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Why Are We Invited to Partake of the Sacrament with Our Right Hand? #686 · Scripture Central

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  For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do
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  show the Lord's death till he come.
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  Hey listeners, this is Nick from Scripture Central, and today's
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  podcast addresses the question, why are we invited to partake of
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  the sacrament with our right hand?
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  Latter Day Saints partake of the sacrament once a week,
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  reflecting an ancient Christian practice meant to show the
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  Lord's death till he come. Furthermore, members of Christ's
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  restored Church have been counseled to partake of the
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  sacrament with their right hand when possible.
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  While this ritual action may seem trivial, it actually has
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  meaningful ancient roots that unfortunately are most lost on
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  modern audiences. Brent J Schmidt has pointed out
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  that the right hand was often used in ancient contexts when
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  making covenants, noting how some cultures would dedicate the
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  right hand to different deities when it was raised.
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  Similarly, Hugh Nibbley frequently referred to these
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  ancient covenant gestures in his writings, which often involved
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  the raising the right hand in the air as well as extending it
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  in ritual hand clasps. This symbolism is found
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  throughout the Bible. For example, when making a
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  covenant to not take anything unjustly from the King of Sodom,
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  Abram raised his right hand and said, I have lift up mine hand
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  unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and
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  earth. Through this covenantal action
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  both Abram and the king were able to come to an agreement and
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  create an atmosphere of peace. Reciprocally, the right hand of
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  the Lord also shows up repeatedly in Psalms regarding
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  deliverance and salvation in Psalm 17 seven.
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  In Psalm 17, verse 7, the Lord is praised as the one that
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  savest by the right hand them which put their trust in thee.
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  Psalm 118 verse 16 declares the right hand of the Lord is
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  exalted. The right hand of the Lord doeth
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  valiantly. Because of this, promises of
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  life and salvation are offered to those who praise and serve
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  the Lord. Still other psalms describe the
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  petitioner grasping the Lord's right hand in order for them to
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  be brought into the presence of the Lord and become like him.
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  The New Testament describes the right hand in similar covenantal
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  context relating to salvation. Jesus himself declared that he
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  would sit on the right hand of power following his crucifixion
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  and resurrection, witnessing the fulfillment of this prophecy
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  before his martyrdom. Stephen saw Jesus stand on the
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  right hand of God and said, behold, I see the heavens opened
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  and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
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  Not only is Jesus repeatedly described as sitting on the
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  right hand of God, but this blessing is offered to all who
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  follow him. Then shall the king say unto
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  them on his right hand, Come, ye, blessed of my Father,
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  inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
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  world. In the end, Schmidt observes
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  that there are 166 uses of the right hand in the Bible to
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  demonstrate fidelity, strength, and power.
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  These instances parallel the covenant significance of the
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  right hand and right hand clasps granting blessings in other
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  cultures. The symbolism behind the right
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  hand and covenantal context became so rooted in the Greco
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  Roman world that in Latin, the word for right held favorable
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  connotations, whereas the Latin adjective for left evoked that
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  which is wrong, perverse, unfavorable, or sinister.
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  These negative connotations of the left hand are still seen in
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  some modern languages, including English and French.
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  Other cultures, such as the ancient Maya, similarly viewed
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  the left hand in a negative light in ritual contexts, as
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  they connected it with foolishness.
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  Thus, the appropriateness of using the right hand, especially
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  in covenant or contractual contexts, has a long pedigree in
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  many cultures throughout the world.
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  The sacrament is a sacred ordinance instituted by the Lord
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  Jesus Christ. It is filled with symbolic
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  meaning, meant to draw our minds to the Lord's atoning sacrifice
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  and the covenants that we have voluntarily made to follow Him.
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  The use of the right hand evokes and invokes the covenantal
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  significance of this sacred ordinance.
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  Specifically, we covenant that we are willing to take upon us
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  the name of thy Son and always remember him and keep his
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  commandments which he has given us.
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  We are then promised that as we fulfill this covenant, we will
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  have the Holy Ghost with us. At his Last Supper with his
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  apostles, Jesus invited them to take eat by taking and partaking
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  of the bread and water. With our right hands, we
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  symbolically accept the Lord's personal invitation for us to
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  voluntarily enter into or renew our covenant of loyalty and
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  faithful obedience to our Heavenly Father through the
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  goodness of Jesus Christ. Due to the prominent use of the
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  right hand in making sacred life giving oaths throughout history,
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  President Russell M Nelson once remarked that the hand used in
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  partaking of the sacrament would logically be the same hand used
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  in making any other sacred oath. For most of us, that would be
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  the right hand, President Nelson continued.
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  The sacrament was instituted by Jesus Christ for all mankind,
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  even me. He offered his flesh and blood,
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  and designated the bread and the water as symbolic emblems.
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  Because I have a right hand, Ioffer it in partaking of the
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  sacrament as an oath, and I will always remember his atoning
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  sacrifice, take his name upon me and remember him, and keep the
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  commandments of God. It is important to recognize
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  that while we are encouraged to partake of the sacrament with
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  our right hand, this may not always be possible, and any such
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  inability or failure to do so, whether due to a physical
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  disability, lack of awareness about the symbolism, or some
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  other similar reason, does not invalidate the ordinance.
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  Consequently, no one should worry if they or someone cannot
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  use the right hand in this ordinance or if for whatever
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  reason, they have not done so in the past.
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  According to President Nelson, all covenants, including
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  Sacramento and temple covenants, can be and are made by those who
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  have lost the use of the right hand or who have no hands at
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  all. Much more important than concern
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  over which hand is used in partaking of the sacrament is
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  that the sacrament be partaken with a deep realization of the
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  atoning sacrifice that the sacrament represents.
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  Thus, rather than becoming a burden or a reason for warrior
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  concern, the symbolism of the right hand, where it can be
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  implemented or observed, can amplify the significance and
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  binding meaning of the ordinance in the minds and hearts of all.
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  Thank you for listening to this presentation from Scripture
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  Central. For more information, please
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  visit scripturecentral.org.