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time. There as an overview, we can together visualise the Name of God as SHIN ( God the Almighty Judge and Destroyer ) over this unique city where God mandated His Name and Presence as an everlasting memorial.

Father God, so many insist on seeing before they believe. But believing by faith and then seeing You is so much more fulfilling when we open the spiritual eyes of our hearts to perceive Your Omnipresence, Omniscience and Omnipotence. For critics say You forsook Jesus on the Cross when He cried out: ” Father why have You forsaken Me? ” ( Matthew 27:46 ). But for believers whose eyes are opened, we know You were there – hanging with Jesus with nail-scarred Hands of KAF – redeeming us from our sins, death, the devil and Hell.