Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession

When God Hides His Face - 2

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2006-06-25

Synopsis: In this sermon, John Weaver continues his exposition of Isaiah 59:1-2, focusing on the consequences of God hiding His face due to sin. He explains that when God withdraws His manifest presence, believers experience unanswered prayer, barren worship, and a sense of divine absence, likened to a brass heaven and iron earth. Drawing from multiple Old Testament passages, Weaver argues that God's hiding is a just retribution (lex talionis) for refusing to hear and obey Him. The sermon warns against presuming upon God's mercy and urges repentance, daily obedience, and consistent prayer to avoid the judgment and desolation that follow when God's face is hidden.

[John Weaver] The message you are about to hear was produced by Dominion Ministry. If you would like to support this ministry by becoming a sermon partner or obtain additional high-resolution CDs, DVDs, or MP3s featuring the teaching of Pastor John Lever, please visit the Dominion Ministry website at www.dominion.org. www.dominionministry.com. This ministry is completely supported by donations and it is through those donations that we are able to provide sermons for sermonaudio.com. Please visit our website at www.dominionministry.com to subscribe or make your donation today. Thank you. Well, let's open our Bibles to Isaiah 59 today, Isaiah 59. And for those of you who are here visiting today, may I remind you that this is the second part of a message, which, of course, will be full, I think, in and of itself.

[John Weaver] And I will take just a few moments to review. But in Isaiah 59, look, if you would please, at verses one and two. And this is the second part of when God hides His face. Isaiah 59 verse 1, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear.

[John Weaver] Now, last week, I began the introductory message and I showed you from scripture over and over, and we shall see more so today, the reality and the fact that God does indeed from time to time hide his face. And I told you that this teaching had to be understood anthropomorphically and synecdochally as well. Remember the word anthropomorphic is made up of the two Greek words, anthropos, which means man, and morphe, which is form. So anthropomorphic just simply means man-form speaking. So all God does is put it in language that you and I can comprehend and understand. And when we talk about a synecdoche, well, we're talking about a figure of speech where the whole is put for a part or the part is put for a whole. So when the Bible talks about God hiding His face, it would be talking and referring to the fact that God is withdrawing His presence. Now, let me point out the fact, again, that God is omnipresent.

[John Weaver] That is, He is everywhere at once in the totality of His being. There is no place where God is not, for God is omnipresent. And so, when we talk about God withdrawing his presence or from God hiding his face. It is not that God goes into the corner of a house or that God withdraws from some place in the universe. Not that at all. All it refers to is that God refuses to give us a manifestation of his presence.

[John Weaver] In other words, you and I cannot perceive or comprehend his hand of blessings upon us. It is not that He has ceased to be omnipresent. He's just simply withdrawn his gracious presence. And he's done so to the place where you and I cannot discern his presence or his blessing.

[John Weaver] Now, I covered one point last week, and that is simply this, the cause of God's hiding his face. And of course, if you look very clearly in verse one, he will point out the cause. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear." Now, sin separates. It not only separates families, it not only separates friends and neighbors, it also separates us from our God. Begin with verse 3, and let me just show you the charges that God makes.

[John Weaver] He says,"...for your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity, your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness, none calleth for justice, nor any plead for truth, they trust in vanity, they speak lies, they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity." If you'll skip down to verse 12. Notice, if you would please, for our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them.

[John Weaver] Now look, in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood, and judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off, truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter." So very obviously it is because of the sins, wickedness, disobedience, and rebellion of the people that God withdraws His presence.

[John Weaver] Now, today, I want to deal with just a single point as well, and that is the consequence of God's hiding his face. We've seen the cause. It is our sins and our rebellion. But what are the consequences?

[John Weaver] Now, each of us should have learned by now. That all of our actions have consequences. You cannot commit an act without there being a consequence to that act. For instance, I've had people jokingly say to me, and I have jokingly said to them, well, I ought to just slap you upside the head. And then the other person would say, well, if you can suffer the consequences, have at it. I mean, you've got to understand every action has consequences. Now the problem is, with many people, is simply this. They wish to live as if there were no consequences to their actions. In other words, we want to sow, but not to reap. We want to sin, but not die. We want to dance, but not to pay the piper.

[John Weaver] However, we are commanded in Scripture that we are not to be deceived concerning this fact. What does the Bible say? Let me just quote it. Galatians 6, 7 and 8. Listen carefully. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Now, what did he say? Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever you sow, that's exactly what you're going to reap. If you sow to the flesh, you're going to reap of the flesh. If you sow to the Spirit, you're going to reap of the Spirit.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible in Romans 2 and verse 2 goes a little bit further. Listen carefully. In Romans 2 and verse 2, the Word of God says, but we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth. What does that mean? It means when God judges us, he does so rightly and he has the truth of the matter. You see, I may be deceived and you may be deceived. A multitude of others may be deceived. But God cannot be deceived. And so when he judges, it's always based upon truth. And then when you get to Romans 2 and verse 6, the word of God goes further and says that God will render to every man according to his deeds. What does that mean?

[John Weaver] That there are consequences to our actions and we're going to reap exactly what we sow. And when God chastises us, when God judges us, it's going to be in truth. And it's going to be according to our deeds. So sin does have consequences. Whether we like those consequences or not is immaterial. Whether we desire them or not is immaterial. Whether we want them or not is immaterial. None of that alters the fact that there are consequences to our actions and that we cannot escape those consequences.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just show you, beginning in the book of Hosea, chapter 5, the consequences of God hiding His face. Look, if you would, please, in the book of Hosea. Might as well hold Isaiah 59, but turn right on over to the book of Hosea, chapter 5, and look at verse 6. In fact, I'm going to take my time today and go through the Scripture and show you these passages because they are vitally important. Notice if you wouldn't, Hosea chapter 5 and verse 6. Look what God says.

[John Weaver] They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him. He has withdrawn himself from them.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look carefully now. They shall go with their flocks and their herds to seek the Lord. But what is the result? They shall not find him. Why? Here's why. He has withdrawn himself from them.

[John Weaver] Now, what are they doing? They're going with their flocks in their herds. That means they're going to sacrifice. They're going to worship. They're going to fulfill the rituals and the ceremonies that God has ordained. But what does God say? God says they're not going to find me there. I've withdrawn myself. In other words, Once they go there to fulfill their obligations, their duties, their ceremonies, their rituals, God says they may have all the rituals they want, but I will not be there.

[John Weaver] In a sense, they will never discern my manifest presence and they will never discern my face. In other words, the worship The service, the praise, the duties will be dry, parched, and hollow. You know, when I read this verse, I could not help but think of most modern day churches. They go, they meet, they greet, they eat, and it's over. Dry, hollow, parched, no praise, no worship, no discerning of the Lord or His Word, and they go home.

[John Weaver] I want you to notice that part of the curses that you find in the Bible for disobedience relates to this very fact. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Leviticus chapter 26. You're also going to be asked to turn to Deuteronomy 28. So you can find Deuteronomy 28 as well as Leviticus 26. And let me just show you what God says as far as a curse upon disobedience. In Leviticus chapter 26, beginning there with verse 18, God says this, Leviticus 26 verse 18, And if you will not yet for all this hearken unto Me, Then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. Now stop.

[John Weaver] Look at what he said. If you will not yet for all this hearken unto me, that would refer to all of the judgments and all the curses that God has already mentioned. He said, if you won't listen to all of that, then says God, I'm going to judge you seven times more for your sins. Watch verse 19. He says, and I will break the pride of your power and I will make your heaven as iron.

[John Weaver] and your earth as brass. I will make your heaven as iron and your earth as brass.

[John Weaver] Now look in Deuteronomy 28 and verse 23 and you're going to see the same passage which deals with curses. Deuteronomy 28 and verse 23. And now God says it like this. And my heaven that is over thy head shall be brass and the earth that is under thee shall be iron."

[John Weaver] Now, I don't know if any of you in here know what it's like to try to drill through brass or to dig through iron, but some of us in South Georgia know what it's like to try to dig through dried red clay. Unless you have a couple of sticks of dynamite, you've got problems. What does God mean when he talks about your heaven being brass? It means it's going to be exceedingly difficult for you to get through if you get through. In other words, God is saying, basically speaking, I'm not going to hear you, I'm not going to listen to you. Now.

[John Weaver] Each of us in here remember the story of Job. And I hope you remember At least most of that which he went through. He not only lost his ten children in one day. He not only lost all of his possessions in one day. Even his wife turned against him and told him to curse God and die. And then he had three friends to come over and with friends like those who need enemies. But he had these three friends come over and they sat down and guess what they did? After they sat silently for a while, they began to accuse Job and slander him and say all kinds of malicious things about him. Job knew he was suffering. He was only suffering physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially. He was suffering every way imaginable.

[John Weaver] The worms were eating him up. And Job knew that he had Not done anything to deserve that particular judgment. In other words, he was suffering wrongfully. And let me explain that statement. When I say he was suffering wrongfully, he had done nothing personally to deserve those circumstances. Yes, he was a sinner. He knew he was a sinner. He admitted. He confessed and acknowledged that he was a sinner.

[John Weaver] But he had not sinned openly and rebelliously against God. And not only was he suffering, but he was being so wrongly accused, vilely I might add, by these friends. But do you realize the greatest hurt and everything that he went through? Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Job chapter 19 and verse 7. Job 19 and verse 7. Everything that he went through was bad, that is true. But look in Job chapter 19 and verse 7 and look at what Job says. Job 19 verse 7.

[John Weaver] Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard. I cry aloud, but there is no judgment. What was pressuring Job? Job says, Lord, I'm being wronged. I'm being falsely accused by my friends, I'm being judged, and Lord, I really have not been rebellious. But my problem is, Lord, when I cry to Thee for answers, when I cry to Thee for justice, when I cry to Thee for rectification of this problem, nobody's listening. You don't hear me.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Do you not think, Job thought, that heaven is brass? I can't get through. I don't know what's going on. God's not listening to me. You see, when God hides his face, he withdraws himself from us. And when he does, we'll be stunned, perplexed, confused, and we too will think that heaven is brass. We sit back today and wonder why in the world our services are dry and barren and empty. We think about our prayer life, our devotional life, and every practical aspect of the ministry. Why is it there are no blessings of God upon them? What in the world is wrong? And it seems at times God will not look at us.

[John Weaver] He will not listen to us. He will not even acknowledge us. Do you remember? I began the lesson last week. With the expression peekaboo, you remember how we used to play that little game with our children, especially babies, and we'd cover our face and or step behind a door and then we would come back and say, peekaboo, I see you, etc. And it was a big game. But you realize, when children get older, it's not a game anymore.

[John Weaver] And is it not true that there are people in your life, people that you have known, maybe sometimes they're family, you don't want to be around them. You don't want to see them. They are so wicked or so vile or they've hurt you so deeply. You know, you just stay over there on your part. I'll stay over here on my part. And everything will be fine. Have you ever stopped to think?

[John Weaver] That that might be the attitude that God displays when he hides his face. You say, come on, that would never be God's attitude. Oh. Well, we're not really looking at the Scripture. I want you to remember something, folks. There is the lex talionis, which I mentioned last week. That is the law of retribution. Three times in the Bible, God speaks about an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, foot for foot, hand for hand, stripe for stripe, burning for burning, life for life. What does that mean? It means God always makes the punishment fit the crime.

[John Weaver] What is our most common sin? as believers, and what is our most common sin of unbelievers? I won't tell you. Let me ask you this way. What is the most common sin of the average teenager? They will not listen to mom and dad. They think they know it all. What's the most common sin of believers? We don't listen to our father. What's the most common sin of unbelievers? They don't listen to God at all. They disrespect Him. They dishonor Him. They disbelieve Him. They refuse to listen to Him.

[John Weaver] Now, with that in mind, look in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 1. I'm going to show you the lex talionis. Isaiah chapter 1. Notice if you would please beginning there with verse 15. Isaiah 1 verse 15. We'll come back to some of these truths in just a moment. But Isaiah 1, verse 15. In fact, let's begin with verse 12. Look at the complaint that God lodges. In fact, we could go back to verse 10. Let's start in 10. Look at 10.

[John Weaver] Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. Give ear unto the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah. By the way, Would you like to know whom God is addressing as Sodom and Gomorrah? If you go back to verse 1, you'll find it's Judah and Jerusalem. So he's talking to his people. He says, you hear the word of the Lord, rulers of Sodom. Give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.

[John Weaver] Now, look at the question that he asks. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? Why are you continuing to do this? He says, I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or lambs or of he-goats. When you come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts?

[John Weaver] Now look, bring no more vain, that is, useless and worthless oblations. Incense, that is the incense they were bringing, is an abomination unto me. The new moons and the Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I count on no way with it. It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

[John Weaver] Now let me just stop there. Did not God appoint those meetings? Yes, He did. Did not God appoint those oblations? Yes, He did. Did not God appoint the new moons and the feast days? Yes, He did. But let's go further. He says in verse 14, your new moons and your appointed feast days, my soul hateth. They are a trouble unto me. I'm weary to bear them. Watch.

[John Weaver] And when you spread forth your hands, that is when you pray to me, I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Why? Your hands are full of blood. Wash you. Make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. Seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you what God is saying. He began in verse 10 with, Hear the word of the Lord. What have these people done consistently and constantly? They refuse to hear the word of the Lord. So what does God say in verse 15? When you spread forth your hands, I'll hide my eyes from you. And I'm not playing peekaboo, says God. And when you call unto me, I will not hear you. I remember he's talking to his people.

[John Weaver] This is the lex talionis of scripture. God is saying you don't hear me. I will not hear you. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 30. It is right and proper. It is just for God not to hear us when we refuse to hear Him. Look what he says in Isaiah 30, beginning there of verse 9. Isaiah 30, verse 9, that this is a rebellious people. Look what he calls them. Lying children. children that will not hear the law of God, who say to the seers, see not, and to the prophets, prophesy not enough right things, speak enough smooth things, prophesy deceits, get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Wherefore, thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Are you looking?

[John Weaver] Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay there on, and then he goes on. What does God call his people here? Lying children, rebellious children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord. You know what our problem is? I'll tell you very frankly, our problem is we want God to hear us, but we don't want to hear Him. What we want is for God to be our little servant boy where we can just push a button and God fulfills all our demands and all our commands. What we want is the blessings of God and our sins.

[John Weaver] But such is an impossibility. We cannot have both. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 14. Jeremiah 14. And I can assure you that there are a multitude of passages that deal with this thought. Jeremiah chapter 14. Look in verse 12. Look what God says. In fact, we can read verse 11. In fact, let's go back to verse 10. 10 is good, too. Thus saith the Lord unto this people. Thus have they loved to wander.

