God’s Fingerprints

In about 2000 BC, Babylonians were putting fingerprints in soft clay to protect against the forgery of important documents. In ancient China impressions of fingerprints were used as the signatures of those who couldn’t write. Fingerprints were first accepted as valid police procedure in 1901, at Scotland Yard. Prior to the use of fingerprints a system of identification known as the Bertillon system was used. Developed in France in 1883 the Bertillon system used the length and breadth of the skull, the length of each foot, the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, the length of the middle finger, and the exact size of the ears to identify a person.

 

The Bertillon system failed in 1903 at Leavenworth Penitentiary where two men, one named Willie West and the other named William West, were in custody. Their Bertillon measurements were almost identical although they were in no way related. Only their fingerprints could positively identify one from the other. Today we trust that every person’s fingerprints, which first appear on a fetus at about 4 months, is unique. Not even identical twins have the same fingerprints, and as a matter of fact, no two fingerprints have ever been found to be identical. Even a barely visible (latent) fingerprint is positive physical evidence that a person has been at a given location.

 

Does God have fingerprints? Take another look and the recent post titled Passover and enlarge the image. I think that His fingerprints are everywhere and on everything: He alone is the Master Creator, and His creativity and intellect know no bounds. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:19-20). I also think that, as the Body and Hands of Christ, we leave latent (barely visible) spiritual fingerprints on everyone and everything we come in contact with. "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). Whose prints are you leaving behind as evidence?