241214 - Finger of God

Last thing in the in the teaching today I'm going to read Philippians 2, some of the verses. And I need one copy of that. Thank you.

Why am I going to do that? Because it relates to the sermon, I think, in particular, but the teaching, but it also is something that you might not know. Flippin stew is most of it is a very ancient cradle him. This is possibly one of the first creedle hymns, that the early church would have recited either speaking or singing and it is incredibly beautiful. Because it's a highly nested. Chiasm chiasm is a fancy word which means it has a repeating symmetrical theme. The easiest chiasm if you're curious what a chiasm is is John Kennedy ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country. So you you're going to remember that and it's kind of like going into directions but you remember the whole thing and so this was a memory aid. To the early church all the way back to Moses. I mean chiastic structures are all through the Bible that this is one of the fanciest chiasm in the entire Bible. It's beautiful, it's short, it's simple. It's elegant. And it would have been very memorable in this would have been a very early cradle him. I'm very excited about it, really beautiful as has been mentioned The Finger of God is in the reading this morning and in the New Testament reading. and,

What's your baby's name?

Shiloh boy or girl. Boy, the Shiloh. Did he grab your finger like this? Does he like to grab your finger? You know what that's called. The Palmar reflex. Newborns. As soon as they're born frequently can grab fingers. And whenever I meet a baby, I don't shake its hand. I put my finger out and lots of them grabbed my finger. Sometimes I put my little finger out, I don't put my thumb out. It's a beautiful thing. Very intimate, very delicate. Very Incredible. Finger of God. This is a sketch from the Sistine Chapel. Obviously God, creating Adam giving a damn life. It's not accurate biblically but it's a beautiful idea. Here are the wise men. I imagine it sometime along the way. They would have gone like this.

I can't help but think that it's the the Bible is the greatest picture book ever written. You just have to see the pictures of your dad. so, when I read a story in the Bible, I'm imagining the movie even in the Bible. Mary and her baby. So we're in. Where in the season of Advent, anticipating Jesus birth. Anticipating. God sending himself into the world. and I, It just blows my mind. I came across this this week, Mary and her baby. Luther's view. It's a article from Christian history. 2004 we must both read and meditate upon the Nativity. There's such richness and goodness. In this Nativity that if we should see and deeply understand anything about the Nativity, we should be dissolved in Perpetual Joy.

Good words. Truly it is marvelous in our eyes that God should place a little child in the lap of a virgin and that all are blessed. This should lie in him and this child belongs to all mankind.

God, feeds the whole world through babe. Nursing. Mary's breast.

I'm Blown Away in the season.

Is there a guard here? Can you read those words?

Dusk in them.

It's it means throw the baby out with the bathwater. This is the earliest reference to that quote The 1512 in a book, titled the appeal to fools by Thomas morner. Apparently, I must humor is so I don't know, but this is a very famous saying, if you ever heard it throat, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Yeah, well in this season don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Remember the baby? Who quoted this Luther Kepler. Ghost Bismarck. Thomas man, lots of people. Not only that every time. There's a political issue and political leaders are taking up one thing and and minimizing. Another one, you're going to find a political cartoon on this. They're always crazy humorous. I looked at probably 20 this week, you're going to see him. It doesn't matter who the president is, doesn't matter what the issues are. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Anyway. That's my recommendation. Words of we are in the season of season 1 888 Year, we're in the 8-year of linking words in the New Testament and the Old Testament and making Making Connections that are important to make. They might not be somatic but their words connections, I guess a rush of Oz the Hebrew term which means Cut From the Same Cloth. If you find a word here and a word there, you have to kind of think. There might be connections. Let's look at what they are. And so, the first one is the most important, the Finger of God, that's by Elohim, talk to sell in Greek. And then the next one is he, may, or Ro look, check it out. I'm from the Southern College in the early 70s.

Back in the day and you solve stand. Has anyone ever taken up a stand on any issue in this congregation? You understand what the word means, right? Yeah, stand. Take a stand. So, I'm moving on to the main word, the Finger of God Philo, who predated Luke, the gospel writer predated, Luke by a generation or. So philos a Greek philosopher and theologian and he connected. This is the Finger of God. Where the magician's of pharaoh said, this is the Finger of God and he connected that with the two tablets were written by the Finger of God, and he's the first guy that recorded two to have connected. Those two things in the Old Testament. They're connected. We can say they're obviously connected that stupid. Why are we even talking about this? No one had connected them before Philo. That I know of, but look agreed with Philo. Which is, which is pretty cool. So, Luke thinks the Finger of God means the Finger of God and they're connected. This is the Finger of God.