[John Weaver] They have not refrained their feet. Therefore, the Lord doth not accept them. He will now remember their iniquity and visit their sins. Then said the Lord unto me, that is to Jeremiah, pray not for this people for their good.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says when they fast. I will not hear their cry. And when they offer burnt offering and oblation, I will not accept them, and I will consume them by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence. What's God saying? They will not listen to me, and therefore I will not listen to them. They are a people who love to wander. Look back in your Bibles or forward, I should say, to Jeremiah 22 and verse 21. Jeremiah 22. And verse 21. Jeremiah 22 verse 21. God says to Israel, I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear. This has been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice. Now look carefully at what that verse says. God said, I spake unto thee in thy prosperity. The words God spoke when they were full. God spoke when they were receiving the blessings of God on a daily, constant and continual blessing, a continual basis. And God spoke to them then, and what did they say?

[John Weaver] I won't hear. I won't listen to you, Lord. You may be blessing me and you may be giving me all these things, but I'm not going to listen to you. God says this has been thy manner since thy youth. I want you to note how seeing and hearing are intimately connected in this passage with obedience. They said we will not hear. What does that mean? We will not obey. We will not listen.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Micah, the little book of Micah, Micah chapter three and verse four. Micah 3 and verse 4. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. Look in Micah 3 and verse 4. Look at what the Bible says. Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them. He will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. Isn't it amazing how many times God says this? They shall cry unto me, but I'll not hear them. I'll even hide my face from them. You stay over there. I'll stay over here.

[John Weaver] You don't want to be around me? Fine, says God. I don't want to be around you. You don't hear me. That's OK, says the Lord. I don't hear you. You don't listen to me. Fine. I don't listen to you. Look in your Bibles to Malachi chapter 2 and verse 2. Malachi chapter 2 and verse 2. Last book in the Old Testament. Malachi chapter 2 and verse 2. Here it is. God says, if you will not hear and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of Hosts, I will even send a curse upon you and I will curse your blessings, yea, I've cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart. Why is God sending his curses? Why is God hiding his face? Why is God withdrawing his gracious presence? He's doing it because the people will not listen to Him. They will not hear Him.

[John Weaver] They will not obey Him. So whenever God refuses to hear us, when He refuses to favor us and He shuts up His mercies from us, I can assure you that all of our crying, all of our fasting, all of our praying will be in vain. It will seem as if heaven is literally brass when our prayers go no further than the ceilings. We will seek Him, but He will not be found.

[John Weaver] We'll call on Him, but He won't answer. We'll try to worship Him, but He won't receive it.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you a very vivid illustration of this truth. The illustration is found in the book of the Song of Solomon, if you will turn back there. We're going to the Song of Solomon, chapter five. Do you remember in the Song of Solomon, there is the bride, and of course the bride is indeed a picture of the church. You will remember that. And of course the bridegroom is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. And what you have in the Song of Solomon is a picture of Christ and the church. It's interesting. Well, the Lord reveals. Notice, if you would, in the Song of Solomon, chapter five.

[John Weaver] And let's look at verse one, he comes. To his wife. Notice Song of Solomon, chapter five, verse one, he says, I'm coming to my garden, my sister, my spouse. I've gathered my myrrh with my spice, I've eaten my honeycomb with my honey. I've drunk my wine with my milk, eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. Now look, I sleep, but my heart waketh, says the bride. It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night.

[John Weaver] So the husband is knocking the door, trying to get in. And the bride says in verse three, I put off my coat. How shall I put it on? I've washed my feet. How shall I defile them? In other words, preoccupied with herself. Then she says in verse four, my beloved put his hand by the hole of the door and my bowels were moved for him. And of course, you remember in the Bible, the bowels is the deepest seat of affection. And so she was saying how But she loved him in verse four. So finally, she gets up out of bed and she says in verse five, I rose up to open to my beloved and my hands dropped with my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh upon the handles of the lock. In other words, here I am in all my finery and all my sweet smells. Verse six, I opened to my beloved. Are you looking? But my beloved had withdrawn himself. and was gone.

[John Weaver] My soul failed when he spake. I sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he gave me no answer."

[John Weaver] Now, notice if you would what she said. He was knocking, and I didn't answer. I continued to do my own thing. And when I decided I'd finally get around to opening the door for him, he withdrawn himself. He was gone. What happened? I sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he would not hear. Do you realize when God hides his face, when God withdraws himself, we may be left crying and screaming, but he doesn't hear. We may be left looking and searching, but we do not find. And in such a state, it will not take us long to realize it is our sin, our disobedience and our wickedness.

[John Weaver] That has caused him with the withdrawal. Let me tell you, I'll mention this again, I suppose one of the greatest sins that you and I as children of God commit. is we presume upon His mercy and presume upon His grace. And we think, even as Christians somehow, that we can sin just a little and get by with it. We can't. God will not allow it. I suppose I don't know how else to say this. I suppose it's just a little taste of hell not to be able to discern the presence and the blessings of God. You stop and think about that. I'll be honest, quite frankly, I do not understand how unbelievers even live in this world, in this age that we're in right now. to not know the Lord and His grace and His mercy and His blessings. How in the world can you function in an age like ours? You say, come on now, Brother Weaver. Do you believe it's that serious? Oh, yes.

[John Weaver] Look back in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 1. Let me show you. Proverbs chapter 1. And let's begin reading there with verse 22. Proverbs 1 verse 22. Look at this. You have in Proverbs 1 wisdom crying in the streets, and of course, when you get to 1 Corinthians, you'll know that Jesus Christ is wisdom personified. Proverbs 8 teaches us that Jesus Christ is wisdom. So in Proverbs chapter 1, wisdom is crying in the streets. And look, if you would, beginning there in verse 22, she cried in the chief places of concourse, in the opening of the gates, in the city, she uttered her words saying, here's what wisdom preaches.

[John Weaver] How long, you simple ones, would you love simplicity? And the scorners delighted their scorning and fools hate knowledge. In other words, how long will it be before you sit up and pay attention and listen?

[John Weaver] Now look at verse 23. Wisdom says, turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out My Spirit upon you. I will make known My words to you. I'll give you understanding. I'll give you wisdom. Look in verse 24, Because I have called, and you refused. I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded. But you have set not all of My counsel, and would have none of My reproof. God says that you wouldn't listen to me. Watch in verse 26.

[John Weaver] I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh at desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me. What? But I will not answer. They shall seek me early. What? But they shall not find me. Why? For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

[John Weaver] They would have none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Therefore, says God, shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something, folks. I tried, I was not always successful, I can assure you, but I tried to teach my children That all I need to do is speak one time. And they were to obey me. If you have to speak twice, you're encouraging their disobedience, you realize that. If you're sure that they've heard you the first time. They should be obedient, children, obey your parents and the Lord watch for this is right. I expected my children to obey me the first time I spoke to them. Do you think God expects us to obey him the first time he speaks to us?

[John Weaver] Well, of course he does. Of course he does, and you say. But I don't want to listen. God says, well, if you don't listen, I tell you what. Keep going your way. Because pretty soon there's going to come a day when you're going to be in extreme calamity. And then you're going to call upon me and guess what? God says at that time, I don't want to listen.

[John Weaver] That's the lex talionis, that's the law of retribution. The first consequence of God hiding his face. Is that he withdraws from us every manifestation of His gracious presence. We pray and He doesn't hear. We worship and it's to no avail. We cry and scream and fast. Nothing happens. Heaven is brass. The earth is iron. We can't get a blessing from it either. We've got to remember the earth is God's earth.

[John Weaver] I passed cornfields on the way to church this morning. They're ruined. from lack of rain. I told my told my wife, I said, at least they ought to go ahead and cut it down for fodder right now while it's still green. Because it's never going to make any corn. When God shuts out his blessings. And he hides his face. We're in real trouble.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you the second consequence, and you know, it's Already coming, but look in Deuteronomy 31 and verse 17. The second consequence of God's hiding his face is judgment. Listen, this is common sense. If God withdraws his manifest presence and if God withdraws his favor and his blessings from us, what is left? The only thing that is left is judgment. Look in Deuteronomy 31 and verse 17. Look what God says.

[John Weaver] Then my anger shall be kindled against them. He's talking about Israel. Deuteronomy 31 verse 17, Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, look, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them. So that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us? Why?

[John Weaver] Because our God is not among us. Two truths are very apparent just from a cursory reading of this verse. The first truth is this. When God hides His face, He does so in such a way that we cannot discern His presence. Israel had to even ask, is it not because our God is not among us? I mean, we can't find Him anywhere. Where did He go? Where is He? What were they saying? We can't find His blessings. We can't find His favor. We can't find His protection. We can't find His good providence. Where is God? And the second truth is the lack of God's gracious presence brings only judgment. What did God say? Look back in verse 17 again.

[John Weaver] Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day. And I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them." Note,"...and many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us? Because our God is not among us. Watch, and I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods." What did God say? I will hide my face."

[John Weaver] By the way, Deuteronomy 32, the chapter that follows, is an ode. That is, it is a song. It was written by Moses at God's command to teach to the children of Israel as a witness against them. And if you look in Deuteronomy 32 and verse 20, look at what God says. And he's talking about how they will forsake him and turn to other gods. And he said, I will hide my face from them. Watch this. And I will hide my face from them and I will see what their end shall be. For they are a very forward generation, children in who is no faith.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just stop there. I want you to think about this. God said, and I'll hide my face from them. And I will see what their end will be. You know. There are some families. That will have a rebellious. Teenager. Or rebellious older child. And I believe some parents make a very serious mistake and some grandparents. when they always try to bail that rebellious child out of all of his problems.

[John Weaver] There's a principle in scripture, and that principle is this. He who sins must suffer. And if you try to keep someone from suffering because of their sin, they're not learning the lesson that God intends for them to learn. I believe the biblical attitude toward a rebellious teenager is exactly the one that expressed right here by God. God said, and I'll hide my face from them and I will see what their end will be. Now, what did God mean? When he said, I'll hide my face from them and I'll see what their end will be.

[John Weaver] You know, there was a sign and I don't remember all of it. A little bumper sticker I've seen in the stores, it says teenagers. Take advantage of the fact that you know everything and can do everything. Run away now. Because you know, that's what most teenagers think. They can do anything and everything and you know, hey, hey, I'm my own boss, I'm my own thing. I told my daughter yesterday, I was with her, I guess it was Friday. I said, you know, sweetheart, I said, I remember when I was a teenager.

[John Weaver] I said, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out how stupid I really was. I said, do you know, I remember thinking, I can't wait to get out of this house and get out and get on my own where I can do my own thing, etc., etc., etc. I said, you know, I stop and think, my daddy bought my car, he bought my gas, he bought my clothes, he paid my food, he paid for all my bills. I said, wouldn't it be wonderful if I could just go back and say, Daddy, I'm willing to stay at home and obey you. Just take care of me now, you know. Come on. You know what's going to happen when you have some of these little smart-aleck teenagers who are 16 or 17, think they know everything and want to be rebellious? Let them leave home. Let them do without.

[John Weaver] Let them find what the prodigal boy found, the pig pen. And the next thing you know, they may be willing to come home and say, hey, I've sinned against heaven and I've sinned against you. But as long as you keep subsidizing them and bailing them out, nothing is ever going to change. God said, I tell you what I'm going to do. I'll let you alone. I will hide my face.

[John Weaver] I will see what your end will be. I tell you what, says God, you want to make it on your own. Have at it. And if you think you don't need God, you just try breathing without him. Try breathing without his air. Try working without his blessing, try moving without his grace. God said, I tell you what, I'll just step back. And I'll see what your end will be. Let me show you from the Bible what the end will be. If God steps back and lets us have our way. Are you ready?

[John Weaver] Look in Deuteronomy 32 verse 22. Deuteronomy 32, in fact, let's read verse 20 again. God said it and I will hide my face from them and I will see what their end shall be. For they are a very frail generation, children who have no faith." Verse 22,"'For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn into the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them, I will spend mine errors upon them.

[John Weaver] They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction. I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without and terror within shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs." I said I would scatter them into the corners. I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men.

[John Weaver] Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest the adversary should have behaved themselves strangely, lest they should say, Our hand is high. Have the Lord not done all this? For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding them." God said, The only reason I don't let them get destroyed totally is lest the enemies vault themselves and say, We did it. Will it be like? When God withdraws his face and takes the attitude.

[John Weaver] You want your way, son, go for it. I'll sit back, I'll hide my face. And I'll see what your end will be.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make some applications, the first one is this. I believe you have enough scriptural proof to know that God does indeed hide His face, and the reason He does so is because of our sins. It is in our rebellion and our wickedness that we tend to presume upon His mercy and His grace, and we tend to believe that God will even bless us in our sins. One of the surest ways to experience the hiding of God's face is to take Him for granted and presume upon Him.

[John Weaver] None of us like that. When our prayers are cold and hypocritical and unanswered, and it seems like heaven is brass, here's my counsel, check yourself. The problem is not with God. He is immutable. The problem is with you. It is your sins that have separated between you and your God and your iniquities that have hid His face from you. Here's the second application. It is true that God is a God of mercy. And I thank God for that. I have often said if I were God, I would have killed me and a lot of other people a long time ago. I'm thankful that God is merciful, but the God who is merciful is also just.

[John Weaver] And in his justice, if we do not listen to him. He will not listen to us. That's why David said in Psalm 66 and verse 18, if I regard iniquity in my heart, what the Lord will not hear me. Thirdly. If you and I. Desire for God to hear us. In our times of desperation and need. We need to learn a very important lesson. What is it?

[John Weaver] Do you remember Daniel and Daniel chapter six, the presidents? Wanted to find fault against Daniel, but they couldn't find any. And they said, we understand that we're not going to find any fault unless we fight it against the law of his God. And so they got the king to pass a law, according to Medes and Persians, one that could not be changed or altered, that no one could ask any petition of any God but the king for 30 days.

[John Weaver] And he who did so was to be thrown in the den of lions. The law was signed by the king. And listen to Daniel 6 and verse 10. Hang on now, let me just read it for you, because here's the important point. Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and as wind is being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed.

[John Weaver] And gave thanks before God as he did aforetime. Now, here's the counsel. The way to pray effectively when you're in trouble. Is to be used to praying before you get into trouble. Daniel just kept on doing what he ordinarily did. You see, what most people want to do is this. They want to ignore God day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. And all of a sudden, when they get their back up against the wall, then they want to scream and cry and pray and get God to answer them. No. If you want to pray effectively when you're in desperate times, you better used to be praying before you get in desperate times. Because God said, if you don't hear me, I won't hear you. Number four is this.

[John Weaver] Listen carefully, however wicked sin is. However awful its consequences and however terrible its punishment, I can assure you the greatest danger in sin is the loss of the manifest presence of God. When you are unable to perceive Him by faith, see His hand in providence, and to know the comfort of His blessed touch, you are in a real fix. What does that mean? It means we must repent and seek Him for restoration. We must make it a daily habit of listening to him, obeying him, communing with him. I want it to be with God the way it is with me, with my grandchildren. When I say that, I mean, I got two of them here today and they're good kids.

[John Weaver] And Lacey's claimed to fame as she's the only grandchild I've never whipped. Never had to whip her. Can't say that about Tripp now. But you know what I like to do? I like to see them doing right. And I like to look at them and smile and say, those are my grandkids. And I want God to be able to look at me when I obey him and say, that's my child. He's doing right. I want his smile.

[John Weaver] Not the hiding of his face. Let's pray. Father, we are thankful for Jesus Christ and for all of the grace and love and mercy that you've given to us. We're thankful for these truths and truths of warning, truths of caution. And yet, Lord, they have such a practical application. Help us, Lord, to be faithful unto Thee. To serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear, in Thy name we pray, Amen.

When God Hides His Face - 2

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	82506105620
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession
Genre	Sermon
Date	2006-06-25
Dictation Name
Book	Book 050: When God Hides His Face — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	88

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews the previous message, emphasizing that God hides His face anthropomorphically and synecdochally, meaning He withdraws His manifest presence, not His omnipresence. The cause is sin, as stated in Isaiah 59:1-2.

The message you are about to hear was produced by Dominion Ministry. If you would like to support this ministry by becoming a sermon partner or obtain additional high-resolution CDs, DVDs, or MP3s featuring the teaching of Pastor John Weaver, please visit the Dominion Ministry website at www.dominion.org, www.dominionministry.com. This ministry is completely supported by donations, and it is through those donations that we are able to provide sermons for sermonaudio.com. Please visit our website at www.dominionministry.com to subscribe or make your donation today. Thank you. Well, let's open our Bibles to Isaiah 59 today, Isaiah 59. And for those of you who are here visiting today, may I remind you that this is the second part of a message, which, of course, will be full, I think, in and of itself.

And I will take just a few moments to review. But in Isaiah 59, look, if you would please, at verses one and two. And this is the second part of "When God Hides His Face." Isaiah 59 verse 1,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 59:1-2

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear."

Now, last week, I began the introductory message and I showed you from Scripture over and over, and we shall see more so today, the reality and the fact that God does indeed from time to time hide His face. And I told you that this teaching had to be understood anthropomorphically and synecdochally as well. Remember the word "anthropomorphic" is made up of the two Greek words, anthropos, which means man, and morphe, which is form. So anthropomorphic just simply means man-form speaking. So all God does is put it in language that you and I can comprehend and understand. And when we talk about a synecdoche, well, we're talking about a figure of speech where the whole is put for a part or the part is put for a whole. So when the Bible talks about God hiding His face, it would be talking and referring to the fact that God is withdrawing His presence. Now, let me point out the fact, again, that God is omnipresent.

That is, He is everywhere at once in the totality of His being. There is no place where God is not, for God is omnipresent. And so, when we talk about God withdrawing His presence or God hiding His face, it is not that God goes into the corner of a house or that God withdraws from some place in the universe. Not that at all. All it refers to is that God refuses to give us a manifestation of His presence. In other words, you and I cannot perceive or comprehend His hand of blessings upon us. It is not that He has ceased to be omnipresent. He's just simply withdrawn His gracious presence. And He's done so to the place where you and I cannot discern His presence or His blessing.

Now, I covered one point last week, and that is simply this: the cause of God's hiding His face. And of course, if you look very clearly in verse one, He will point out the cause. "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear." Now, sin separates. It not only separates families, it not only separates friends and neighbors, it also separates us from our God. Begin with verse 3, and let me just show you the charges that God makes. He says, "...for your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity, your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness, none calleth for justice, nor any plead for truth, they trust in vanity, they speak lies, they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity." If you'll skip down to verse 12. Notice, if you would please, "for our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them."

Now look, "in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood, and judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off, truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter." So very obviously it is because of the sins, wickedness, disobedience, and rebellion of the people that God withdraws His presence. Now, today, I want to deal with just a single point as well, and that is the consequence of God's hiding His face. We've seen the cause. It is our sins and our rebellion. But what are the consequences?

The Consequence of God Hiding His Face

Weaver introduces the main point: the consequences of God hiding His face, stressing that all actions have consequences and God judges according to truth and deeds.

Now, each of us should have learned by now that all of our actions have consequences. You cannot commit an act without there being a consequence to that act. For instance, I've had people jokingly say to me, and I have jokingly said to them, "Well, I ought to just slap you upside the head." And then the other person would say, "Well, if you can suffer the consequences, have at it." I mean, you've got to understand every action has consequences. Now the problem is, with many people, is simply this: they wish to live as if there were no consequences to their actions. In other words, we want to sow, but not to reap. We want to sin, but not die. We want to dance, but not to pay the piper.

However, we are commanded in Scripture that we are not to be deceived concerning this fact. What does the Bible say? Let me just quote it. Galatians 6:7-8. Listen carefully. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Now, what did he say? Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever you sow, that's exactly what you're going to reap. If you sow to the flesh, you're going to reap of the flesh. If you sow to the Spirit, you're going to reap of the Spirit.

Now, the Bible in Romans 2 and verse 2 goes a little bit further. Listen carefully. In Romans 2 and verse 2, the Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 2:2, 6

"But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth."

What does that mean? It means when God judges us, He does so rightly and He has the truth of the matter. You see, I may be deceived and you may be deceived. A multitude of others may be deceived. But God cannot be deceived. And so when He judges, it's always based upon truth. And then when you get to Romans 2 and verse 6, the Word of God goes further and says that God will render to every man according to his deeds. What does that mean?

That there are consequences to our actions and we're going to reap exactly what we sow. And when God chastises us, when God judges us, it's going to be in truth. And it's going to be according to our deeds. So sin does have consequences. Whether we like those consequences or not is immaterial. Whether we desire them or not is immaterial. Whether we want them or not is immaterial. None of that alters the fact that there are consequences to our actions and that we cannot escape those consequences.

First Consequence: Withdrawal of Gracious Presence

God withdraws His manifest presence, making worship dry and prayers unanswered. Passages from Hosea, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Job illustrate that God refuses to hear when His people refuse to hear Him.

Now, let me just show you, beginning in the book of Hosea, chapter 5, the consequences of God hiding His face. Look, if you would, please, in the book of Hosea. Might as well hold Isaiah 59, but turn right on over to the book of Hosea, chapter 5, and look at verse 6. In fact, I'm going to take my time today and go through the Scripture and show you these passages because they are vitally important. Notice if you wouldn't, Hosea chapter 5 and verse 6. Look what God says. "They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him. He has withdrawn himself from them."

Now, I want you to look carefully now. "They shall go with their flocks and their herds to seek the Lord." But what is the result? "They shall not find him." Why? Here's why. "He has withdrawn himself from them."

Now, what are they doing? They're going with their flocks and their herds. That means they're going to sacrifice. They're going to worship. They're going to fulfill the rituals and the ceremonies that God has ordained. But what does God say? God says they're not going to find me there. I've withdrawn myself. In other words, once they go there to fulfill their obligations, their duties, their ceremonies, their rituals, God says they may have all the rituals they want, but I will not be there.

In a sense, they will never discern my manifest presence and they will never discern my face. In other words, the worship, the service, the praise, the duties will be dry, parched, and hollow. You know, when I read this verse, I could not help but think of most modern day churches. They go, they meet, they greet, they eat, and it's over. Dry, hollow, parched, no praise, no worship, no discerning of the Lord or His Word, and they go home. I want you to notice that part of the curses that you find in the Bible for disobedience relates to this very fact. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Leviticus chapter 26. You're also going to be asked to turn to Deuteronomy 28. So you can find Deuteronomy 28 as well as Leviticus 26. And let me just show you what God says as far as a curse upon disobedience. In Leviticus chapter 26, beginning there with verse 18, God says this, Leviticus 26 verse 18, "And if you will not yet for all this hearken unto Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins." Now stop.

Look at what he said. "If you will not yet for all this hearken unto me," that would refer to all of the judgments and all the curses that God has already mentioned. He said, "If you won't listen to all of that, then," says God, "I'm going to judge you seven times more for your sins." Watch verse 19. He says, "And I will break the pride of your power and I will make your heaven as iron." "and your earth as brass. I will make your heaven as iron and your earth as brass."

Now look in Deuteronomy 28 and verse 23 and you're going to see the same passage which deals with curses. Deuteronomy 28 and verse 23. And now God says it like this: "And my heaven that is over thy head shall be brass and the earth that is under thee shall be iron." Now, I don't know if any of you in here know what it's like to try to drill through brass or to dig through iron, but some of us in South Georgia know what it's like to try to dig through dried red clay. Unless you have a couple of sticks of dynamite, you've got problems. What does God mean when he talks about your heaven being brass? It means it's going to be exceedingly difficult for you to get through, if you get through. In other words, God is saying, basically speaking, I'm not going to hear you, I'm not going to listen to you. Now.

Each of us in here remember the story of Job. And I hope you remember at least most of that which he went through. He not only lost his ten children in one day. He not only lost all of his possessions in one day. Even his wife turned against him and told him to curse God and die. And then he had three friends to come over and with friends like those, who needs enemies? But he had these three friends come over and they sat down and guess what they did? After they sat silently for a while, they began to accuse Job and slander him and say all kinds of malicious things about him. Job knew he was suffering. He was suffering physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially. He was suffering every way imaginable.

The worms were eating him up. And Job knew that he had not done anything to deserve that particular judgment. In other words, he was suffering wrongfully. And let me explain that statement. When I say he was suffering wrongfully, he had done nothing personally to deserve those circumstances. Yes, he was a sinner. He knew he was a sinner. He admitted. He confessed and acknowledged that he was a sinner.

But he had not sinned openly and rebelliously against God. And not only was he suffering, but he was being so wrongly accused, vilely I might add, by these friends. But do you realize the greatest hurt in everything that he went through? Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Job chapter 19 and verse 7. Job 19 and verse 7. Everything that he went through was bad, that is true. But look in Job chapter 19 and verse 7 and look at what Job says. Job 19 verse 7.

"Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard. I cry aloud, but there is no judgment." What was pressuring Job? Job says, "Lord, I'm being wronged. I'm being falsely accused by my friends, I'm being judged, and Lord, I really have not been rebellious. But my problem is, Lord, when I cry to Thee for answers, when I cry to Thee for justice, when I cry to Thee for rectification of this problem, nobody's listening. You don't hear me."

Now, let me ask you a question. Do you not think Job thought that heaven is brass? I can't get through. I don't know what's going on. God's not listening to me. You see, when God hides His face, He withdraws Himself from us. And when He does, we'll be stunned, perplexed, confused, and we too will think that heaven is brass. We sit back today and wonder why in the world our services are dry and barren and empty. We think about our prayer life, our devotional life, and every practical aspect of the ministry. Why is it there are no blessings of God upon them? What in the world is wrong? And it seems at times God will not look at us.

The Lex Talionis: God's Just Retribution

Weaver explains the law of retribution: because people refuse to hear God, He refuses to hear them. Passages from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and Malachi show God hiding His face in response to disobedience.

He will not listen to us. He will not even acknowledge us. Do you remember? I began the lesson last week with the expression peekaboo. You remember how we used to play that little game with our children, especially babies, and we'd cover our face and or step behind a door and then we would come back and say, "Peekaboo, I see you," etc. And it was a big game. But you realize, when children get older, it's not a game anymore.

And is it not true that there are people in your life, people that you have known, maybe sometimes they're family, you don't want to be around them. You don't want to see them. They are so wicked or so vile or they've hurt you so deeply. You know, you just stay over there on your part. I'll stay over here on my part. And everything will be fine. Have you ever stopped to think?

That that might be the attitude that God displays when He hides His face. You say, "Come on, that would never be God's attitude." Oh. Well, we're not really looking at the Scripture. I want you to remember something, folks. There is the lex talionis, which I mentioned last week. That is the law of retribution. Three times in the Bible, God speaks about an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, foot for foot, hand for hand, stripe for stripe, burning for burning, life for life. What does that mean? It means God always makes the punishment fit the crime.

What is our most common sin as believers, and what is our most common sin of unbelievers? I won't tell you. Let me ask you this way. What is the most common sin of the average teenager? They will not listen to mom and dad. They think they know it all. What's the most common sin of believers? We don't listen to our Father. What's the most common sin of unbelievers? They don't listen to God at all. They disrespect Him. They dishonor Him. They disbelieve Him. They refuse to listen to Him.

Now, with that in mind, look in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 1. I'm going to show you the lex talionis. Isaiah chapter 1. Notice if you would please beginning there with verse 15. Isaiah 1 verse 15. We'll come back to some of these truths in just a moment. But Isaiah 1, verse 15. In fact, let's begin with verse 12. Look at the complaint that God lodges. In fact, we could go back to verse 10. Let's start in 10. Look at 10.

"Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. Give ear unto the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah." By the way, would you like to know whom God is addressing as Sodom and Gomorrah? If you go back to verse 1, you'll find it's Judah and Jerusalem. So He's talking to His people. He says, "You hear the word of the Lord, rulers of Sodom. Give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah."

Now, look at the question that He asks. "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? Why are you continuing to do this?" He says, "I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or lambs or of he-goats. When you come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts?"

Now look, "Bring no more vain," that is, useless and worthless oblations. "Incense," that is the incense they were bringing, "is an abomination unto me. The new moons and the Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I count on no way with it. It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting."

Now let me just stop there. Did not God appoint those meetings? Yes, He did. Did not God appoint those oblations? Yes, He did. Did not God appoint the new moons and the feast days? Yes, He did. But let's go further. He says in verse 14, "Your new moons and your appointed feast days, my soul hateth. They are a trouble unto me. I'm weary to bear them." Watch.

"And when you spread forth your hands," that is when you pray to me, "I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Why? Your hands are full of blood. Wash you. Make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. Seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow."

Now, I want to show you what God is saying. He began in verse 10 with, "Hear the word of the Lord." What have these people done consistently and constantly? They refuse to hear the word of the Lord. So what does God say in verse 15? "When you spread forth your hands, I'll hide my eyes from you. And I'm not playing peekaboo," says God. "And when you call unto me, I will not hear you." I remember He's talking to His people.

