The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 447

Ver. 7.-The avlfrted face. "Thou bast hid thy face from us." If so we cannot be happy. The universe itself will refuse to strike out its sweetest notes of joy for us. It is a ]father's world, and must have a Father's love in it all to make us blessed! One of the oldest, sweetest prayers in the Bible is, " God be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us." The Christian must have this blessing. You say, "Ah! hut men of the world can enjoy nature and society without God." It is manifest, you declare, that they do. Certainly; but even then it is a surface-joy, even then it may be disturbed by the Egyptian death's-bead at the feast; by memories flashing a.cross the mind; some vulture may suddenly swoop dowu upon its prey in their hearts. .But a Christian has his joy in God, and without him he is out of health, sick, faint, weary, sad. Spiritual health is necessary to the soul who has known God, to make enjoyment complete and real. I. THIS IS NOT AN ARBITRARY ACT, Some parents are by turn tender and severe; they indulge and they punish in hasty moods. Their frame of mind is not regulated by high principle, by a healthy estimate of things. It is otherwise 1:Vith God. The earliest records tell us that to deal with the righteous as with the wicked is /a-:- from him. Yes, very far I We read in Isaiah that God had hidden his face from the house of Jacob, but it was because they had "sought out them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards." "Should not," says the prophet, "a people seek unto their God?" And again Isaiah says, " llut your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sius have hid his face from you.'' This is the secret of the hiJing. Sin is against the peace, purity, beauty, order of the universe, and it wrongs a man's own soul. Would it be right to smile, then? Mark, God does not hide his face because of old sins that have been repented of and forgiven, Remember that there is no human meanne~s in Ged's nature. He docs not touch the heart with pain about old deli11qnencies. "Thy sins and thine iniquities will I r('membcr no more." I am told that there are some people who do not pray for the forgiveness of sins, because they are Christians, and l\ll has been forgiven them unto the end, What a  4-64: 'l'HE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [on. LXIV, 1-12.