I think this will be the last meditation on God co-laboring with his servants like Moses, who God ordered to use his staff to perform miracles including the plagues in Egypt, parting the Red Sea, and extracting water from a rock. The staff in Moses’ hand, with God’s power behind it, was worth something. The staff itself was worth nothing.

The same point is made by one of the truly funny stories in the Bible:

Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (Acts 19.13 – 16, NKJV, emphasis mine)

It’s not the words. It’s the person who speaks the words!

Then the apostles laid their hands on them and they did receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the apostles by merely laying on hands conferred the Spirit, he pulled out his money, excited, and said, “Sell me your secret! Show me how you did that! How much do you want? Name your price!” Peter said, “To hell with your money! And you along with it. Why, that’s unthinkable—trying to buy God’s gift! You’ll never be part of what God is doing by striking bargains and offering bribes. (Acts 8.17 – 21, MSG)