This is the lex talionis of Scripture. God is saying, "You don't hear me. I will not hear you." Look in your Bibles, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 30. It is right and proper. It is just for God not to hear us when we refuse to hear Him. Look what He says in Isaiah 30, beginning there of verse 9. Isaiah 30, verse 9, "That this is a rebellious people." Look what He calls them. "Lying children, children that will not hear the law of God, who say to the seers, 'See not,' and to the prophets, 'Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits, get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.' Wherefore, thus saith the Holy One of Israel," Are you looking?

"Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay there on," and then He goes on. What does God call His people here? Lying children, rebellious children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord. You know what our problem is? I'll tell you very frankly, our problem is we want God to hear us, but we don't want to hear Him. What we want is for God to be our little servant boy where we can just push a button and God fulfills all our demands and all our commands. What we want is the blessings of God and our sins.

But such is an impossibility. We cannot have both. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 14. Jeremiah 14. And I can assure you that there are a multitude of passages that deal with this thought. Jeremiah chapter 14. Look in verse 12. Look what God says. In fact, we can read verse 11. In fact, let's go back to verse 10. 10 is good, too. "Thus saith the Lord unto this people. Thus have they loved to wander."

"They have not refrained their feet. Therefore, the Lord doth not accept them. He will now remember their iniquity and visit their sins. Then said the Lord unto me," that is to Jeremiah, "pray not for this people for their good."

Now look what He says:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 14:10-12

"When they fast, I will not hear their cry. And when they offer burnt offering and oblation, I will not accept them, and I will consume them by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence."

What's God saying? They will not listen to me, and therefore I will not listen to them. They are a people who love to wander. Look back in your Bibles or forward, I should say, to Jeremiah 22 and verse 21. Jeremiah 22 and verse 21. Jeremiah 22 verse 21. God says to Israel,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 14:10-12

"I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, 'I will not hear.' This has been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice."

Now look carefully at what that verse says. God said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity." The words God spoke when they were full. God spoke when they were receiving the blessings of God on a daily, constant and continual basis. And God spoke to them then, and what did they say?

"I won't hear. I won't listen to you, Lord. You may be blessing me and you may be giving me all these things, but I'm not going to listen to you." God says, "This has been thy manner since thy youth." I want you to note how seeing and hearing are intimately connected in this passage with obedience. They said, "We will not hear." What does that mean? We will not obey. We will not listen. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Micah, the little book of Micah, Micah chapter three and verse four. Micah 3 and verse 4. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. Look in Micah 3 and verse 4. Look at what the Bible says. "Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them. He will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings." Isn't it amazing how many times God says this? "They shall cry unto me, but I'll not hear them. I'll even hide my face from them. You stay over there. I'll stay over here."

"You don't want to be around me? Fine," says God. "I don't want to be around you. You don't hear me. That's OK," says the Lord. "I don't hear you. You don't listen to me. Fine. I don't listen to you." Look in your Bibles to Malachi chapter 2 and verse 2. Malachi chapter 2 and verse 2. Last book in the Old Testament. Malachi chapter 2 and verse 2. Here it is. God says, "If you will not hear and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of Hosts, I will even send a curse upon you and I will curse your blessings, yea, I've cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart." Why is God sending His curses? Why is God hiding His face? Why is God withdrawing His gracious presence? He's doing it because the people will not listen to Him. They will not hear Him.

They will not obey Him. So whenever God refuses to hear us, when He refuses to favor us and He shuts up His mercies from us, I can assure you that all of our crying, all of our fasting, all of our praying will be in vain. It will seem as if heaven is literally brass when our prayers go no further than the ceilings. We will seek Him, but He will not be found.

Illustration from Song of Solomon

The bride's delayed response to the bridegroom's knock results in his withdrawal, illustrating how God may depart when we are preoccupied with self, leaving us seeking but not finding Him.

Now, let me give you a very vivid illustration of this truth. The illustration is found in the book of the Song of Solomon, if you will turn back there. We're going to the Song of Solomon, chapter five. Do you remember in the Song of Solomon, there is the bride, and of course the bride is indeed a picture of the church. You will remember that. And of course the bridegroom is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. And what you have in the Song of Solomon is a picture of Christ and the church. It's interesting. Well, the Lord reveals. Notice, if you would, in the Song of Solomon, chapter five.

And let's look at verse one, He comes to His wife. Notice Song of Solomon, chapter five, verse one, He says, "I'm coming to my garden, my sister, my spouse. I've gathered my myrrh with my spice, I've eaten my honeycomb with my honey. I've drunk my wine with my milk, eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." Now look,

Scripture Reading — Song of Solomon 5:2-6

"I sleep, but my heart waketh,"

says the bride.

Scripture Reading — Song of Solomon 5:2-6

"It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, 'Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night.'"

So the husband is knocking the door, trying to get in. And the bride says in verse three, "I put off my coat. How shall I put it on? I've washed my feet. How shall I defile them?" In other words, preoccupied with herself. Then she says in verse four, "My beloved put his hand by the hole of the door and my bowels were moved for him." And of course, you remember in the Bible, the bowels is the deepest seat of affection. And so she was saying how she loved him in verse four. So finally, she gets up out of bed and she says in verse five, "I rose up to open to my beloved and my hands dropped with my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh upon the handles of the lock." In other words, here I am in all my finery and all my sweet smells. Verse six, "I opened to my beloved." Are you looking? "But my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone."

"My soul failed when he spake. I sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he gave me no answer." Now, notice if you would what she said. He was knocking, and I didn't answer. I continued to do my own thing. And when I decided I'd finally get around to opening the door for him, he withdrawn himself. He was gone. What happened? I sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he would not hear. Do you realize when God hides His face, when God withdraws Himself, we may be left crying and screaming, but He doesn't hear. We may be left looking and searching, but we do not find. And in such a state, it will not take us long to realize it is our sin, our disobedience and our wickedness.

Warning Against Presuming on God's Mercy

Weaver warns that presuming on God's grace leads to His withdrawal. Proverbs 1 shows wisdom laughing at calamity when people refuse to listen, emphasizing the seriousness of ignoring God.

That has caused Him the withdrawal. Let me tell you, I'll mention this again, I suppose one of the greatest sins that you and I as children of God commit is we presume upon His mercy and presume upon His grace. And we think, even as Christians somehow, that we can sin just a little and get by with it. We can't. God will not allow it. I suppose I don't know how else to say this. I suppose it's just a little taste of hell not to be able to discern the presence and the blessings of God. You stop and think about that. I'll be honest, quite frankly, I do not understand how unbelievers even live in this world, in this age that we're in right now. To not know the Lord and His grace and His mercy and His blessings. How in the world can you function in an age like ours? You say, "Come on now, Brother Weaver. Do you believe it's that serious?" Oh, yes.

Look back in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 1. Let me show you. Proverbs chapter 1. And let's begin reading there with verse 22. Proverbs 1 verse 22. Look at this. You have in Proverbs 1 wisdom crying in the streets, and of course, when you get to 1 Corinthians, you'll know that Jesus Christ is wisdom personified. Proverbs 8 teaches us that Jesus Christ is wisdom. So in Proverbs chapter 1, wisdom is crying in the streets. And look, if you would, beginning there in verse 22, "She cried in the chief places of concourse, in the opening of the gates, in the city, she uttered her words saying," here's what wisdom preaches.

"How long, you simple ones, would you love simplicity? And the scorners delighted their scorning and fools hate knowledge." In other words, how long will it be before you sit up and pay attention and listen? Now look at verse 23. Wisdom says, "Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out My Spirit upon you. I will make known My words to you. I'll give you understanding. I'll give you wisdom." Look in verse 24, "Because I have called, and you refused. I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded. But you have set not all of My counsel, and would have none of My reproof." God says that you wouldn't listen to me. Watch in verse 26.

"I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh at desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me." What? "But I will not answer. They shall seek me early." What? "But they shall not find me. Why? For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord."

"They would have none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Therefore," says God, "shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices." Now, let me tell you something, folks. I tried, I was not always successful, I can assure you, but I tried to teach my children that all I need to do is speak one time. And they were to obey me. If you have to speak twice, you're encouraging their disobedience, you realize that. If you're sure that they've heard you the first time. They should be obedient, "children, obey your parents and the Lord watch for this is right." I expected my children to obey me the first time I spoke to them. Do you think God expects us to obey Him the first time He speaks to us?

Well, of course He does. Of course He does, and you say, "But I don't want to listen." God says, "Well, if you don't listen, I tell you what. Keep going your way. Because pretty soon there's going to come a day when you're going to be in extreme calamity. And then you're going to call upon me and guess what?" God says at that time, "I don't want to listen."

Second Consequence: Judgment

When God hides His face, judgment follows. Deuteronomy 31 and 32 describe evils, troubles, and desolation when God withdraws, allowing people to reap the consequences of their rebellion.

I passed cornfields on the way to church this morning. They're ruined from lack of rain. I told my wife, I said, "At least they ought to go ahead and cut it down for fodder right now while it's still green. Because it's never going to make any corn." When God shuts out His blessings and He hides His face, we're in real trouble.

Now, let me show you the second consequence, and you know, it's already coming, but look in Deuteronomy 31 and verse 17. The second consequence of God's hiding His face is judgment. Listen, this is common sense. If God withdraws His manifest presence and if God withdraws His favor and His blessings from us, what is left? The only thing that is left is judgment. Look in Deuteronomy 31 and verse 17. Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"Then my anger shall be kindled against them."

He's talking about Israel. Deuteronomy 31 verse 17,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them,"

look,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them. So that they will say in that day, 'Are not these evils come upon us?' Why?" "Because our God is not among us."

Two truths are very apparent just from a cursory reading of this verse. The first truth is this: when God hides His face, He does so in such a way that we cannot discern His presence. Israel had to even ask,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"Is it not because our God is not among us?"

I mean, we can't find Him anywhere. Where did He go? Where is He? What were they saying? We can't find His blessings. We can't find His favor. We can't find His protection. We can't find His good providence. Where is God? And the second truth is the lack of God's gracious presence brings only judgment. What did God say? Look back in verse 17 again.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day. And I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them."

Note,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"...and many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, 'Are not these evils come upon us? Because our God is not among us.' Watch, 'and I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.'"

What did God say?

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"I will hide my face."

By the way, Deuteronomy 32, the chapter that follows, is an ode. That is, it is a song. It was written by Moses at God's command to teach to the children of Israel as a witness against them. And if you look in Deuteronomy 32 and verse 20, look at what God says. And He's talking about how they will forsake Him and turn to other gods. And He said,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"I will hide my face from them."

Watch this.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"And I will hide my face from them and I will see what their end shall be. For they are a very forward generation, children in whom is no faith."

Now, let me just stop there. I want you to think about this. God said, "And I'll hide my face from them. And I will see what their end will be." You know, there are some families that will have a rebellious teenager or rebellious older child. And I believe some parents make a very serious mistake and some grandparents when they always try to bail that rebellious child out of all of his problems. There's a principle in Scripture, and that principle is this: he who sins must suffer. And if you try to keep someone from suffering because of their sin, they're not learning the lesson that God intends for them to learn. I believe the biblical attitude toward a rebellious teenager is exactly the one that expressed right here by God. God said, "And I'll hide my face from them and I will see what their end will be." Now, what did God mean when He said, "I'll hide my face from them and I'll see what their end will be"?

You know, there was a sign and I don't remember all of it. A little bumper sticker I've seen in the stores, it says, "Teenagers. Take advantage of the fact that you know everything and can do everything. Run away now." Because you know, that's what most teenagers think. They can do anything and everything and you know, "Hey, hey, I'm my own boss, I'm my own thing." I told my daughter yesterday, I was with her, I guess it was Friday. I said, "You know, sweetheart, I said, I remember when I was a teenager." I said, "And for the life of me, I cannot figure out how stupid I really was." I said, "Do you know, I remember thinking, 'I can't wait to get out of this house and get out and get on my own where I can do my own thing,' etc., etc., etc." I said, "You know, I stop and think, my daddy bought my car, he bought my gas, he bought my clothes, he paid my food, he paid for all my bills." I said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could just go back and say, 'Daddy, I'm willing to stay at home and obey you. Just take care of me now,' you know." Come on. You know what's going to happen when you have some of these little smart-aleck teenagers who are 16 or 17, think they know everything and want to be rebellious? Let them leave home. Let them do without.

Let them find what the prodigal boy found, the pig pen. And the next thing you know, they may be willing to come home and say, "Hey, I've sinned against heaven and I've sinned against you." But as long as you keep subsidizing them and bailing them out, nothing is ever going to change. God said, "I tell you what I'm going to do. I'll let you alone. I will hide my face." "I will see what your end will be. I tell you what," says God, "you want to make it on your own. Have at it. And if you think you don't need God, you just try breathing without Him. Try breathing without His air. Try working without His blessing, try moving without His grace." God said, "I tell you what, I'll just step back. And I'll see what your end will be." Let me show you from the Bible what the end will be if God steps back and lets us have our way. Are you ready?

Look in Deuteronomy 32 verse 22. Deuteronomy 32, in fact, let's read verse 20 again. God said it:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:20-26

"And I will hide my face from them and I will see what their end shall be. For they are a very frail generation, children who have no faith."

Verse 22,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:20-26

"For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn into the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them, I will spend mine arrows upon them." "They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction. I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without and terror within shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. I said I would scatter them into the corners. I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men."

"Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest the adversary should have behaved themselves strangely, lest they should say, 'Our hand is high. Have the Lord not done all this?' For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them." God said, "The only reason I don't let them get destroyed totally is lest the enemies vault themselves and say, 'We did it.'" What will it be like when God withdraws His face and takes the attitude? "You want your way, son, go for it. I'll sit back, I'll hide my face. And I'll see what your end will be."

Now, let me make some applications, the first one is this. I believe you have enough scriptural proof to know that God does indeed hide His face, and the reason He does so is because of our sins. It is in our rebellion and our wickedness that we tend to presume upon His mercy and His grace, and we tend to believe that God will even bless us in our sins. One of the surest ways to experience the hiding of God's face is to take Him for granted and presume upon Him.

Applications and Conclusion

Weaver applies the message: check yourself when prayers seem unanswered; God is just and will not hear if we regard iniquity; consistent prayer prepares for desperate times; the greatest danger of sin is losing God's manifest presence; repent and seek restoration.

"You want your way, son, go for it. I'll sit back, I'll hide my face. And I'll see what your end will be." Now, let me make some applications, the first one is this. I believe you have enough scriptural proof to know that God does indeed hide His face, and the reason He does so is because of our sins. It is in our rebellion and our wickedness that we tend to presume upon His mercy and His grace, and we tend to believe that God will even bless us in our sins. One of the surest ways to experience the hiding of God's face is to take Him for granted and presume upon Him.

None of us like that. When our prayers are cold and hypocritical and unanswered, and it seems like heaven is brass, here's my counsel: check yourself. The problem is not with God. He is immutable. The problem is with you. It is your sins that have separated between you and your God and your iniquities that have hid His face from you. Here's the second application. It is true that God is a God of mercy. And I thank God for that. I have often said if I were God, I would have killed me and a lot of other people a long time ago. I'm thankful that God is merciful, but the God who is merciful is also just.

And in His justice, if we do not listen to Him, He will not listen to us. That's why David said in Psalm 66 and verse 18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Thirdly, if you and I desire for God to hear us in our times of desperation and need, we need to learn a very important lesson. What is it? Do you remember Daniel and Daniel chapter six, the presidents wanted to find fault against Daniel, but they couldn't find any. And they said, "We understand that we're not going to find any fault unless we find it against the law of his God." And so they got the king to pass a law, according to Medes and Persians, one that could not be changed or altered, that no one could ask any petition of any God but the king for 30 days.

And he who did so was to be thrown in the den of lions. The law was signed by the king. And listen to Daniel 6 and verse 10. Hang on now, let me just read it for you, because here's the important point.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 6:10

"Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and as his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed." "And gave thanks before God as he did aforetime."

Now, here's the counsel. The way to pray effectively when you're in trouble is to be used to praying before you get into trouble. Daniel just kept on doing what he ordinarily did. You see, what most people want to do is this: they want to ignore God day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. And all of a sudden, when they get their back up against the wall, then they want to scream and cry and pray and get God to answer them. No. If you want to pray effectively when you're in desperate times, you better be used to praying before you get in desperate times. Because God said, "If you don't hear me, I won't hear you." Number four is this.

Listen carefully, however wicked sin is, however awful its consequences and however terrible its punishment, I can assure you the greatest danger in sin is the loss of the manifest presence of God. When you are unable to perceive Him by faith, see His hand in providence, and to know the comfort of His blessed touch, you are in a real fix. What does that mean? It means we must repent and seek Him for restoration. We must make it a daily habit of listening to Him, obeying Him, communing with Him. I want it to be with God the way it is with me with my grandchildren. When I say that, I mean, I got two of them here today and they're good kids.

And Lacey's claim to fame is she's the only grandchild I've never whipped. Never had to whip her. Can't say that about Tripp now. But you know what I like to do? I like to see them doing right. And I like to look at them and smile and say, "Those are my grandkids." And I want God to be able to look at me when I obey Him and say, "That's my child. He's doing right." I want His smile.

Not the hiding of His face. Let's pray. Father, we are thankful for Jesus Christ and for all of the grace and love and mercy that You've given to us. We're thankful for these truths and truths of warning, truths of caution. And yet, Lord, they have such a practical application. Help us, Lord, to be faithful unto Thee. To serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear, in Thy name we pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Consequences of Sin

Summary: Sin inevitably leads to consequences, including God hiding His face and withdrawing His blessings, as a just response to disobedience.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'all of our actions have consequences... we want to sin, but not die. We want to dance, but not to pay the piper.' He cites Galatians 6:7-8 and Romans 2:2,6.

Withdrawal of God's Manifest Presence

Summary: When God hides His face, He removes the perception of His presence, making worship, prayer, and service feel dry and empty.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'God refuses to give us a manifestation of His presence... you and I cannot perceive or comprehend His hand of blessings upon us.' He references Hosea 5:6 and Job 19:7.

Lex Talionis (Law of Retribution)

Summary: God's punishment fits the crime: because people refuse to hear Him, He refuses to hear them, hiding His face in just retribution.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'God always makes the punishment fit the crime... You don't hear me. I will not hear you.' He cites Isaiah 1:15, 30:9, Jeremiah 14:12, Micah 3:4, and Malachi 2:2.

Presuming on God's Mercy

Summary: Believers often presume upon God's grace, thinking they can sin without consequence, but God will not be mocked and will withdraw His face.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'one of the greatest sins... is we presume upon His mercy and presume upon His grace... we think... we can sin just a little and get by with it. We can't.'

Judgment as Consequence

Summary: The withdrawal of God's presence leads to judgment, including evils, troubles, and desolation, as God allows people to suffer the fruit of their own ways.

Evidence: Weaver reads Deuteronomy 31:17: 'I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them.' He also references Deuteronomy 32:20-26.

Repentance and Restoration

Summary: To avoid God hiding His face, believers must repent, listen to God, obey Him, and maintain consistent communion through prayer.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'we must repent and seek Him for restoration. We must make it a daily habit of listening to Him, obeying Him, communing with Him.'

Key Arguments

Sin separates from God and causes Him to hide His face.

Summary: Isaiah 59:1-2 clearly states that iniquities separate people from God and cause Him to hide His face, which is the foundational cause of the consequences discussed.

Evidence: Weaver reads Isaiah 59:1-2: 'your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear.'

God's hiding His face is a withdrawal of manifest presence, not omnipresence.

Summary: God is omnipresent, but when He hides His face, He withdraws the perception of His blessings and presence, making it impossible to discern Him.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'when we talk about God withdrawing His presence... it is not that God goes into the corner... He's just simply withdrawn His gracious presence.'

All actions have consequences, and God judges according to truth and deeds.

Summary: Using Galatians 6:7-8 and Romans 2:2,6, Weaver argues that sowing to the flesh reaps corruption, and God's judgment is based on truth and renders to every man according to his deeds.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Galatians 6:7-8: 'Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap.'

When God hides His face, worship and prayer become vain and unanswered.

Summary: Passages like Hosea 5:6 and Job 19:7 show that seeking God through rituals yields no finding, and crying out results in no answer, likened to a brass heaven.

Evidence: Weaver reads Hosea 5:6: 'They shall go with their flocks... to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him. He has withdrawn himself from them.'

God's refusal to hear is a just retribution for refusing to hear Him.

Summary: The lex talionis principle means God hides His face and refuses to hear because people first refused to hear and obey Him, as seen in Isaiah 1:15 and other texts.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'God is saying, "You don't hear me. I will not hear you."' He cites Isaiah 1:15: 'when you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you.'

Presuming on God's mercy leads to His withdrawal and eventual judgment.

Summary: Proverbs 1:24-31 warns that when people refuse wisdom's call, God will laugh at their calamity and not answer when they call, illustrating the danger of presumption.

Evidence: Weaver reads Proverbs 1:24-26: 'Because I have called, and you refused... I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.'

God's hiding His face results in judgment and desolation.

Summary: Deuteronomy 31:17 and 32:20-26 describe that when God hides His face, evils, troubles, and destruction follow, as God allows people to suffer the consequences of their rebellion.

Evidence: Weaver reads Deuteronomy 31:17: 'I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them.'

Consistent prayer and obedience are necessary to avoid God hiding His face.

Summary: Daniel's example (Daniel 6:10) shows that effective prayer in crisis comes from a habit of prayer before crisis; believers must listen to God daily to ensure He hears them.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The way to pray effectively when you're in trouble is to be used to praying before you get into trouble.' He references Daniel 6:10.

Scripture References

Isaiah 59:1-2

Context: The foundational text for the sermon, stating that sin separates from God and causes Him to hide His face.

Isaiah 59:3-4

Context: Describes the sins of the people: hands defiled with blood, lips speaking lies, etc., as the cause of separation.

Isaiah 59:12-14

Context: Further lists transgressions and iniquities that testify against the people, leading to God's withdrawal.

Galatians 6:7-8

Context: Used to illustrate that sowing to the flesh reaps corruption, emphasizing consequences of sin.

Romans 2:2, 6

Context: God's judgment is according to truth, and He renders to every man according to his deeds.

Hosea 5:6

Context: People seek the Lord with sacrifices but do not find Him because He has withdrawn Himself.

Leviticus 26:18-19

Context: God threatens to punish seven times more and make heaven as iron and earth as brass for disobedience.

Deuteronomy 28:23

Context: Parallel to Leviticus 26:19, describing heaven as brass and earth as iron as a curse.

Job 19:7

Context: Job cries out of wrong but is not heard, illustrating the feeling of heaven being brass.

Isaiah 1:10-15

Context: God rejects the sacrifices and prayers of His people because their hands are full of blood; He will hide His eyes and not hear.

Isaiah 30:9-11

Context: Rebellious children who will not hear the law of the Lord, telling seers to prophesy smooth things.

Jeremiah 14:10-12

Context: God tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people; He will not hear their fasts or accept their offerings.

Jeremiah 22:21

Context: God spoke in prosperity, but Israel said, 'I will not hear,' and this has been their manner from youth.

Micah 3:4

Context: They will cry to the Lord, but He will not hear them; He will hide His face because of their evil doings.

Malachi 2:2

Context: If they will not hear and give glory to God's name, He will send a curse and curse their blessings.

Song of Solomon 5:2-6

Context: The bride delays opening to the bridegroom, and when she does, he has withdrawn; she seeks but does not find him.

Proverbs 1:22-31

Context: Wisdom calls but is refused; therefore, God will laugh at calamity and not answer when they call.

Deuteronomy 31:17

Context: God will hide His face, and evils and troubles will befall them; they will realize God is not among them.

Deuteronomy 32:20-26

Context: God will hide His face and see their end; a fire of anger will consume them, and mischiefs will be heaped upon them.

Daniel 6:10

Context: Daniel prayed three times a day as before, illustrating consistent prayer that prepares for crisis.

Historical References

Job's suffering and false accusation by friends

Context: Weaver uses Job's experience of crying out without being heard to illustrate the feeling of heaven being brass when God hides His face.

Daniel in the lions' den

Context: Daniel's consistent prayer habit before the crisis is used as an example of how to pray effectively in desperate times.

Important Quotes

Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear.

Significance: This is the key verse of the sermon, establishing that sin causes God to hide His face and not hear.

They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him. He has withdrawn himself from them.

Significance: Illustrates that religious rituals are futile when God has withdrawn His presence due to sin.

Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Significance: Emphasizes the principle of sowing and reaping, warning that sin has inevitable consequences.

Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them.

Significance: Declares that God's hiding His face leads to judgment and desolation.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

Significance: A concise biblical principle (Psalm 66:18) that summarizes the condition for answered prayer.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding God's omnipresence help us interpret what it means when He 'hides His face'?

Context: Weaver explains that God is everywhere but withdraws His manifest presence, not His essential being.

In what ways do we, like Israel, presume upon God's mercy and think we can sin without consequence?

Context: Weaver warns that presuming on God's grace is a common sin that leads to His withdrawal.

How does the lex talionis (law of retribution) apply to our relationship with God today?

Context: Weaver argues that God's refusal to hear us is a just response to our refusal to hear Him.

What practical steps can we take to ensure we are listening to God daily, rather than just crying out in crises?

Context: Weaver uses Daniel's example to stress consistent prayer and obedience before trouble comes.

How can we discern whether a dry spiritual season is due to God hiding His face or other factors?

Context: Weaver suggests checking oneself for sin when prayers seem unanswered and heaven feels like brass.

What does the illustration from Song of Solomon teach us about the urgency of responding to God's call?

Context: The bride's delay caused the bridegroom to withdraw, showing that procrastination in obedience can lead to loss of presence.

How should the reality of God's judgment as a consequence of His hidden face affect our evangelism and warnings to others?

Context: Weaver describes the severe judgments in Deuteronomy 31-32 when God hides His face.

In what ways might modern churches be experiencing a 'brass heaven' due to unconfessed sin or disobedience?

Context: Weaver compares the dry, hollow worship described in Hosea to many modern churches.

Applications

Self-Examination in Prayer

Summary: When prayers seem unanswered and heaven feels like brass, examine your life for unconfessed sin, as the problem is not with God but with you.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When our prayers are cold and hypocritical and unanswered... check yourself. The problem is not with God... It is your sins that have separated.'

Heed God's Voice Promptly

Summary: Do not delay obedience or presume on God's mercy; respond immediately to His Word to avoid His withdrawal.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'one of the surest ways to experience the hiding of God's face is to take Him for granted and presume upon Him.'

Consistent Prayer Life

Summary: Develop a habit of daily prayer and communion with God, so that in times of crisis, your prayers are effective and you are accustomed to His presence.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The way to pray effectively when you're in trouble is to be used to praying before you get into trouble,' citing Daniel 6:10.

Repentance and Restoration

Summary: If you sense God has hidden His face, repent and seek Him for restoration, making it a daily habit to listen, obey, and commune with Him.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'we must repent and seek Him for restoration. We must make it a daily habit of listening to Him, obeying Him, communing with Him.'

Value God's Manifest Presence

Summary: Recognize that the greatest danger of sin is losing the sense of God's presence; strive to live in a way that invites His smile rather than His hidden face.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'the greatest danger in sin is the loss of the manifest presence of God... I want His smile. Not the hiding of His face.'

Avoid Subsidizing Rebellion

Summary: In family or church discipline, allow natural consequences for sin rather than constantly bailing out the rebellious, as God does when He hides His face to let people see their end.

