“And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.”
My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 32:20 Mean?
God responds to Israel's forgetfulness with a devastating decision: "I will hide my face from them." Then, with almost clinical curiosity: "I will see what their end shall be." God withdraws His face (presence, favor, protection) and watches to see how they end up without it. The withdrawal is the judgment.
The diagnosis is double: they are "a very froward generation" (perverse, twisted) and "children in whom is no faith" (emunah — faithfulness, reliability). The unfaithfulness is both moral (froward/twisted) and relational (no faith/no faithfulness). They're unreliable children of a reliable God.
The hiding of God's face is the most severe judgment in the Old Testament — worse than plagues, worse than exile. When God's face is present, everything works. When God's face is hidden, everything collapses. The face is the source. Hide the source and the effects disappear.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the idea of God 'hiding His face' (not punishing, just withdrawing) feel like the most severe judgment to you?
- 2.Where might you be living on the residual effects of God's presence without currently enjoying His face?
- 3.What does 'children in whom is no faith' look like — and does it describe your current condition?
- 4.How do you seek God's face rather than just His benefits — and do you know the difference?
Devotional
I'll hide my face. And I'll watch what happens to them without it.
This is the most chilling judgment in Moses' song. Not fire from heaven. Not the ground opening. God simply turns away. He hides His face. And then He watches — with the detached observation of a scientist running an experiment — to see what becomes of people who have lost God's face.
The face of God is everything: favor, protection, provision, presence. When the face is toward you, you're safe. When the face is hidden, you're exposed. Every good thing in your life is connected to the face of God. Remove the face, and the good things drain away on their own.
"I will see what their end shall be" — there's a terrible patience in this phrase. God doesn't destroy them immediately. He watches. He lets the consequences of His absence develop naturally. He removes Himself and observes the slow disintegration. The judgment is the withdrawal. The consequences are left to unfold.
"Children in whom is no faith" — the Hebrew emunah means both faith and faithfulness. They have neither. They don't trust God (no faith). They can't be trusted by God (no faithfulness). The unreliable children have exhausted the patience of the reliable Father.
The hidden face is the worst case scenario — and it looks like normalcy at first. When God hides His face, the sun still rises. The crops still grow (for a while). Everything seems fine. Until it doesn't. Until the accumulated absence becomes visible. Until the things that only God's face sustained quietly collapse.
Don't take the face for granted. Everything you have depends on it. And if it hides, you'll discover just how much you needed what you forgot to notice.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God,.... With a false messiah; for after the death of Jesus, the…
Song of Moses If Deu 32:1-3 be regarded as the introduction, and Deu 32:43 as the conclusion, the main contents of the…
The method of this song follows the method of the predictions in the foregoing chapter, and therefore, after the revolt…
And he said A gloss, it overloads the rhythm.
Let me hide, etc.] Deu 31:17 f.
their end Lit. their afterwards, see on…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture