Mensa Otabil - The Finger of God
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Exodus chapter 8, verse 19: Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, «This is the finger of God.» But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said. It’s very interesting to see this whole drama progressing. Pharaoh’s magicians are defeated, and the visitation of the plagues has accomplished what neither the blood of the waters nor the frogs had achieved. They called the stilt plague the finger of God. The finger of God!
Now, Pharaoh’s magicians did not understand the concept of one God; they were not monotheistic; they worshipped different gods. However, something about this third plague spoke to them very deeply. They recognized that what was happening was very unusual and beyond what they knew they could channel their gods to accomplish. What they were essentially saying was, «Mr. Pharaoh, we don’t know what is happening, but some very powerful God is helping these Israelites.» They just knew this was beyond what they recognized their gods could do; this was beyond what they could conjure. This is a higher realm; this is a higher power, and they called it the finger of God. For us as Christians, the term «the finger of God» means the power of God through Christ Jesus. It is in Him that the finger of God is manifested.
God works at all times; He does so through natural processes. When the sun rises in the morning, that is God at work. When the sun sets, God is at work; when it rains, God is at work. But there are moments when God does extraordinary things, either with His own creation or by doing something unusual. He changes the natural sequence, and when that happens, we say the finger of God is seen; the power of God is seen. But check what happens: Pharaoh’s heart grows hard, and I like how the passage puts it earlier; it says he hardened his heart.
Now his heart grew hard, so the indication we have is that he is getting more and more stubborn. Isn’t it interesting that when Pharaoh began his journey of stubbornness, his magicians were with him? They were egging him on; they encouraged him and tried to show that Moses and Aaron were just ordinary people. They tried to demonstrate that the miracles were simply magical acts; they were confusing Pharaoh by advising him wrongly. And now they come to the realization that this is the finger of God, but Pharaoh keeps going. That’s a very instructive thing. You know that there are times when people can deceive others on a path, and then the person who deceived you comes to the realization of the truth. However, the deceived continue with the deception.
Sometimes, someone can tell you something you believe today, but later come and tell you, «Oh, I have stopped believing it,» yet you persist with the first message of deception they gave you. That’s what is happening to Pharaoh now. He’s not listening to the magicians any longer; he’s on his own path of self-destruction and doesn’t care about the cost to himself or his nation. May the Lord deliver us from false advice, false wisdom, and false counsel-people who counsel us in the wrong path. Later, they may change their minds, but the path they set us on will lead to destruction.
Let us pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, deliver us from delusion and self-destruction. Help us to know when to turn back. In Jesus' name, amen.»