Evidence: Weaver applies Deuteronomy 32:20: 'God said, "I'll hide my face from them and I will see what their end will be."' He relates this to parenting rebellious teenagers.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:14:04Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T10:30:58Z

Clean Transcript

When God Hides His Face - 2

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

The message you are about to hear was produced by Dominion Ministry. If you would like to support this ministry by becoming a sermon partner or obtain additional high-resolution CDs, DVDs, or MP3s featuring the teaching of Pastor John Weaver, please visit the Dominion Ministry website at www.dominion.org, www.dominionministry.com. This ministry is completely supported by donations, and it is through those donations that we are able to provide sermons for sermonaudio.com. Please visit our website at www.dominionministry.com to subscribe or make your donation today. Thank you. Well, let's open our Bibles to Isaiah 59 today, Isaiah 59. And for those of you who are here visiting today, may I remind you that this is the second part of a message, which, of course, will be full, I think, in and of itself.
#1 | 0:03 to 1:18 | cleaned
And I will take just a few moments to review. But in Isaiah 59, look, if you would please, at verses one and two. And this is the second part of "When God Hides His Face." Isaiah 59 verse 1, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear."
#2 | 1:18 to 1:48 | cleaned
Now, last week, I began the introductory message and I showed you from Scripture over and over, and we shall see more so today, the reality and the fact that God does indeed from time to time hide His face. And I told you that this teaching had to be understood anthropomorphically and synecdochally as well. Remember the word "anthropomorphic" is made up of the two Greek words, anthropos, which means man, and morphe, which is form. So anthropomorphic just simply means man-form speaking. So all God does is put it in language that you and I can comprehend and understand. And when we talk about a synecdoche, well, we're talking about a figure of speech where the whole is put for a part or the part is put for a whole. So when the Bible talks about God hiding His face, it would be talking and referring to the fact that God is withdrawing His presence. Now, let me point out the fact, again, that God is omnipresent.
#3 | 1:48 to 2:57 | cleaned
That is, He is everywhere at once in the totality of His being. There is no place where God is not, for God is omnipresent. And so, when we talk about God withdrawing His presence or God hiding His face, it is not that God goes into the corner of a house or that God withdraws from some place in the universe. Not that at all. All it refers to is that God refuses to give us a manifestation of His presence.
#4 | 2:58 to 3:28 | cleaned
In other words, you and I cannot perceive or comprehend His hand of blessings upon us. It is not that He has ceased to be omnipresent. He's just simply withdrawn His gracious presence. And He's done so to the place where you and I cannot discern His presence or His blessing.
#5 | 3:28 to 3:48 | cleaned
Now, I covered one point last week, and that is simply this: the cause of God's hiding His face. And of course, if you look very clearly in verse one, He will point out the cause. "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear." Now, sin separates. It not only separates families, it not only separates friends and neighbors, it also separates us from our God. Begin with verse 3, and let me just show you the charges that God makes.
#6 | 3:49 to 4:32 | cleaned
He says, "...for your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity, your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness, none calleth for justice, nor any plead for truth, they trust in vanity, they speak lies, they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity." If you'll skip down to verse 12. Notice, if you would please, "for our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them."
#7 | 4:33 to 5:06 | cleaned
Now look, "in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood, and judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off, truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter." So very obviously it is because of the sins, wickedness, disobedience, and rebellion of the people that God withdraws His presence.
#8 | 5:06 to 5:40 | cleaned
Now, today, I want to deal with just a single point as well, and that is the consequence of God's hiding His face. We've seen the cause. It is our sins and our rebellion. But what are the consequences?
#9 | 5:40 to 5:55 | cleaned
Now, each of us should have learned by now that all of our actions have consequences. You cannot commit an act without there being a consequence to that act. For instance, I've had people jokingly say to me, and I have jokingly said to them, "Well, I ought to just slap you upside the head." And then the other person would say, "Well, if you can suffer the consequences, have at it." I mean, you've got to understand every action has consequences. Now the problem is, with many people, is simply this: they wish to live as if there were no consequences to their actions. In other words, we want to sow, but not to reap. We want to sin, but not die. We want to dance, but not to pay the piper.
#10 | 5:56 to 6:51 | cleaned
However, we are commanded in Scripture that we are not to be deceived concerning this fact. What does the Bible say? Let me just quote it. Galatians 6:7-8. Listen carefully. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Now, what did he say? Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever you sow, that's exactly what you're going to reap. If you sow to the flesh, you're going to reap of the flesh. If you sow to the Spirit, you're going to reap of the Spirit.
#11 | 6:51 to 7:31 | cleaned
Now, the Bible in Romans 2 and verse 2 goes a little bit further. Listen carefully. In Romans 2 and verse 2, the Word of God says, "But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth." What does that mean? It means when God judges us, He does so rightly and He has the truth of the matter. You see, I may be deceived and you may be deceived. A multitude of others may be deceived. But God cannot be deceived. And so when He judges, it's always based upon truth. And then when you get to Romans 2 and verse 6, the Word of God goes further and says that God will render to every man according to his deeds. What does that mean?
#12 | 7:32 to 8:18 | cleaned
That there are consequences to our actions and we're going to reap exactly what we sow. And when God chastises us, when God judges us, it's going to be in truth. And it's going to be according to our deeds. So sin does have consequences. Whether we like those consequences or not is immaterial. Whether we desire them or not is immaterial. Whether we want them or not is immaterial. None of that alters the fact that there are consequences to our actions and that we cannot escape those consequences.
#13 | 8:19 to 8:56 | cleaned
Now, let me just show you, beginning in the book of Hosea, chapter 5, the consequences of God hiding His face. Look, if you would, please, in the book of Hosea. Might as well hold Isaiah 59, but turn right on over to the book of Hosea, chapter 5, and look at verse 6. In fact, I'm going to take my time today and go through the Scripture and show you these passages because they are vitally important. Notice if you wouldn't, Hosea chapter 5 and verse 6. Look what God says.
#14 | 8:57 to 9:31 | cleaned
"They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him. He has withdrawn himself from them."
#15 | 9:32 to 9:40 | cleaned
Now, I want you to look carefully now. "They shall go with their flocks and their herds to seek the Lord." But what is the result? "They shall not find him." Why? Here's why. "He has withdrawn himself from them."
#16 | 9:42 to 9:59 | cleaned
Now, what are they doing? They're going with their flocks and their herds. That means they're going to sacrifice. They're going to worship. They're going to fulfill the rituals and the ceremonies that God has ordained. But what does God say? God says they're not going to find me there. I've withdrawn myself. In other words, once they go there to fulfill their obligations, their duties, their ceremonies, their rituals, God says they may have all the rituals they want, but I will not be there.
#17 | 9:59 to 10:36 | cleaned
In a sense, they will never discern my manifest presence and they will never discern my face. In other words, the worship, the service, the praise, the duties will be dry, parched, and hollow. You know, when I read this verse, I could not help but think of most modern day churches. They go, they meet, they greet, they eat, and it's over. Dry, hollow, parched, no praise, no worship, no discerning of the Lord or His Word, and they go home.
#18 | 10:38 to 11:31 | cleaned
I want you to notice that part of the curses that you find in the Bible for disobedience relates to this very fact. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Leviticus chapter 26. You're also going to be asked to turn to Deuteronomy 28. So you can find Deuteronomy 28 as well as Leviticus 26. And let me just show you what God says as far as a curse upon disobedience. In Leviticus chapter 26, beginning there with verse 18, God says this, Leviticus 26 verse 18, "And if you will not yet for all this hearken unto Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins." Now stop.
#19 | 11:32 to 12:22 | cleaned
Look at what he said. "If you will not yet for all this hearken unto me," that would refer to all of the judgments and all the curses that God has already mentioned. He said, "If you won't listen to all of that, then," says God, "I'm going to judge you seven times more for your sins." Watch verse 19. He says, "And I will break the pride of your power and I will make your heaven as iron."
#20 | 12:22 to 12:46 | cleaned
"and your earth as brass. I will make your heaven as iron and your earth as brass."
#21 | 12:47 to 12:56 | cleaned
Now look in Deuteronomy 28 and verse 23 and you're going to see the same passage which deals with curses. Deuteronomy 28 and verse 23. And now God says it like this: "And my heaven that is over thy head shall be brass and the earth that is under thee shall be iron."
#22 | 12:57 to 13:19 | cleaned
Now, I don't know if any of you in here know what it's like to try to drill through brass or to dig through iron, but some of us in South Georgia know what it's like to try to dig through dried red clay. Unless you have a couple of sticks of dynamite, you've got problems. What does God mean when he talks about your heaven being brass? It means it's going to be exceedingly difficult for you to get through, if you get through. In other words, God is saying, basically speaking, I'm not going to hear you, I'm not going to listen to you. Now.
#23 | 13:20 to 14:04 | cleaned
Each of us in here remember the story of Job. And I hope you remember at least most of that which he went through. He not only lost his ten children in one day. He not only lost all of his possessions in one day. Even his wife turned against him and told him to curse God and die. And then he had three friends to come over and with friends like those, who needs enemies? But he had these three friends come over and they sat down and guess what they did? After they sat silently for a while, they began to accuse Job and slander him and say all kinds of malicious things about him. Job knew he was suffering. He was suffering physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially. He was suffering every way imaginable.
#24 | 14:06 to 14:57 | cleaned
The worms were eating him up. And Job knew that he had not done anything to deserve that particular judgment. In other words, he was suffering wrongfully. And let me explain that statement. When I say he was suffering wrongfully, he had done nothing personally to deserve those circumstances. Yes, he was a sinner. He knew he was a sinner. He admitted. He confessed and acknowledged that he was a sinner.
#25 | 14:57 to 15:25 | cleaned
But he had not sinned openly and rebelliously against God. And not only was he suffering, but he was being so wrongly accused, vilely I might add, by these friends. But do you realize the greatest hurt in everything that he went through? Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Job chapter 19 and verse 7. Job 19 and verse 7. Everything that he went through was bad, that is true. But look in Job chapter 19 and verse 7 and look at what Job says. Job 19 verse 7.
#26 | 15:25 to 16:15 | cleaned
"Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard. I cry aloud, but there is no judgment." What was pressuring Job? Job says, "Lord, I'm being wronged. I'm being falsely accused by my friends, I'm being judged, and Lord, I really have not been rebellious. But my problem is, Lord, when I cry to Thee for answers, when I cry to Thee for justice, when I cry to Thee for rectification of this problem, nobody's listening. You don't hear me."
#27 | 16:15 to 16:54 | cleaned
Now, let me ask you a question. Do you not think Job thought that heaven is brass? I can't get through. I don't know what's going on. God's not listening to me. You see, when God hides His face, He withdraws Himself from us. And when He does, we'll be stunned, perplexed, confused, and we too will think that heaven is brass. We sit back today and wonder why in the world our services are dry and barren and empty. We think about our prayer life, our devotional life, and every practical aspect of the ministry. Why is it there are no blessings of God upon them? What in the world is wrong? And it seems at times God will not look at us.
#28 | 16:58 to 17:57 | cleaned
He will not listen to us. He will not even acknowledge us. Do you remember? I began the lesson last week with the expression peekaboo. You remember how we used to play that little game with our children, especially babies, and we'd cover our face and or step behind a door and then we would come back and say, "Peekaboo, I see you," etc. And it was a big game. But you realize, when children get older, it's not a game anymore.
#29 | 17:58 to 18:34 | cleaned
And is it not true that there are people in your life, people that you have known, maybe sometimes they're family, you don't want to be around them. You don't want to see them. They are so wicked or so vile or they've hurt you so deeply. You know, you just stay over there on your part. I'll stay over here on my part. And everything will be fine. Have you ever stopped to think?
#30 | 18:35 to 19:04 | cleaned
That that might be the attitude that God displays when He hides His face. You say, "Come on, that would never be God's attitude." Oh. Well, we're not really looking at the Scripture. I want you to remember something, folks. There is the lex talionis, which I mentioned last week. That is the law of retribution. Three times in the Bible, God speaks about an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, foot for foot, hand for hand, stripe for stripe, burning for burning, life for life. What does that mean? It means God always makes the punishment fit the crime.
#31 | 19:06 to 19:45 | cleaned
What is our most common sin as believers, and what is our most common sin of unbelievers? I won't tell you. Let me ask you this way. What is the most common sin of the average teenager? They will not listen to mom and dad. They think they know it all. What's the most common sin of believers? We don't listen to our Father. What's the most common sin of unbelievers? They don't listen to God at all. They disrespect Him. They dishonor Him. They disbelieve Him. They refuse to listen to Him.
#32 | 19:47 to 20:34 | cleaned
Now, with that in mind, look in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 1. I'm going to show you the lex talionis. Isaiah chapter 1. Notice if you would please beginning there with verse 15. Isaiah 1 verse 15. We'll come back to some of these truths in just a moment. But Isaiah 1, verse 15. In fact, let's begin with verse 12. Look at the complaint that God lodges. In fact, we could go back to verse 10. Let's start in 10. Look at 10.
#33 | 20:35 to 21:14 | cleaned
"Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. Give ear unto the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah." By the way, would you like to know whom God is addressing as Sodom and Gomorrah? If you go back to verse 1, you'll find it's Judah and Jerusalem. So He's talking to His people. He says, "You hear the word of the Lord, rulers of Sodom. Give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah."
#34 | 21:14 to 21:41 | cleaned
Now, look at the question that He asks. "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? Why are you continuing to do this?" He says, "I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or lambs or of he-goats. When you come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts?"
#35 | 21:42 to 22:05 | cleaned
Now look, "Bring no more vain," that is, useless and worthless oblations. "Incense," that is the incense they were bringing, "is an abomination unto me. The new moons and the Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I count on no way with it. It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting."
#36 | 22:06 to 22:23 | cleaned
Now let me just stop there. Did not God appoint those meetings? Yes, He did. Did not God appoint those oblations? Yes, He did. Did not God appoint the new moons and the feast days? Yes, He did. But let's go further. He says in verse 14, "Your new moons and your appointed feast days, my soul hateth. They are a trouble unto me. I'm weary to bear them." Watch.
#37 | 22:23 to 22:47 | cleaned
"And when you spread forth your hands," that is when you pray to me, "I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Why? Your hands are full of blood. Wash you. Make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. Seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow."
#38 | 22:47 to 23:15 | cleaned
Now, I want to show you what God is saying. He began in verse 10 with, "Hear the word of the Lord." What have these people done consistently and constantly? They refuse to hear the word of the Lord. So what does God say in verse 15? "When you spread forth your hands, I'll hide my eyes from you. And I'm not playing peekaboo," says God. "And when you call unto me, I will not hear you." I remember He's talking to His people.
#39 | 23:15 to 23:52 | cleaned
This is the lex talionis of Scripture. God is saying, "You don't hear me. I will not hear you." Look in your Bibles, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 30. It is right and proper. It is just for God not to hear us when we refuse to hear Him. Look what He says in Isaiah 30, beginning there of verse 9. Isaiah 30, verse 9, "That this is a rebellious people." Look what He calls them. "Lying children, children that will not hear the law of God, who say to the seers, 'See not,' and to the prophets, 'Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits, get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.' Wherefore, thus saith the Holy One of Israel," Are you looking?
#40 | 23:54 to 24:58 | cleaned
"Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay there on," and then He goes on. What does God call His people here? Lying children, rebellious children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord. You know what our problem is? I'll tell you very frankly, our problem is we want God to hear us, but we don't want to hear Him. What we want is for God to be our little servant boy where we can just push a button and God fulfills all our demands and all our commands. What we want is the blessings of God and our sins.
#41 | 24:58 to 25:56 | cleaned
But such is an impossibility. We cannot have both. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 14. Jeremiah 14. And I can assure you that there are a multitude of passages that deal with this thought. Jeremiah chapter 14. Look in verse 12. Look what God says. In fact, we can read verse 11. In fact, let's go back to verse 10. 10 is good, too. "Thus saith the Lord unto this people. Thus have they loved to wander."
#42 | 25:58 to 26:36 | cleaned
"They have not refrained their feet. Therefore, the Lord doth not accept them. He will now remember their iniquity and visit their sins. Then said the Lord unto me," that is to Jeremiah, "pray not for this people for their good."
#43 | 26:36 to 26:47 | cleaned
Now look what He says: "When they fast, I will not hear their cry. And when they offer burnt offering and oblation, I will not accept them, and I will consume them by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence." What's God saying? They will not listen to me, and therefore I will not listen to them. They are a people who love to wander. Look back in your Bibles or forward, I should say, to Jeremiah 22 and verse 21. Jeremiah 22 and verse 21. Jeremiah 22 verse 21. God says to Israel, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, 'I will not hear.' This has been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice." Now look carefully at what that verse says. God said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity." The words God spoke when they were full. God spoke when they were receiving the blessings of God on a daily, constant and continual basis. And God spoke to them then, and what did they say?