The Magicians said, Can't duplicate it. Can't match it. This is God. Torah tablets for written by the Finger of God, Pharaoh wouldn't listen. When the magician said this, by the way, and this is the only plague, we're Pharaoh doesn't repent. He doesn't even care that this is going on. Apparently, this is no no big deal. It's pretty terrible. We'll talk about it more in a minute. You'd have Bob Hayes, fingers made the heavens according to the Psalms. And then Jesus says, if I cast out demons by the Finger of God, the kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven has come upon you, Luke 11:20 If I cast out demons by the Finger of God, the kingdom of God has come upon you. Hand of God. So it said that the 10 plagues of Egypt were done with one Finger of God. But God also let them out with a mighty hand. And and his is judgement against Egypt was with a mighty hand. So if 1 fingers, 10 plagues a hand is 50. So some commentators say that the effect of all of this on Egypt was like, 50 plagues, 10 plagues is bad enough, but after the Army was destroyed, it was pretty terrible Egypt, never recovered from that. So the hand of God is powerful.

I don't know if the hand of God's more powerful than the Finger of God but you get the illusion. This question I've got in my head that's kind of like trying to figure it out. No you already got it figured out. Okay cool. The hand of God does lots of things, the hand of God, intervened in history, the hand of God represents Power Protection. Provisions. God is with us because of his hand week. We know that his hand is on us. It's the creative power that created the universe, the hand of God, created the universe, or the Finger of God. It's it's his guidance and provision. It's his Blessing and favor. It represents judgment and discipline, it represents his honor and Authority. God hand is honor and authorities. Jesus sat down at the right hand of God and it represents guidance and empowerment. The hand of God is powerful and it's involved in acting. Hallelujah.

Here we go.

The Palmar reflex. when I think about baby Jesus, I imagine at some point someone stuck their finger out, And he grabbed it.

And I go.

The hand of God.

Finger of God.

Yeah, it's a powerful thing. It's also baby. Wow.

What did the wise men expect?

Have you ever put yourself in the head of someone in the Bible? Yes. Have you ever put yourself in the head of the Magi?

No, we don't know much about them but they were coming from far away. They were following a star and they were coming to see a great king. They, they were philosophers astronomers and worshippers of the one God, at least that's what we think you can argue with these points later, if you want. These are my views expected by the expected, the birth of the great king of the Jews. And so, they went to herod's Palace expecting that. He would also want to Worship the Great king.

He didn't, he had other ideas so they went on the Bethlehem from there. You shall come shall come a ruler. Who will Shepherd My People, Israel? Quoting my cat's quoted in Matthew. It's doubtful they expected to find the great king in an animal feeding trough On a dirt floor. Wrapped in strips of cloth with his father and mother in attendance dreams, possibly angels. And also the star help them to know this truly was the great king, despite is incredibly humble birth, and they worshiped him and presented their gifts. And returned, while avoiding Herod. I don't think the wise men expected what they saw. But they knew what they'd seen. And they worshipped him. A baby.

On a dirt floor. In a feeding trough.

And image.

Plagues take. Now they're different opinions. Doug doesn't agree with these and that's okay. There different opinions. This is my best analysis of the three sets of 3 + 1, Peter.

Travel back in, time to Bethlehem working Judea and see the night sky right now.

Right.

Great.

Great.

Call Reggie. Open up Play me. See the planet, Jupiter to watch it.

Yep.

Venus the Morning Star. I've seen it. I've seen it. It's a very good presentation. I've seen actually three different ones at different. They're all good. If someone's interested in seeing that when you could give them the link to it.

No, they've done it. It's a video on it. It's quite quite good. I I don't I don't know. yeah, if you're interested in and seeing how possibly these things line up there at least 33, good videos showing the the The or Cuts should one to me, that one I've seen and there's one other one. Anyway, on to the plagues, they're good, they're good. If you're interested in that, it's excellent, does it. Make me think that's definitely the day. Not me. That's just me. I don't never mind. Why am I that way? Because throughout my life, several people have proven to me that Jesus was returning on such and such a day. I've kind of gotten sour on these kinds of analyses are good to watch and and they are tender and if you believe that date is the date, it's okay but I'm not going to push a particular date. No one knows the day or the hour, only the father, and the birth. Similarly

I have in previous years made a point that Jesus was probably born on a particular day and I've put four three different ones. And I'm not going to do that anymore. This is the season. I celebrate his coming to Earth as a baby. It's the season. I celebrated there's a lot of threw out with the Christmas season that isn't good. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

So this is my best analysis of the plagues. It's mine and it comes from a combination of hurts. Who is the chief Rabbi of the UK for a long time? Most of the twentieth century Centre fil Samuel her who was a great Rabbi in Germany. Stone, the stone kumash three or four other tour commentary. So this is my best analysis, a kind of trying to make sense out of all this, in the things I've read, how long have I been studying this 30 years? I've actually studied this idea. Reading, Torah for 30 years and for 20 of those, I studied it in depth every year cuz my best analysis You can disagree with me and that's okay. 3 plagues, three sets of three plus one, the plagues are ten plagues. Three sets of three plus one. The first plague of the each set occurred at the Nile to Pharaoh in the early morning. The second plague seems to always happen at Pharaoh's Palace at no specific time. They just go to Pharaoh at the palace. What? And the third plague is without warning always without warning, and then there's the tenth plague at the end of it. Egyptians Egypt, magicians, opposed the first three plagues you can read that in the Bible, but after the third one, they said this is the Finger of God and you don't hear about them anymore. In the plagues of Egypt, they're not on the scene now. There two possibilities. Pharaoh, said you guys get can't do this? Get out of here. I don't want you in my house or they said this is God. We're out of here. And it doesn't matter to me which one you by. There were out of there. They didn't say anything else after the first three plagues. According to some myself included, Egyptian suffered flakes for 39. Everyone suffered the first three flags. That's arguable. Look, there's a lot of those 6439. The Jews did not suffer them, the Bible says that. So, that's, that's clear. The severity of the plagues. Three sets of three. The first set of 3 are called loads from The second Setter called painful and the third set are called grevious. So the, the the impact of the plagues is getting worse as you go through time and the worst, the 10th ones, the worst one and then the infliction of the plagues first sets by Aaron's hand, the second sets by God's hand in the third sets by Moses and so is Aaron and God or and Moses are all in the first set. But Aaron is the one who actually moves his hand. That's what that's about the second-set God acts and you can hear and see his hand. And then the third set, Moses hand Too much to detail. Rhino, third, plague Finger of God. You'd hey. Bob Hayes said to Moses, tell Aaron stretch out your staff, in your hand and strike, the dust of the land, and there will be gnats, on both humans on Fourth footed, animals So Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust. All the dust of the earth became gnats in Egypt. And the magician set, the Pharaoh, this is the Finger of God but Pharaoh, wouldn't listen. I included the Septuagint. The Les is The Alexan, English Septuagint translation and the other one is VSP.

Hand. Finger. So what were the Nats? This is a modern Sciences best estimation of what the Nets were there. Laos their lice a head, lice head, lice and body lice and lice enough. You've ever had to pull nits out of someone's hair. Who's infected by these things? The 2. Mm, big there. This big, they're not very big. They're very, very, very small. You almost can't see them. That's an image to try to show you what to mm means. Right here is 2. Mm.

This Is Me. 1 cm this is 2. Mm. So they're very very small. Now if you're challenged own scale

that's how small they are. You see him? Way down here.

That's what they look like. That's how small they are on a real ruler. So they're pretty small.

Now. Andrew said that Ferrell was good, not very happy. And I can also say that the Nets were good, not the gods of Egypt. They're not included in the pantheon of Gods.

Some authors, say there were over a hundred gods of Egypt. Recently, people have been trying to figure this out in more and more names of gods have been identified and we now have over 1,600 names of gods of Egypt documented. But the Nets were good, not one of them.

And Sarah was going to not happy. Oh, so if they're that small in their head lice and body lice does that explain to you why gyptians shave their heads.

