939. That by "seeing the face of the Lord" is not meant to see His face, but to know and acknowledge Him as He is as to His Divine attributes, which are many; and that they who are conjoined with Him by love know Him, and thus see His face, may be evident from the following passages:
What to Me is the multitude of sacrifices, when ye come to see the face of Jehovah (Isa. 1:11-12).
My heart said, Seek ye My face; Thy face, O Jehovah, do I seek (Ps. 27:8).
Let us shout to the Rock of our salvation, let us come before His face in confession (Ps. 95:1-2).
My soul thirsteth for the living God, when shall I come to see the face of God? I will yet confess Him, His face is salvation (Ps. 42:2, 5).
My face shall not be seen by the empty (Exod. 23:15).
To come to supplicate the face of Jehovah (Zech. 8:21-22; Mal. 1:9).
Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant (Ps. 31:16).
Who will show us any good? Lift up upon us the light of Thy face, O Jehovah (Ps. 4:6).
They shall walk in the light of Thy face, O Jehovah (Ps. 89:15).
Cause Thy face to shine upon us, that we may be saved (Ps. 80:3, 7, 19).
God be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us (Ps. 67:1).
Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee, Jehovah make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee, Jehovah lift up His face upon thee, and give thee peace (Num. 6:24-26).
Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy face (Ps. 31:21).
Thou hast set our hidden things in the light of Thy face (Ps. 90:8).
Jehovah spoke to Moses, My face shall go; Moses said, If Thy face go not, make us not go down from hence (Exod. 33:14-15).
The bread upon the table in the tabernacle was called the bread of faces (Exod. 25:30; Num. 4:7).
[2] It is also frequently said, that "Jehovah hid and turned away His face"; as in these passages:
On account of their wickedness I hid My face from them (Jer. 33:5; Ezek. 7:22).
Your sins have hid God's face from you (Isa. 59:2).
The face of Jehovah shall no more regard them (Lam. 4:16).
Jehovah will hide His face from them, as they have made their works evil (Micah 3:4).
Thou didst hide Thy face (Ps. 30:7; 44:24; 104:29).
I will forsake them, and hide My face from them; I will surely hide My face for all the evil which they have done (Deut. 31:17, 18).
Besides other places (as Isa. 8:17; Ezek. 39:23, 28-29; Ps. 13:1; 22:24; 27:8-9; 69:17; 88:14; 102:2; 143:7; Deut. 32:20).
[3] In the opposite sense by the face of Jehovah is signified anger and aversion, for the reason that the evil man turns himself away from the Lord; and when he turns himself away, it appears to him as if the Lord turned Himself away and was angry; as is evident from these passages:
I have set My face against this city for evil (Jer. 21:10; 44:11).
I will set My face against that man and will devastate him (Ezek. 14:7-8).
I will set My face against them, and fire shall devour them, when I shall set My face against them (Ezek. 15:7).
Whosoever eateth any blood, I will set My face against that soul (Lev. 17:10).
They shall perish at the rebuke of Thy face (Ps. 80:16).
The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil (Ps. 34:16).
I send mine angel before thee; beware of his face, for he will not bear your transgression (Exod. 23:20-21).
Let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate thee flee from before Thy face (Num. 10:35).
I saw Him that sat upon the throne, from whose face the heaven and the earth fled away (Rev. 20:11).
That no one can see the Lord, as He is in Himself, as was said above, is manifest from this:
Jehovah said to Moses, Thou canst not see My face, for no man shall see Me, and live (Exod. 33:18-23).
Yet that He has been seen, and they have lived, because it was through an angel, is manifest (from Gen. 32:30; Judges 13:22, 23; and elsewhere).