Introduction
“[T]he firmament sheweth [God’s] handywork” (Psalm 19:1). That is, it contains identifying marks that leave no doubt that God’s hand brought it into existence. To understand this truth, one need not look any further than the ridges on the tips of his fingers. These ridges are arranged in a pattern that produces a specific and unique identifying mark. God, in His infinite wisdom, gave mankind a print that identifies man’s work as his own. This print is often used in a court of law to prove a person’s guilt or innocence. It only stands to reason that when God works with His hands, He also leaves an identifying mark.
God’s Fingerprint on Creation
When God created this world, He left His fingerprint. David declared this truth in Psalm 19:1 when he said, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” He confirmed this same truth in Psalm 8:3 when he said, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers. . . .” According to these two verses, the sun, moon, stars, star clusters, galaxies, nebulae, comets, and the precision of the orbits and/or paths of the celestial bodies are demonstrative proof of God’s handiwork because it was the work of His fingers. God’s fingerprint on creation is indisputable, and those who attempt to discredit it are shown to be fools.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. (Psalm 14:1)
God’s Fingerprint in Our Salvation
When a person trusts Christ as personal Saviour, God’s fingerprint will appear in his life. This does not necessarily mean that others will be able to visibly see that he is saved, but it implies that God has left His mark which serves to identify that person as belonging to Him. In John 10, the Lord Jesus promised that He knows His sheep.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27)
This truth is reiterated in 2 Timothy 2:19 where the Bible says, “[t]he Lord knoweth them that are his.”
In addition to this, the Bible emphasizes that there ought also to be some visible signs of the Lord’s fingerprint in the lives of His sheep.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
A man who “passe[s] from death unto life” (1 John 3:14) ought to bear the marks of this transformation. Just as any good parents hold their newborn baby putting their fingerprints on the new child, so God the Father places His fingerprint on those He has redeemed.
God’s Fingerprint on His Word
The Bible is God’s word, and as such it ought to bear His fingerprints. If His hand has had any connection to the Book that has produced such an abundant harvest of fruit (the salvation of souls, the greatest revivals in the history of the world, the greatest missionary works, etc.), it ought to be traceable back to Him. According to Psalm 68:11, “The Lord gave the word.” In Exodus 31:18, the Narrator of the word of God informs the reader that at least one portion of God’s word, the tables of stone containing the ten commandments, was “written with the finger of God.” This truth is repeated in Deuteronomy 9:10 where Moses said, “. . . the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God. . . .”
But what is the finger of God? Is it a finger like a man’s finger? By comparing scripture with scripture, there will be no doubt as to the identity of God’s finger. The words of the Lord Jesus shed some light on the subject, for He spoke of the “finger of God” in Luke’s gospel.
But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. (Luke 11:20)
Although the finger of God is mentioned in this passage, it is not identified. The parallel account in Matthew’s gospel will provide this identification.
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. (Matthew 12:28)
The change in wording of the parallel passage allows the reader to identify the means by which the Lord Jesus Christ cast out devils using God’s finger. The work was done “by the Spirit of God.” That means that the finger of God is the Spirit of God! If God wrote the Bible, and He did, it will be filled with identifying marks that will be traceable to His involvement and the work of His Spirit. The purpose of this work is to present such evidence. The only questions are: How will the evidence be received? Will it be received with an open heart and mind submitted to the will of God? Or will it be rejected by a hard heart that refuses to take God at His word?
