The face of God and of man

Did you know that God has a face?

We are so used to the faces of people that we seldom pause to ponder the fact that there are around 20 muscles to control each half of our faces. Some of them are for chewing food, but most are used to reflect our mood. Facial expressions make up a rich language. This is noted in the Bible.

A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
Proverbs 15:13

Or when God spoke to Cain (who was contemplating killing his brother).

The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
Genesis 4:6

The face of Cain had fallen because of his dark plans.

It seems that God did not read the mind of Cain but looked at his face.

The face of God

God has a face according to the Bible. You might think this is just our way of making God more human. Actually, this metaphor is used by God himself in the Bible. We will return to the subject later, but first a few aspects of the face of God.

The presence of God

The face of God is often mentioned to signify closeness to God or the presence of God. The next quote is about the first humans in the garden of Eden, after they has messed up their relationship to God.

The word face does not appear in this translation. We insert a literal translation in [brackets]. It corresponds to the italicized words.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence [the face] of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8

Or Cain, after he actually killed his brother.

Then Cain went away from the presence [the face] of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
1 Moseboken 4:16

Here is a quote from Psalms about God:

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence [your face]?
Psalms 139:7

The benevolence of God

The face of God is related to light, joy, and salvation in the Bible.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Psalm 80:19

The following prayer for prosperity is read every service in the Church of Sweden, and in many other contexts. It is taken from the Old Testament and centers on the face of God.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

Another quote from Psalms:

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face
Psalms 89:15

The opposite, God turning away his face, spells nothing but disaster. In the Old Testament, Israel was attacked more than once, and the people deported. Here is a verse where God explains why.

I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.
Ezekiel 39:24

The holiness of God

Even if the face of God brings light and prosperity, a human being cannot endure looking God straight in the eye.

In the Old Testament Moses wanted to see God. God agreed — with a condition.

you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live … my face shall not be seen.
Exodus 33:20, 23

The Bible says that there is something special with the face of Jesus Christ.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6

When Jesus walked on earth, there was nothing special with his face. His opponents had to recruit one of his closest friends to pick him out when they were to arrest him.

However, there was one very special occasion. Jesus brought three of his disciples and they went up a mountain.

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Matthew 17:2

John (one of the disciples on the mountain) describes a later encounter with Jesus the following way in the last book of the Bible. This happened several decades after the resurrection of Jesus.

… his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
Revelation 1:16-17

No worries, he got help to get back on his feet in order to write the remainder of Revelation. But there is something very unusual with the face of Jesus after his resurrection.

When human beings meet God

When a person meets God, something happens to their face.

Let’s go back to Moses again.

Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
Exodus 33:11

After those encounters, the face of Moses was shining in such a way that not even his own brother dared approach him. Moses didn’t notice this himself, he knew it only by the reactions of others. He began to use a veil to cover his face.

Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining.
Exodus 34:34-35

An encounter with God can make the face of anyone shine.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
Psalms 34:4-5

Everyday encounters

How faces communicate!

A baby may begin to smile towards Mom from the age of five weeks. Two faces smiling at each other. The vital attachment begins long before speech.

We may all reflect on how we use — actually turn — our faces.

This is what Isaiah, the prophet, says about God’s suffering servant.

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Isaiah 53:3

A person from whom people hide their faces is one who is despised and held in low esteem.

We have seen previously the far-reaching significance of God turning his face to us or away from us. It means happiness or catastrophe. Human beings are created in the image of God, which means that, to some extent, this applies to us as well. By turning our face towards someone, or away from someone, we either welcome or repel the person.