We were reading "Words of Wisdom", which is found in Tablets of Baha'u'llah. You see, dear Reader, she loves Baha'u'llah and His Writings, but is not a registered Baha'i. She is from Quebec and her primary language is French, so she has a difficult time with the English, and has said that hearing me read it aloud makes it easier for her to understand.
So there we were reading Words of Wisdom when we ran across the part where He says, "The essence of wealth is love for Me; whoso loveth Me is the possessor of all things, and he that loveth Me not is indeed of the poor and needy. This is that which the Finger of Glory and Splendour hath revealed."
And in her delightful Quebecois accent, she piped in "Oh, shoot, that is a funny finger."
My first thought, and I'm sure I'll hear from a Counsellor about it at some point, was "Well, now I know which finger it was."
Well, no matter which one it may have been, it has gotten me to look up "finger" in the Writings.
Now it may just be me, but I have often wondered about these fingers in the Writings, and their relation to the Hands of the Cause of God. All right. Maybe I haven't. I mean, there is a difference between them, for one refers to the finger of God, and the other to the Hands of His Cause. And as Hand of the Cause, William Sears, said, the Hands of the Cause "carry out the work and guidance from the head and heart of the Faith in its World Centre in the Holy Land."
But even then, what is it about fingers? Why are there no references to the toes of God? or His ankle? How about His kneecaps?
Nope. We're stuck with the fingers, and can only imagine the numerous jokes that can be made about them, especially in relation to His nose, which, coincidentally, is also not mentioned in the Writings.
Hey, that reminds me of something I asked my son when he was about 5. Why are gorillas nostrils so big? Because they have big fingers.
Anyways, back to the Writings.
Normally when I look up a word in the Writings, I am astonished at the consistency in its use. But for some reason, not in this case. Ate first glance, it appears to be all over the place. Here are a few examples of its use:
- Make me, then, O my God, content with that which the finger of Thy decree hath traced.
- The veils have, verily, been rent asunder by the finger of the will of thy Lord, the Strong, the All-Subduing, the All-Powerful.
- Take heed lest anything deter thee from extolling the greatness of this Day -- the Day whereon the Finger of majesty and power hath opened the seal of the Wine of Reunion, and called all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth.
- This He hath accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His Word, revealed by His Pen -- a Pen moved by His directing Finger -- His Finger itself sustained by the power of God's Truth.
So far we have the finger of His decree, the finger of the will of our Lord, the finger of majesty and power (which doubles as a bottle opener), and the pen-directing finger. (I am definitely going to hear from a Counsellor on this one.) (And I guess I really should take heed, for this is not really extolling the greatness of this day, but, hey, I'm working on it.) (And I guess it's a good thing that I don't have to get this reviewed by a committee, so sayeth my wife.)
But really, my favorite finger quote has to be:
- The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.
To be clear, though, this is not the same type of finger as those above. This finger is more like Baha'u'llah's personal finger, in a metaphorical sense, getting a feel of what is happening around Him. It is a demonstration of the care and attention He brings to His awareness of the state of the world.
It is quite different from the Bab, when He says the following:
- I am the Mystic Fane which the Hand of Omnipotence hath reared. I am the Lamp which the Finger of God hath lit within its niche and caused to shine with deathless splendour. I am the Flame of that supernal Light that glowed upon Sinai in the gladsome Spot, and lay concealed in the midst of the Burning Bush.
You see, despite all the jokes above, there are two different types of references to fingers here, as far as I can tell. The one refers to some action, often in the movement generated by the Will of God, and the other is in perceptual awareness. And while these may seem very different, I suspect they are more linked than I would first guess.
It is interesting to compare these two different descriptions of fingers with how we use them, fingers, that is. We seem to use our fingers most often to touch something. Once we have felt it, then we decide to act upon what it is that we sense. We often have to detect something, feel it, think about it, plan a course of action, and then take the steps necessary for that action to occur. But here, it is as if God feels something, like the doctor using his finger to check the patient's pulse, and that very action of feeling results in the necessary action being taken, the exertion of that divine Will.
In that first quote we are asked to be content with God's Will, for that finger, I suspect, through merely touching something, has outlined the best course of action that can be taken.
We are reminded that there are veils between us and God, but that the very finger of God has torn them all asunder. It doesn't take a lot, though, just His finger. Those veils that grievously hindered us from recognizing God, that barred us from so much, are simply swept away with only a single finger. Those thick clouds that barred our way, that prevented the sunshine from illuminating us, are dissipated by a mere brushing of that fingertip. This gives further emphasis to the attributes that are mentioned there, those of the Strong, the All-Subduing, the All-Powerful.
That third quote reminds us that this same finger, this tiny part of the incredible immensity that is God, has opened the seal, mentioned by Muhammad, allowing the Wine of Reunion to pour forth, enabling all who come near to drink of the astonishing beverage that is within.
And in that fourth quote, when we think of all that has been accomplished by the Pen of Baha'u'llah we are reminded that this pen is moved by the Finger of God, sustained by the power of God's Truth, that ultimate reality of all that is in creation.
What do I get out of all this? First, I get a far better appreciation of just how much greater than us God is. I also come away with a better understanding of how our awareness of God has developed over the millennia. When we look back at the early stories of creation, we see that God really had to work to do it. He spoke. He forged. He moved things around with His body. And He even had to rest afterward. But here, so much is accomplished with but a movement of His finger.
When I compare a single finger of mine with my entire body, I realize how little of me is contained in that finger. And when I look at what God has done with His finger, I can only sit here in awe of how truly awesome He must be.
You also have to understand that I am a craftsman, an artist. I work with my hands all day. My fingers are the very source of my livelihood. If there is any part of my body that I am most careful with, it is my fingers. And yet, when I read these quotes, I realize how limited my fingers really are. They are not versatile at all.
God, on the other hand, no pun intended, has extremely versatile fingers, according to these quotes. They can do everything from tearing aside those veils to lighting a candle, which, in some sense, may actually be related, too. Perhaps that is how He removed those veils, by burning them away. There are certainly enough quotes about that. He can use it as a bottle opener, a conductor's baton, a lighter: the list goes on.
But in the end, reading these quotes makes me even more amazed at just what it is that God and Baha'u'llah have accomplished. And all this with but a single finger.
Hmmm. I wonder if it's like a Swiss army finger. No. Never mind. I'm not going there.
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