And the magicians said to Pharao: This is the finger of God. And Pharao's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had commanded.
וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י פְדֻ֔ת בֵּ֥ין עַמִּ֖י וּבֵ֣ין עַמֶּ֑ךָ לְמָחָ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה הָאֹ֥ת הַזֶּֽה׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Let the Pharisee respond to me: who transformed their staffs into serpents? Why did they fail to present a pure hand that was leprous, and instead simply declare, 'This is the finger of God'? Pray tell, why did the priests of Baal fail to summon fire from the sky while Elijah succeeded (1 Kings 18:24, 14, 38)? Is God jesting? Certainly not. He is just and cherishes the righteous, wielding miraculous powers through the saints rather than through those who are sinful.
Here, I reflect on the fate of an individual with a wavering faith, who might ponder why similar wonders were also accomplished through enchantments. The wise men of Pharaoh demonstrated their own feats, producing serpents and other wonders in a similar fashion. However, it is particularly astonishing that the sorcerers, who could conjure serpents, failed entirely when faced with the smallest of flies. The gnats, as the tiniest of insects, represented the third affliction that beset the ruthless Egyptians.
Overwhelmed by it, the sages declared, "This is the finger of God." This observation leads us to grasp that even the rebel angels and the powers of the air, cast down from their exalted state of radiant purity into a profound darkness akin to a prison, can achieve nothing without divine authorization.
Is it not the Holy Spirit that is referred to as the finger of God? Upon examining the Gospel, one finds that one Evangelist records the Lord declaring, “If by the Spirit of God I cast out demons” (Mt. 12:28), while another states, “If by the finger of God I cast out demons” (Lk. 11:20). Thus, if this Law is inscribed by the finger of God, or more precisely, by the Spirit of God—of whom Pharaoh's wise men, upon being vanquished, acknowledged with the words, “This is the finger of God”—and if, therefore, this very Law was established by the Spirit of God, why is it not articulated as the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:2)?
Consequently, when their craft was degraded and its emptiness exposed, they acknowledged, ‘This is the finger of God.’ However, Pharaoh remained unmoved by Moses or by the counsel of his wise men, who proclaimed, ‘This is the finger of God.’ Thus, it is not stated that God hardened his heart, but rather that his heart was hardened.
Following this, the gnats appear. This tiny creature flits through the air on wings, yet its size is so diminutive that it remains unseen unless one observes with great care. When this gnat alights on a body, it inflicts a painful bite, making it clear to anyone who cannot spot the gnat that they are indeed being disturbed. Creatures like this are likened to the cunning of heretical teachings, which torment souls with intricate verbal manipulations, ensnaring their victims so skillfully that they fail to recognize the source of their deception. On the third attempt, the wise men were unable to replicate the feat and exclaimed: “This is the finger of God.” These learned men resembled stubborn heretics.
The Apostle remarks: “As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind, disapproving regarding the faith.” Yet their efforts will not prevail for long; their folly will ultimately be disclosed to all, much as it was with those mentioned (2 Tim. 3:8-9). Those who, due to the depravity of their thoughts, are greatly unsettled find themselves unable to replicate the miracle a third time, declaring that the Holy Spirit who was upon Moses stood against them. The Holy Spirit, representing the finger of God, is pivotal in this context. Thus, faced with their lack of power on the third attempt, they proclaimed, “This is the finger of God.” Just as the Holy Spirit, when received and at peace, brings tranquility to the gentle and humble in spirit, it conversely brings distress to the wicked and arrogant. This distress is symbolized by the tiny flies that left Pharaoh's advisors helpless, who also remarked, “This is the finger of God.”
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS