Topical Bible: Power of God: The Finger of God

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The phrase "the finger of God" is a biblical metaphor that signifies the direct and powerful intervention of God in the world. It is used to describe God's authority, power, and divine action in both judgment and deliverance. This expression appears in several key passages throughout Scripture, each highlighting a different aspect of God's mighty works.

Exodus 8:19
In the context of the plagues of Egypt, the magicians of Pharaoh, after failing to replicate the plague of gnats, declare to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19). This acknowledgment by the Egyptian magicians underscores the supremacy of God's power over human and demonic forces. It marks a turning point where even the pagan practitioners recognize the divine origin of the plagues, which were beyond their ability to replicate or control.

Exodus 31:18
The phrase is also used in reference to the giving of the Law. "When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God" (Exodus 31:18). Here, the "finger of God" signifies the divine authorship and authority of the Ten Commandments. It emphasizes that the Law is not a human invention but a direct revelation from God, written by His own hand.

Deuteronomy 9:10
Similarly, in Deuteronomy 9:10, Moses recounts, "The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly" . This reiteration serves to remind the Israelites of the divine origin and the sacredness of the covenant established between God and His people.

Luke 11:20
In the New Testament, Jesus uses the phrase to describe His authority over demonic forces: "But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Luke 11:20). Here, the "finger of God" is a demonstration of the inbreaking of God's kingdom through the ministry of Jesus. It signifies the power of God at work in Christ, validating His messianic mission and the presence of God's reign on earth.

Theological Implications
The "finger of God" is a vivid illustration of God's omnipotence and His active involvement in the world. It conveys the idea that God's power is not abstract or distant but is manifested in tangible and transformative ways. Whether through acts of judgment, the giving of the Law, or the casting out of demons, the "finger of God" represents His sovereign will and His ability to accomplish His purposes.

In a broader theological context, the "finger of God" can be seen as a precursor to the work of the Holy Spirit, who continues to manifest God's power in the world today. The Spirit's work in the life of believers and the church is a continuation of the divine activity that the "finger of God" symbolizes, pointing to the ongoing presence and power of God in the world.

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Exodus 8:19
Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he listened not to them; as the LORD had said.
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Psalm 8:3
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;
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Library

To those who Contend that the Spirit Because He is Called the ...
... portion of God, because He is called the Finger of God ... Son of God, because He is
called the Right Hand of God. ... is called both the Right Hand and the Power of God ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter iv to those who.htm

The Power and Wisdom of God in the Creation.
... preceeded it, who would not imagine there is some invisible power which directs ... strange
cast of understanding, who does not discover the finger of God in so ...
/.../sect ii the power and.htm

From St. Luke's Eleventh ChapterOther Evidence that Christ Comes ...
... wonders which were really His own, [4564] He said that the power of God must be
understood to be the finger of none other God than Him, under [4565] whom it ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xxvi from st lukes eleventh.htm

The Writer Sums up the Argument He had Commenced...
... as inseparable from God the Father as the finger is from the body? 30. But if any
one thinks that this should be referred not to the oneness of power, but to ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter v the writer sums.htm

"In the Spirit and Power of Elias"
... was spoken; and a copy of it, on two tables of stone, "written with the finger of
God ... I will so control the minds under my power that God's Sabbath shall ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 14 in the spirit.htm

The Original Cause of all Things is from God.
... the greater power of God was present prohibiting them, through the Holy Spirit;
which even the magicians themselves confessed, saying, "This is the finger of ...
/.../augustine/on the holy trinity/chapter 9 the original cause of.htm

The Same Unity May Also be Recognized from the Fact that the ...
... O Lord, is made glorious in power. Thy Right Hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces
the enemy;" [1248] so the Holy Spirit is called the Finger of God, as the Lord ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter iii the same unity.htm

Jesus Born the Son of God.
... to enter on the great work to which He was appointed, did the power of God ... Even when
spoken by the holiest lips, and written with the finger of God, it can ...
/.../schleiermacher/selected sermons of schleiermacher/xvi jesus born the son.htm

The Dove of God
... No additional power, no fresh authority, comes of the crowning. ... They are God's finger,
pointing to Jesus and saying, 'Arise, anoint Him, for this is He.'. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the dove of god.htm

Of the Occasion on which it was Said to Him that He Cast Out ...
... against Jesus, that He cast out devils in [the power of] Beelzebub ... 1015] And the
circumstance that Luke here designates the Spirit of God as the finger of God ...
/.../augustine/the harmony of the gospels/chapter xxxviii of the occasion on.htm