There are enough Verses in the Bible to make seeing God in person into a subject of curiosity, fear and wonder. Exodus 33:17–20 gives both a warning and spells out the issue. In one of Moses’ many conversations with God, Moses in Verse 18 says to Him “show me your glory.” The Lord in Verse 19 says “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy,” but in Verse 20 He gives a warning: He says to Moses, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
Commentators have suggested that this visual barrier God has erected is in order to maintain His Purity by not being tainted from people, who by definition are enmeshed in sin because of the world they live in. Commentators have also suggested that God felt if a person actually saw Him it would be too much to endure, so the person would die not because of God but because of himself…Similar to the idea of dying from fright; in this case, it’s the idea of seeing the awesome God in person, as He may be too much for the person to see on all levels from the idea of seeing God face to face to the shame of the sins the person believes has committed and may perceive being rebuked by God’s Eyes on them.
And there have been instances where seeing God in person was a close call. In Genesis 3:6–13, when Adam and Eve realize they were naked after they ate from the Tree of Good and Evil, they hid among the trees after, in Verse 8, “they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden.” The Lord asked them as they were hidden, in Verse 11, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Well, it seems that if they were hidden, they wouldn’t have been able to see God face to face as they believed God couldn’t see them. For all we know, their dialogue with God continued while they hid themselves.
In another close-call incident, in Genesis 18:1–10, God meets Abraham as Abraham sat at the foot of his tent. But Abraham doesn’t actually see God since three angels stood in front of Him. He was there to tell Abraham and his wife Sarah, that in a year Sarah, whose womb up to that point was barren, would have a son. Seems we have to presume that the Lord spoke to Abraham as he continued to be behind the three angels, since the Bible didn’t say that the Lord came out in front when He spoke to him.
There happens to be one incident in which it seems beyond a doubt that a person saw God face-to-face and lived. This is described in Genesis 32:24–30, in which Jacob and God wrestle with each other. Seems at that point, that Jacob could not help but see God’s Face, yet if so, Jacob did not die from seeing Him. In fact, in Verse 30, Jacob says, on naming the place where they wrestled, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”
Granted, this incident happened before God says in Exodus that people would die if they saw His Face. One could surmise that Jacob continued to live because of the plans God had for him to build a nation of the twelve tribes of Jacob, renamed Israel by Him.
Nobody has to see God in person to see His Glory, as He alludes to in Exodus 33:18-19. But it’s interesting to see what God and man does to avoid man seeing Him. And since Jacob actually does see Him, I suppose God had His Reasons.
Commentators have suggested that this visual barrier God has erected is in order to maintain His Purity by not being tainted from people, who by definition are enmeshed in sin because of the world they live in. Commentators have also suggested that God felt if a person actually saw Him it would be too much to endure, so the person would die not because of God but because of himself…Similar to the idea of dying from fright; in this case, it’s the idea of seeing the awesome God in person, as He may be too much for the person to see on all levels from the idea of seeing God face to face to the shame of the sins the person believes has committed and may perceive being rebuked by God’s Eyes on them.
And there have been instances where seeing God in person was a close call. In Genesis 3:6–13, when Adam and Eve realize they were naked after they ate from the Tree of Good and Evil, they hid among the trees after, in Verse 8, “they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden.” The Lord asked them as they were hidden, in Verse 11, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Well, it seems that if they were hidden, they wouldn’t have been able to see God face to face as they believed God couldn’t see them. For all we know, their dialogue with God continued while they hid themselves.
In another close-call incident, in Genesis 18:1–10, God meets Abraham as Abraham sat at the foot of his tent. But Abraham doesn’t actually see God since three angels stood in front of Him. He was there to tell Abraham and his wife Sarah, that in a year Sarah, whose womb up to that point was barren, would have a son. Seems we have to presume that the Lord spoke to Abraham as he continued to be behind the three angels, since the Bible didn’t say that the Lord came out in front when He spoke to him.
There happens to be one incident in which it seems beyond a doubt that a person saw God face-to-face and lived. This is described in Genesis 32:24–30, in which Jacob and God wrestle with each other. Seems at that point, that Jacob could not help but see God’s Face, yet if so, Jacob did not die from seeing Him. In fact, in Verse 30, Jacob says, on naming the place where they wrestled, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”
Granted, this incident happened before God says in Exodus that people would die if they saw His Face. One could surmise that Jacob continued to live because of the plans God had for him to build a nation of the twelve tribes of Jacob, renamed Israel by Him.
Nobody has to see God in person to see His Glory, as He alludes to in Exodus 33:18-19. But it’s interesting to see what God and man does to avoid man seeing Him. And since Jacob actually does see Him, I suppose God had His Reasons.