#44 | 26:47 to 28:03 | cleaned
"I won't hear. I won't listen to you, Lord. You may be blessing me and you may be giving me all these things, but I'm not going to listen to you." God says, "This has been thy manner since thy youth." I want you to note how seeing and hearing are intimately connected in this passage with obedience. They said, "We will not hear." What does that mean? We will not obey. We will not listen.
#45 | 28:03 to 28:33 | cleaned
Look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Micah, the little book of Micah, Micah chapter three and verse four. Micah 3 and verse 4. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. Look in Micah 3 and verse 4. Look at what the Bible says. "Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them. He will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings." Isn't it amazing how many times God says this? "They shall cry unto me, but I'll not hear them. I'll even hide my face from them. You stay over there. I'll stay over here."
#46 | 28:34 to 29:31 | cleaned
"You don't want to be around me? Fine," says God. "I don't want to be around you. You don't hear me. That's OK," says the Lord. "I don't hear you. You don't listen to me. Fine. I don't listen to you." Look in your Bibles to Malachi chapter 2 and verse 2. Malachi chapter 2 and verse 2. Last book in the Old Testament. Malachi chapter 2 and verse 2. Here it is. God says, "If you will not hear and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of Hosts, I will even send a curse upon you and I will curse your blessings, yea, I've cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart." Why is God sending His curses? Why is God hiding His face? Why is God withdrawing His gracious presence? He's doing it because the people will not listen to Him. They will not hear Him.
#47 | 29:37 to 30:46 | cleaned
They will not obey Him. So whenever God refuses to hear us, when He refuses to favor us and He shuts up His mercies from us, I can assure you that all of our crying, all of our fasting, all of our praying will be in vain. It will seem as if heaven is literally brass when our prayers go no further than the ceilings. We will seek Him, but He will not be found.
#48 | 30:46 to 31:16 | cleaned
We'll call on Him, but He won't answer. We'll try to worship Him, but He won't receive it.
#49 | 31:18 to 31:24 | cleaned
Now, let me give you a very vivid illustration of this truth. The illustration is found in the book of the Song of Solomon, if you will turn back there. We're going to the Song of Solomon, chapter five. Do you remember in the Song of Solomon, there is the bride, and of course the bride is indeed a picture of the church. You will remember that. And of course the bridegroom is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. And what you have in the Song of Solomon is a picture of Christ and the church. It's interesting. Well, the Lord reveals. Notice, if you would, in the Song of Solomon, chapter five.
#50 | 31:27 to 32:22 | cleaned
And let's look at verse one, He comes to His wife. Notice Song of Solomon, chapter five, verse one, He says, "I'm coming to my garden, my sister, my spouse. I've gathered my myrrh with my spice, I've eaten my honeycomb with my honey. I've drunk my wine with my milk, eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." Now look, "I sleep, but my heart waketh," says the bride. "It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, 'Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night.'"
#51 | 32:23 to 33:04 | cleaned
So the husband is knocking the door, trying to get in. And the bride says in verse three, "I put off my coat. How shall I put it on? I've washed my feet. How shall I defile them?" In other words, preoccupied with herself. Then she says in verse four, "My beloved put his hand by the hole of the door and my bowels were moved for him." And of course, you remember in the Bible, the bowels is the deepest seat of affection. And so she was saying how she loved him in verse four. So finally, she gets up out of bed and she says in verse five, "I rose up to open to my beloved and my hands dropped with my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh upon the handles of the lock." In other words, here I am in all my finery and all my sweet smells. Verse six, "I opened to my beloved." Are you looking? "But my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone."
#52 | 33:04 to 34:11 | cleaned
"My soul failed when he spake. I sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he gave me no answer."
#53 | 34:13 to 34:23 | cleaned
Now, notice if you would what she said. He was knocking, and I didn't answer. I continued to do my own thing. And when I decided I'd finally get around to opening the door for him, he withdrawn himself. He was gone. What happened? I sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he would not hear. Do you realize when God hides His face, when God withdraws Himself, we may be left crying and screaming, but He doesn't hear. We may be left looking and searching, but we do not find. And in such a state, it will not take us long to realize it is our sin, our disobedience and our wickedness.
#54 | 34:27 to 35:20 | cleaned
That has caused Him the withdrawal. Let me tell you, I'll mention this again, I suppose one of the greatest sins that you and I as children of God commit is we presume upon His mercy and presume upon His grace. And we think, even as Christians somehow, that we can sin just a little and get by with it. We can't. God will not allow it. I suppose I don't know how else to say this. I suppose it's just a little taste of hell not to be able to discern the presence and the blessings of God. You stop and think about that. I'll be honest, quite frankly, I do not understand how unbelievers even live in this world, in this age that we're in right now. To not know the Lord and His grace and His mercy and His blessings. How in the world can you function in an age like ours? You say, "Come on now, Brother Weaver. Do you believe it's that serious?" Oh, yes.
#55 | 35:22 to 36:57 | cleaned
Look back in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 1. Let me show you. Proverbs chapter 1. And let's begin reading there with verse 22. Proverbs 1 verse 22. Look at this. You have in Proverbs 1 wisdom crying in the streets, and of course, when you get to 1 Corinthians, you'll know that Jesus Christ is wisdom personified. Proverbs 8 teaches us that Jesus Christ is wisdom. So in Proverbs chapter 1, wisdom is crying in the streets. And look, if you would, beginning there in verse 22, "She cried in the chief places of concourse, in the opening of the gates, in the city, she uttered her words saying," here's what wisdom preaches.
#56 | 36:58 to 37:47 | cleaned
"How long, you simple ones, would you love simplicity? And the scorners delighted their scorning and fools hate knowledge." In other words, how long will it be before you sit up and pay attention and listen?
#57 | 37:47 to 38:00 | cleaned
Now look at verse 23. Wisdom says, "Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out My Spirit upon you. I will make known My words to you. I'll give you understanding. I'll give you wisdom." Look in verse 24, "Because I have called, and you refused. I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded. But you have set not all of My counsel, and would have none of My reproof." God says that you wouldn't listen to me. Watch in verse 26.
#58 | 38:01 to 38:34 | cleaned
"I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh at desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me." What? "But I will not answer. They shall seek me early." What? "But they shall not find me. Why? For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord."
#59 | 38:34 to 39:03 | cleaned
"They would have none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Therefore," says God, "shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices."
#60 | 39:03 to 39:14 | cleaned
Now, let me tell you something, folks. I tried, I was not always successful, I can assure you, but I tried to teach my children that all I need to do is speak one time. And they were to obey me. If you have to speak twice, you're encouraging their disobedience, you realize that. If you're sure that they've heard you the first time. They should be obedient, "children, obey your parents and the Lord watch for this is right." I expected my children to obey me the first time I spoke to them. Do you think God expects us to obey Him the first time He speaks to us?
#61 | 39:18 to 40:15 | cleaned
Well, of course He does. Of course He does, and you say, "But I don't want to listen." God says, "Well, if you don't listen, I tell you what. Keep going your way. Because pretty soon there's going to come a day when you're going to be in extreme calamity. And then you're going to call upon me and guess what?" God says at that time, "I don't want to listen."
#62 | 40:17 to 40:42 | cleaned
That's the lex talionis, that's the law of retribution. The first consequence of God hiding His face is that He withdraws from us every manifestation of His gracious presence. We pray and He doesn't hear. We worship and it's to no avail. We cry and scream and fast. Nothing happens. Heaven is brass. The earth is iron. We can't get a blessing from it either. We've got to remember the earth is God's earth.
#63 | 40:46 to 41:22 | cleaned
I passed cornfields on the way to church this morning. They're ruined from lack of rain. I told my wife, I said, "At least they ought to go ahead and cut it down for fodder right now while it's still green. Because it's never going to make any corn." When God shuts out His blessings and He hides His face, we're in real trouble.
#64 | 41:24 to 41:54 | cleaned
Now, let me show you the second consequence, and you know, it's already coming, but look in Deuteronomy 31 and verse 17. The second consequence of God's hiding His face is judgment. Listen, this is common sense. If God withdraws His manifest presence and if God withdraws His favor and His blessings from us, what is left? The only thing that is left is judgment. Look in Deuteronomy 31 and verse 17. Look what God says.
#65 | 41:55 to 42:33 | cleaned
"Then my anger shall be kindled against them." He's talking about Israel. Deuteronomy 31 verse 17, "Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them," look, "and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them. So that they will say in that day, 'Are not these evils come upon us?' Why?"
#66 | 42:34 to 43:00 | cleaned
"Because our God is not among us." Two truths are very apparent just from a cursory reading of this verse. The first truth is this: when God hides His face, He does so in such a way that we cannot discern His presence. Israel had to even ask, "Is it not because our God is not among us?" I mean, we can't find Him anywhere. Where did He go? Where is He? What were they saying? We can't find His blessings. We can't find His favor. We can't find His protection. We can't find His good providence. Where is God? And the second truth is the lack of God's gracious presence brings only judgment. What did God say? Look back in verse 17 again.
#67 | 43:00 to 43:48 | cleaned
"Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day. And I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them." Note, "...and many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, 'Are not these evils come upon us? Because our God is not among us.' Watch, 'and I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.'" What did God say? "I will hide my face."
#68 | 43:48 to 44:23 | cleaned
By the way, Deuteronomy 32, the chapter that follows, is an ode. That is, it is a song. It was written by Moses at God's command to teach to the children of Israel as a witness against them. And if you look in Deuteronomy 32 and verse 20, look at what God says. And He's talking about how they will forsake Him and turn to other gods. And He said, "I will hide my face from them." Watch this. "And I will hide my face from them and I will see what their end shall be. For they are a very forward generation, children in whom is no faith."
#69 | 44:24 to 45:10 | cleaned
Now, let me just stop there. I want you to think about this. God said, "And I'll hide my face from them. And I will see what their end will be." You know, there are some families that will have a rebellious teenager or rebellious older child. And I believe some parents make a very serious mistake and some grandparents when they always try to bail that rebellious child out of all of his problems.
#70 | 45:11 to 45:50 | cleaned
There's a principle in Scripture, and that principle is this: he who sins must suffer. And if you try to keep someone from suffering because of their sin, they're not learning the lesson that God intends for them to learn. I believe the biblical attitude toward a rebellious teenager is exactly the one that expressed right here by God. God said, "And I'll hide my face from them and I will see what their end will be." Now, what did God mean when He said, "I'll hide my face from them and I'll see what their end will be"?
#71 | 45:52 to 46:33 | cleaned
You know, there was a sign and I don't remember all of it. A little bumper sticker I've seen in the stores, it says, "Teenagers. Take advantage of the fact that you know everything and can do everything. Run away now." Because you know, that's what most teenagers think. They can do anything and everything and you know, "Hey, hey, I'm my own boss, I'm my own thing." I told my daughter yesterday, I was with her, I guess it was Friday. I said, "You know, sweetheart, I said, I remember when I was a teenager."
#72 | 46:36 to 47:15 | cleaned
I said, "And for the life of me, I cannot figure out how stupid I really was." I said, "Do you know, I remember thinking, 'I can't wait to get out of this house and get out and get on my own where I can do my own thing,' etc., etc., etc." I said, "You know, I stop and think, my daddy bought my car, he bought my gas, he bought my clothes, he paid my food, he paid for all my bills." I said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could just go back and say, 'Daddy, I'm willing to stay at home and obey you. Just take care of me now,' you know." Come on. You know what's going to happen when you have some of these little smart-aleck teenagers who are 16 or 17, think they know everything and want to be rebellious? Let them leave home. Let them do without.
#73 | 47:18 to 48:10 | cleaned
Let them find what the prodigal boy found, the pig pen. And the next thing you know, they may be willing to come home and say, "Hey, I've sinned against heaven and I've sinned against you." But as long as you keep subsidizing them and bailing them out, nothing is ever going to change. God said, "I tell you what I'm going to do. I'll let you alone. I will hide my face."
#74 | 48:12 to 48:34 | cleaned
"I will see what your end will be. I tell you what," says God, "you want to make it on your own. Have at it. And if you think you don't need God, you just try breathing without Him. Try breathing without His air. Try working without His blessing, try moving without His grace." God said, "I tell you what, I'll just step back. And I'll see what your end will be." Let me show you from the Bible what the end will be if God steps back and lets us have our way. Are you ready?
#75 | 48:34 to 49:23 | cleaned
Look in Deuteronomy 32 verse 22. Deuteronomy 32, in fact, let's read verse 20 again. God said it: "And I will hide my face from them and I will see what their end shall be. For they are a very frail generation, children who have no faith." Verse 22, "For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn into the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them, I will spend mine arrows upon them."
#76 | 49:24 to 49:55 | cleaned
"They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction. I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without and terror within shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. I said I would scatter them into the corners. I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men."
#77 | 49:55 to 50:18 | cleaned
"Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest the adversary should have behaved themselves strangely, lest they should say, 'Our hand is high. Have the Lord not done all this?' For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them." God said, "The only reason I don't let them get destroyed totally is lest the enemies vault themselves and say, 'We did it.'" What will it be like when God withdraws His face and takes the attitude?
#78 | 50:19 to 50:56 | cleaned
"You want your way, son, go for it. I'll sit back, I'll hide my face. And I'll see what your end will be."
#79 | 50:58 to 51:10 | cleaned
Now, let me make some applications, the first one is this. I believe you have enough scriptural proof to know that God does indeed hide His face, and the reason He does so is because of our sins. It is in our rebellion and our wickedness that we tend to presume upon His mercy and His grace, and we tend to believe that God will even bless us in our sins. One of the surest ways to experience the hiding of God's face is to take Him for granted and presume upon Him.
#80 | 51:10 to 51:51 | cleaned
None of us like that. When our prayers are cold and hypocritical and unanswered, and it seems like heaven is brass, here's my counsel: check yourself. The problem is not with God. He is immutable. The problem is with you. It is your sins that have separated between you and your God and your iniquities that have hid His face from you. Here's the second application. It is true that God is a God of mercy. And I thank God for that. I have often said if I were God, I would have killed me and a lot of other people a long time ago. I'm thankful that God is merciful, but the God who is merciful is also just.
#81 | 51:54 to 52:48 | cleaned
And in His justice, if we do not listen to Him, He will not listen to us. That's why David said in Psalm 66 and verse 18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Thirdly, if you and I desire for God to hear us in our times of desperation and need, we need to learn a very important lesson. What is it?
#82 | 52:49 to 53:24 | cleaned
Do you remember Daniel and Daniel chapter six, the presidents wanted to find fault against Daniel, but they couldn't find any. And they said, "We understand that we're not going to find any fault unless we find it against the law of his God." And so they got the king to pass a law, according to Medes and Persians, one that could not be changed or altered, that no one could ask any petition of any God but the king for 30 days.
#83 | 53:27 to 53:59 | cleaned
And he who did so was to be thrown in the den of lions. The law was signed by the king. And listen to Daniel 6 and verse 10. Hang on now, let me just read it for you, because here's the important point. "Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and as his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed."
#84 | 54:00 to 54:36 | cleaned
"And gave thanks before God as he did aforetime." Now, here's the counsel. The way to pray effectively when you're in trouble is to be used to praying before you get into trouble. Daniel just kept on doing what he ordinarily did. You see, what most people want to do is this: they want to ignore God day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. And all of a sudden, when they get their back up against the wall, then they want to scream and cry and pray and get God to answer them. No. If you want to pray effectively when you're in desperate times, you better be used to praying before you get in desperate times. Because God said, "If you don't hear me, I won't hear you." Number four is this.
#85 | 54:37 to 55:43 | cleaned
Listen carefully, however wicked sin is, however awful its consequences and however terrible its punishment, I can assure you the greatest danger in sin is the loss of the manifest presence of God. When you are unable to perceive Him by faith, see His hand in providence, and to know the comfort of His blessed touch, you are in a real fix. What does that mean? It means we must repent and seek Him for restoration. We must make it a daily habit of listening to Him, obeying Him, communing with Him. I want it to be with God the way it is with me with my grandchildren. When I say that, I mean, I got two of them here today and they're good kids.
#86 | 55:44 to 57:06 | cleaned
And Lacey's claim to fame is she's the only grandchild I've never whipped. Never had to whip her. Can't say that about Tripp now. But you know what I like to do? I like to see them doing right. And I like to look at them and smile and say, "Those are my grandkids." And I want God to be able to look at me when I obey Him and say, "That's my child. He's doing right." I want His smile.
#87 | 57:07 to 57:44 | cleaned
Not the hiding of His face. Let's pray. Father, we are thankful for Jesus Christ and for all of the grace and love and mercy that You've given to us. We're thankful for these truths and truths of warning, truths of caution. And yet, Lord, they have such a practical application. Help us, Lord, to be faithful unto Thee. To serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear, in Thy name we pray, Amen.
#88 | 57:46 to 58:18 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:14:04Z