Kind of dots.

Jesus cast out demons by the Finger of God. He said, every Kingdom divided against itself is laid waste. The Divided household Falls of Satan is divided against itself. How will this Kingdom stand? Do you say? I can't stay out demons by buildable if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, Oh, by whom do your son's your Group of people, it isn't just your children, cast them out there for they will be your judges but if it is by the Finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Beelzebub full. Some people say it's just ball. I once read and I I liked it just diellza bellsville be eligible. Does that sound like you're this flies? Flying around your head, hits the king of the Flies, the Lord of the Flies, the lord of the dung Heap. So it's an ugly name.

Plague. Fourth plague. Fourth plague ads, two words that were using this week. Look, Check it out, man. And stand. We talked about taking a stand. YouTube Bob Hayes said to Moses get up early and stand before pharaoh, where is he at? This is the fourth plague want to three. Nile Palace without warning 123456 Nile. Palace with us osis at the Nile early morning. Pharaoh Moses goes down and stands before Mara pharaoh and God says, this is in the Septuagint. And also somewhat in the King James was not in most English translations look. Now, that's a pretty important word in Hebrew. Anyone ever heard the word he Nae.

If you read heenay in Hebrew, would you say that's an important word to include? Yeah. But the years speed and included and most Modern English translations, don't include it, cuz they're not sure what to do with it. Why are they? Why is God telling Moses to look there, lots of explanations

Why God is telling Moses to look?

Rashi says, Pharoahe proclaimed himself to be a god with no need to perform normal bodily functions. So fair would go down to the Nile every morning to relieve himself unobserved

Couple weeks ago, we're talkin about. Jesus had pooper diapers. Jesus had normal bodily functions. He was human, fully human, not just fully God fully human. Look, Moses. Check it off. He's a human being with normal bodily functions.

That's what Roshes Roshes saying this. This this word means, I don't know. It works for me. It sort of, makes sense. If you want to embarrass someone,

Figure out where they go to the bathroom in the morning.

And watch them and stand and then tell them what they should do. That get your attention right now, right? No, boy, proof.

Work. Check it out, stand, take up your stand. Stand and present yourself opposed to all evil and all idolatry Moses. You don't need to be afraid of this guy. He's a human being. He's got stuff. You can stand and oppose him. Take your stand. Don't be afraid of them. Look what he's doing. This is the place, he's most vulnerable, the Nile, the source of nut of a Pharaoh's power and authority. Pharaoh claimed to be the one who created and caused the Nile to flow.

And his Palace. I mean, if you want to mess with someone go into their palace, That's where God sent him. And then the third one always without warning. Applications. So, here are the applications. In this season, we should always remember. In the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, he was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and with him without him nothing was made. Jesus is the agent.

The one through whom all things were created. Finger of God, the hand of God.

The one who did the actions. Our great king came as a human baby with normal bodily functions. He was wrapped in cloth strips placed in a feeding trough on a dirt floor with his father and mother. And this season, let's remember you shoe is Incarnation as a human baby who grew to raise up many disciples and who cast out demons by the Finger of God.

Carefully. Look look at what's going on around you. The side. use your judgment is this something God agrees with Is this something God, opposes? Is this write true and good. Or is this evil idolatrous not good? Look. Check it out, man. Figure it out. Handstand.

Don't be pulled aside and tricked by the enemy stand before. The enemy oppose, reject and repent of everything that is not of God.

Amen.

So in this season, Haven't had this in mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God. A thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form. He humbled himself by death becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him. The name, that is above every name. So that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father, I hope this is helpful. To reflect on.

Lord, we pray that you will help us to see. when your finger is active, when you're performing something, when you are acting, And that's with us Among Us for our good and the good of our kingdom. Help us to recognize your finger. Help us to look and see what's going on around us. Help us to know what is right through and good and oppose what is not right through in good Help us to reject anything. That is not of you. Help us to repent of anything that is not of God.

And help us to take our stand. Speak truth. In the midst of wherever we are help us to say truthful, things. Help us to hear what's being offered before. We criticize help us to be careful with our words, but help us to take a stand against against everything that's evil. We ask this in Jesus name and for his sake and for the sake of your kingdom. Amen.