The “Finger of God” and “The Hand of the Lord”

“The Finger of God”

The phrase the finger of God” is found four times in the Bible, three times in the Old Testament and once in the New. It is an event that is synonymous with the supernatural power of God that directly impacting the age in which they occur.

The first reference to “the finger of God” is found in Exodus concerning the exodus or Israel from Pharoah’s Egypt. Moses had just unleashed the third plague on Egypt in an effort to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites who had been held captive for four hundred years. The Lord instructed Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his staff and “strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt” (Exodus 8:16). After Pharaoh’s magicians tried and failed to replicate the miracle, they said to Pharaoh, “This is the ‘finger of God’ (Exodus 8:19).

The second reference to the finger of God also occurs in the book of Exodus, where the phrase is used concerning the two replacement tablets of the Law written on stone and given to Moses. These tablets contained the covenant law, inscribed by “the finger of God (Exodus 31:18). It is not to be supposed that God literally touched the tablets, since God is spirit (John 4:24) and has no physical “fingers”; rather, the phrase the finger of God” indicates that God directly caused the commandments to be engraved upon the stone by His Holy Spirit.

The New Testament reference to “the finger of God” is from Jesus of Nazareth. After freeing a blind and mute man from a demon, Jesus said to His critics, “If I drive out demons by ‘the finger of God,’ then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20, cf. Matt. 12:28). The meaning is that Jesus performed miracles by the evident power of God, the same power that caused the writing to appear on the tablets of stone.

So, the “finger of God” is a reference to God’s unlimited power as God intervenes directly in the affairs of men, noting significant timeline events in the eternal plan of God. The working of the finger of God is unmistakable. No device of man or other spirit can compete with that power, as even the heathen magicians came to recognize in Moses’ day.

“The Hand of The Lord”

Peter refers tothe mighty hand of God in writing to the believing remnant of the Nation Israel for their encouragement in the time of the Tribulation period.

6 Humble yourselves [the children of Israel] therefore under the mighty ‘hand of God,’ that he may exalt you in due time:” (1 Peter 5:6 (KJV)

Paul and “The Hand of the Lord”

Now here is the most interesting and notable thing about “the hand of the Lord” as it relates to us today in this age of “the grace of God.”

“And now, behold, ‘the hand of the Lord’ is upon thee [Saul Paulus – Paul]” … (Acts 13:11 (KJV) “… for he [Saul Paulus/Paul] is a chosen vessel unto me [Christ], to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:” (Acts 9:15)

Like the “finger of God,” this hand of the Lordagain is a reference to God’s unlimited power when He intervenes directly in the affairs of mankind. Here concerning Paul, the supernatural working of “the hand of the Lordis unmistakable in the calling, conversion, ministry, message, and life of the Apostle Paul.

It is notable that other than Paul’s experience with “the hand of the Lordwe have NO SUCH Other Such Reference unto this day.

(There also are several references to Jesus seated at the right “the hand of God in heaven BEFORE Paul’s conversion event. There is also one reference to “the hand of God in Peter’s first epistle written to Israel for their learning During the Tribulation Periodreferring to a time after Paul’s “dispensation of the grace of God” has ended.)

Paul’s unique calling and conversion in response to Christ appearing to him from heaven (Acts 9) was the one most recent age-impacting event by “the hand of God,” brining today’s age of “the dispensation of the grace of God.” Any Bible student should know Paul’s salvation marked a ‘change of the dispensations’ from ‘Law’ to ‘Grace.’ That is the change from the earlier time of Prophecy’ concerning Israel who has been set aside during this age of grace… unto today’s age of the Mystery [secret]” revealed to Paul concerning the blessing of All Races of mankind through faith in the Cross-work of Christ.

“But the Lord said unto him [Ananias], Go thy way: for he [Soul Paulus/Paul] is a Chosen Vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:” (Acts 9:15)

The salvation of Paul marks out the start of today’s “dispensation of the grace of God” for all men as Gentiles. God is not otherwise intervening in the affairs of mankind supernaturally until after this Rapture ends this age of “the grace of God.”

The Biblical fact is that today, since Paul’s conversion and during this age of “the grace of God,” God’s interventions are only Personal and Individualas He is dispensing “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” into every believer, individually, to be our new and eternal life.

Christ in us believers is our All Sufficient All. He in us makes us “lights in the world” in “the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.” Today we are Christ’s “ambassadors” (2 Cor 5:16) while we remain on earth, until He comes for us at the end of this age of God’s pure grace … at our Rapture to dwell with Him “eternal in the heavens” (2Cor 5:1b).

“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation [Grk, genea, generation], among whom ye shine as lights in the world [Grk. kosmos, this world’s current corrupt arrangement];” (Philippians 2:15 (KJV)

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…” (2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJV)

Interestingly, Paul writes that he was made to be the “pattern, prototype” of sinners saved by the grace of God. God’s grace extended to Paul as the worst of sinners is an example of His superabounding grace toward us.

“Howbeit for this cause I [Paul obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern [Grk. protos, prototype] to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (1 Timothy 1:16 (KJV)