When God Hides His Face - 2

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, John Weaver continues his exposition of Isaiah 59:1-2, focusing on the consequences of God hiding His face due to sin. He explains that when God withdraws His manifest presence, believers experience unanswered prayer, barren worship, and a sense of divine absence, likened to a brass heaven and iron earth. Drawing from multiple Old Testament passages, Weaver argues that God's hiding is a just retribution (lex talionis) for refusing to hear and obey Him. The sermon warns against presuming upon God's mercy and urges repentance, daily obedience, and consistent prayer to avoid the judgment and desolation that follow when God's face is hidden.

Introduction and Review

And I will take just a few moments to review. But in Isaiah 59, look, if you would please, at verses one and two. And this is the second part of "When God Hides His Face." Isaiah 59 verse 1,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 59:1-2

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear."

The Consequence of God Hiding His Face

Weaver introduces the main point: the consequences of God hiding His face, stressing that all actions have consequences and God judges according to truth and deeds.

Now, the Bible in Romans 2 and verse 2 goes a little bit further. Listen carefully. In Romans 2 and verse 2, the Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 2:2, 6

"But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth."

First Consequence: Withdrawal of Gracious Presence

The Lex Talionis: God's Just Retribution

Now look what He says:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 14:10-12

"When they fast, I will not hear their cry. And when they offer burnt offering and oblation, I will not accept them, and I will consume them by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence."

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 14:10-12

"I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, 'I will not hear.' This has been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice."

Illustration from Song of Solomon

The bride's delayed response to the bridegroom's knock results in his withdrawal, illustrating how God may depart when we are preoccupied with self, leaving us seeking but not finding Him.

Scripture Reading — Song of Solomon 5:2-6

"I sleep, but my heart waketh,"

says the bride.

Scripture Reading — Song of Solomon 5:2-6

"It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, 'Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night.'"

Warning Against Presuming on God's Mercy

Weaver warns that presuming on God's grace leads to His withdrawal. Proverbs 1 shows wisdom laughing at calamity when people refuse to listen, emphasizing the seriousness of ignoring God.

Second Consequence: Judgment

When God hides His face, judgment follows. Deuteronomy 31 and 32 describe evils, troubles, and desolation when God withdraws, allowing people to reap the consequences of their rebellion.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"Then my anger shall be kindled against them."

He's talking about Israel. Deuteronomy 31 verse 17,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them,"

look,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them. So that they will say in that day, 'Are not these evils come upon us?' Why?" "Because our God is not among us."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"Is it not because our God is not among us?"

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day. And I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them."

Note,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"...and many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, 'Are not these evils come upon us? Because our God is not among us.' Watch, 'and I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.'"

What did God say?

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"I will hide my face."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"I will hide my face from them."

Watch this.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 31:17

"And I will hide my face from them and I will see what their end shall be. For they are a very forward generation, children in whom is no faith."

Look in Deuteronomy 32 verse 22. Deuteronomy 32, in fact, let's read verse 20 again. God said it:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:20-26

"And I will hide my face from them and I will see what their end shall be. For they are a very frail generation, children who have no faith."

Verse 22,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:20-26

"For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn into the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them, I will spend mine arrows upon them." "They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction. I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without and terror within shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. I said I would scatter them into the corners. I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men."

Applications and Conclusion

Scripture Reading — Daniel 6:10

"Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and as his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed." "And gave thanks before God as he did aforetime."

When God Hides His Face - 2

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	82506105620
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession
Genre	Sermon
Date	2006-06-25
Dictation Name
Book	Book 050: When God Hides His Face — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	88

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver reviews the previous message, emphasizing that God hides His face anthropomorphically and synecdochally, meaning He withdraws His manifest presence, not His omnipresence. The cause is sin, as stated in Isaiah 59:1-2.
The Consequence of God Hiding His Face: Weaver introduces the main point: the consequences of God hiding His face, stressing that all actions have consequences and God judges according to truth and deeds.
First Consequence: Withdrawal of Gracious Presence: God withdraws His manifest presence, making worship dry and prayers unanswered. Passages from Hosea, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Job illustrate that God refuses to hear when His people refuse to hear Him.
The Lex Talionis: God's Just Retribution: Weaver explains the law of retribution: because people refuse to hear God, He refuses to hear them. Passages from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and Malachi show God hiding His face in response to disobedience.
Illustration from Song of Solomon: The bride's delayed response to the bridegroom's knock results in his withdrawal, illustrating how God may depart when we are preoccupied with self, leaving us seeking but not finding Him.
Warning Against Presuming on God's Mercy: Weaver warns that presuming on God's grace leads to His withdrawal. Proverbs 1 shows wisdom laughing at calamity when people refuse to listen, emphasizing the seriousness of ignoring God.
Second Consequence: Judgment: When God hides His face, judgment follows. Deuteronomy 31 and 32 describe evils, troubles, and desolation when God withdraws, allowing people to reap the consequences of their rebellion.
Applications and Conclusion: Weaver applies the message: check yourself when prayers seem unanswered; God is just and will not hear if we regard iniquity; consistent prayer prepares for desperate times; the greatest danger of sin is losing God's manifest presence; repent and seek restoration.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Sin separates from God and causes Him to hide His face.

Isaiah 59:1-2 clearly states that iniquities separate people from God and cause Him to hide His face, which is the foundational cause of the consequences discussed.

Weaver reads Isaiah 59:1-2: 'your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear.'

God's hiding His face is a withdrawal of manifest presence, not omnipresence.

God is omnipresent, but when He hides His face, He withdraws the perception of His blessings and presence, making it impossible to discern Him.

Weaver explains, 'when we talk about God withdrawing His presence... it is not that God goes into the corner... He's just simply withdrawn His gracious presence.'

All actions have consequences, and God judges according to truth and deeds.

Using Galatians 6:7-8 and Romans 2:2,6, Weaver argues that sowing to the flesh reaps corruption, and God's judgment is based on truth and renders to every man according to his deeds.

Weaver quotes Galatians 6:7-8: 'Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap.'

When God hides His face, worship and prayer become vain and unanswered.

Passages like Hosea 5:6 and Job 19:7 show that seeking God through rituals yields no finding, and crying out results in no answer, likened to a brass heaven.

Weaver reads Hosea 5:6: 'They shall go with their flocks... to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him. He has withdrawn himself from them.'

God's refusal to hear is a just retribution for refusing to hear Him.

The lex talionis principle means God hides His face and refuses to hear because people first refused to hear and obey Him, as seen in Isaiah 1:15 and other texts.

Weaver states, 'God is saying, "You don't hear me. I will not hear you."' He cites Isaiah 1:15: 'when you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you.'

Presuming on God's mercy leads to His withdrawal and eventual judgment.

Proverbs 1:24-31 warns that when people refuse wisdom's call, God will laugh at their calamity and not answer when they call, illustrating the danger of presumption.

Weaver reads Proverbs 1:24-26: 'Because I have called, and you refused... I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.'

God's hiding His face results in judgment and desolation.

Deuteronomy 31:17 and 32:20-26 describe that when God hides His face, evils, troubles, and destruction follow, as God allows people to suffer the consequences of their rebellion.

Weaver reads Deuteronomy 31:17: 'I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them.'

Consistent prayer and obedience are necessary to avoid God hiding His face.

Daniel's example (Daniel 6:10) shows that effective prayer in crisis comes from a habit of prayer before crisis; believers must listen to God daily to ensure He hears them.

Weaver says, 'The way to pray effectively when you're in trouble is to be used to praying before you get into trouble.' He references Daniel 6:10.

Scripture References

Isaiah 59:1-2: The foundational text for the sermon, stating that sin separates from God and causes Him to hide His face.
Isaiah 59:3-4: Describes the sins of the people: hands defiled with blood, lips speaking lies, etc., as the cause of separation.
Isaiah 59:12-14: Further lists transgressions and iniquities that testify against the people, leading to God's withdrawal.
Galatians 6:7-8: Used to illustrate that sowing to the flesh reaps corruption, emphasizing consequences of sin.
Romans 2:2, 6: God's judgment is according to truth, and He renders to every man according to his deeds.
Hosea 5:6: People seek the Lord with sacrifices but do not find Him because He has withdrawn Himself.
Leviticus 26:18-19: God threatens to punish seven times more and make heaven as iron and earth as brass for disobedience.
Deuteronomy 28:23: Parallel to Leviticus 26:19, describing heaven as brass and earth as iron as a curse.
Job 19:7: Job cries out of wrong but is not heard, illustrating the feeling of heaven being brass.
Isaiah 1:10-15: God rejects the sacrifices and prayers of His people because their hands are full of blood; He will hide His eyes and not hear.
Isaiah 30:9-11: Rebellious children who will not hear the law of the Lord, telling seers to prophesy smooth things.
Jeremiah 14:10-12: God tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people; He will not hear their fasts or accept their offerings.
Jeremiah 22:21: God spoke in prosperity, but Israel said, 'I will not hear,' and this has been their manner from youth.
Micah 3:4: They will cry to the Lord, but He will not hear them; He will hide His face because of their evil doings.
Malachi 2:2: If they will not hear and give glory to God's name, He will send a curse and curse their blessings.
Song of Solomon 5:2-6: The bride delays opening to the bridegroom, and when she does, he has withdrawn; she seeks but does not find him.
Proverbs 1:22-31: Wisdom calls but is refused; therefore, God will laugh at calamity and not answer when they call.
Deuteronomy 31:17: God will hide His face, and evils and troubles will befall them; they will realize God is not among them.
Deuteronomy 32:20-26: God will hide His face and see their end; a fire of anger will consume them, and mischiefs will be heaped upon them.
Daniel 6:10: Daniel prayed three times a day as before, illustrating consistent prayer that prepares for crisis.

Historical References

Job's suffering and false accusation by friends: Weaver uses Job's experience of crying out without being heard to illustrate the feeling of heaven being brass when God hides His face.
Daniel in the lions' den: Daniel's consistent prayer habit before the crisis is used as an example of how to pray effectively in desperate times.

Important Quotes

Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear.

This is the key verse of the sermon, establishing that sin causes God to hide His face and not hear.

They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him. He has withdrawn himself from them.

Illustrates that religious rituals are futile when God has withdrawn His presence due to sin.

Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Emphasizes the principle of sowing and reaping, warning that sin has inevitable consequences.

Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them.

Declares that God's hiding His face leads to judgment and desolation.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

A concise biblical principle (Psalm 66:18) that summarizes the condition for answered prayer.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding God's omnipresence help us interpret what it means when He 'hides His face'?

[Context]

Weaver explains that God is everywhere but withdraws His manifest presence, not His essential being.

[Question]

In what ways do we, like Israel, presume upon God's mercy and think we can sin without consequence?

[Context]

Weaver warns that presuming on God's grace is a common sin that leads to His withdrawal.

[Question]

How does the lex talionis (law of retribution) apply to our relationship with God today?

[Context]

Weaver argues that God's refusal to hear us is a just response to our refusal to hear Him.

[Question]

What practical steps can we take to ensure we are listening to God daily, rather than just crying out in crises?

[Context]

Weaver uses Daniel's example to stress consistent prayer and obedience before trouble comes.

[Question]

How can we discern whether a dry spiritual season is due to God hiding His face or other factors?

[Context]

Weaver suggests checking oneself for sin when prayers seem unanswered and heaven feels like brass.

[Question]

What does the illustration from Song of Solomon teach us about the urgency of responding to God's call?

[Context]

The bride's delay caused the bridegroom to withdraw, showing that procrastination in obedience can lead to loss of presence.

[Question]

How should the reality of God's judgment as a consequence of His hidden face affect our evangelism and warnings to others?

[Context]

Weaver describes the severe judgments in Deuteronomy 31-32 when God hides His face.

[Question]

In what ways might modern churches be experiencing a 'brass heaven' due to unconfessed sin or disobedience?

[Context]

Weaver compares the dry, hollow worship described in Hosea to many modern churches.

Applications

Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T10:30:58Z