by J. Randal Matheny

"The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom" (Deuteronomy 28:13, NIV).

The flip of the coin randomly determines heads or tails. Nobody knows until it plops in the hand or on the table what side will show its face.

Not so the people of God. You can always call it heads. You can always be at the top. You can always be sure of God's blessing.

There is one factor, one condition, one determinant. Nothing left to chance. No gamble. No risk.

What determines placement at the top? Paying attention to the Lord's commands. Such attention that hears and obeys. In the Old Testament, hearing is often a synonym for obedience. Following his orders puts you at the head.

Today, it seems that those who are determined to pay attention to the Lord's commands have fallen to the bottom. The butt of jokes. The despised of the grace-talkers. The detailed legalists.

The feel-good, accept-all talking heads have the upper hand. They look good, they talk nice, they please crowds.

And they are slowly but surely sinking to the bottom of God's scale. They're coming up tails. They may appear to be flying high, but, again, appearances are deceiving.

Obey the Lord in all things. Hold the course. Do not give ear to those who say "Peace" when there is no peace. Listen to what the Lord says. He will make you the head.

See you at the top.

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by J. Randal Matheny

Unmistakable. No way to confuse the two. That was Jesus' answer, and Luke's phraseology, to answer a slanderous accusation against the Lord's work.

Jesus had cured a mute by driving out a demon. Some of the Jews assigned the power behind the cure to Beelzebub, a name for Satan.

But the devil would be shooting himself in the foot were he to do that, answers Jesus. And besides, he continues, your disciples purport to expel demons, so they must be doing it by some "good" power. They are your own judges.

And then he says, "But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you" (Luke 11:20 NIV).

Luke's choice of the phrase "by the finger of God" draws us closer. Matthew used the phrase "by the Spirit of God" (12:28). Both phrases mean the power of God at work in Jesus' ministry, so we shouldn't trot off too quickly to yell contradiction.

Luke probably takes his phrase from Exodus 8:18. In previous plagues, Pharaoh's magicians had replicated to the king's satisfaction the miracles performed by Moses' hand. But they failed at the plague of the insects. "Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of God.'" The next time they are mentioned, they cannot appear before Pharoah because they were covered with boils (9:11). They then disappear from the picture.

In the Expositor's Greek Testament, A. B. Bruce thought Luke's choice of phrase emphasized "the immediateness of the Divine action through Jesus" (1:549). But if we take Exodus 8 as the background, I would think Luke wanted to emphasize the obviousness of the divine power behind Jesus. The magicians were quick to acknowledge there was no mistaking the power of God evident in Moses' plagues. His power was clearly far beyond the powers of evil.

So what does that mean for us?

First, in something of a reverse situation, plenty of people want to use the power and blessing of God as a blanket for supposed miracles and good works. Just as Jesus didn't let the Jews get by with confusing minds about the source of his power, neither should we let go unchallenged assertions that people and religions operate by the power of God, when in fact the divine curse rests upon them for negating Christ.

Second, the finger of God is not only a symbol for the power of God, but also for the word of God. Moses received two tablets of stone "written by the finger of God" (Exodus 31.18). When we insist upon objective truth and full obedience to the gospel, people sometimes label us as "legalists" or worse. While we refuse to get into a mud fight, neither should we let them get away with calling light darkness and darkness, light.

Third, identifying the power and word of God just isn't that difficult. A hardened heart like Pharoah or the self-righteous Jews could look at the working of the finger of God right in front of their faces, but not because they couldn't recognize it. Because they didn't want to recognize it, because it didn't fit their ambitious plans. For when God speaks, when God works, it's unmistakable.

The finger of God. When it moves, you can't miss it.

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by Tim Hall

When my wife and I lived in Madison, Wisconsin, Elvis Presley came to town for a concert. A major story involving "The King of Rock and Roll" developed as Elvis rode into town in his limousine. It seems he spotted two men fighting by the side of the road. Elvis ordered his chauffeur to stop the car, then got out and broke up the fight. Can you imagine that? Elvis Presley, icon of rock music, getting involved in the problems of two "common" people? The city was all in a buzz over the story.

What Elvis did was admirable. But what God does on a daily basis is far more marvelous. Here's how the psalmist described it in Psalm 113:4-9: "The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth? He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He may seat him with princes -- with the princes of His people. He grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children" (New King James Version).

There are many reasons to praise God. He is powerful above all others. His wisdom knows all things, even the hidden thoughts of the heart. He can see the future and remembers all things of the past. But one of the most amazing facts about this awesome God is that He stoops to our level. He bends low to the earth to help those who are "common".

We don't find that very often in the world around us. That's what made the story about Elvis so fascinating. Celebrities usually brush off those who clamor about them, refusing even to give autographs. But God brushes off no one. He looks upon our conditions of need. He feels for us in our pain and suffering. He longs to lift us out of the dust and ashes.

What a wonderful God we serve! He is worthy of all the praise we can offer to Him. Praise His holy name!