Face

FACE. The Lord promises Moses, that his Face shall go before the Israelites¹: In the Year of the World 3941, before J.C. 59, before the Vulg. Æra 63.Facies mea præcedet te, & requiem dabo tibi. By these words some understand God himself, my Face, I my self, say the Septuagint, or rather my Angel, the Angel of my Face, the Angel Michael whom I have appointed || Antiq. l. 14. c. 21. † Exod. xxxiii. 13, 14.to be the conductor of my people. By the Angel of his presence in Isaiah is meant likewise the Messiah, Isai. lxiii. 9. Angelus faciei ejus salvavit vos. The principal Angels are called Angels of his presence, the Archangels who appear in the presence of God, who see his Face, and are the nearest to his person. The Scripture speaking in a popular manner, represents God frequently in Heaven like the Assyrian or Persian Monarch in his palace, admitting a certain number only of his principal officers to his presence, who have the honour to see and serve him. See Tobit xii. 15. Rev. i. 4.

Moses in the place abomentioned begs of God to show him his Face, si inveni gratiam in conspectu tuo, ostende mihi faciem tuam. And afterwards, to manifest his glory to him, ostende mihi gloriam tuam, which is the same as faciem tuam. God replies to him, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, or all my glory; and I will proclaim my name, which I will give thee as a signal of my presence: but for my Face, thou canst not see it; for there shall no man see it and live. It was a certain persuasion, and very prevalent in the world, that no man could support the sight of God without expiring. See Gen. xvi. 13. xxxii. 30. Exod. xx. 19. xxiv. 11. Judg. vi. 22, 23.

The Lord executed his promise, he passed before the cave where Moses was placed. Moses saw his glory as it passed before the mouth of the cave, but beheld not the Face of God, ch. xxxiv. 6, 7. whose back parts only were visible to him. Nevertheless it is said in the book of Numbers, ch. xii. 4. that God spoke mouth to mouth to him, even apparently, and not in dark speeches. And in another place, Numb. xiv. The Canaanites have heard that thou art among thy people, and that thou art seen Face to Face. And in Deuter. v. 4. it is said, that God talked with the Hebrews Face to Face out of the midst of the fire. But in all these places Face to Face is to be understood simply, as if he had said, that God manifested himself to the Israelites, that he made them hear his voice in a manner as distinct, as if he had appeared to them Face to Face.

The bread of Faces, the Shew-bread which was always in the presence of God. See SHEW-BREAD.

The Face of God denotes sometimes his Ps. xxxiv. 17. Ib. liv. 22. Ib. lxviii. 2.anger. The Face of the Lord is upon those who do evil. And they were dispersed by the Anger of his Face . And again, As wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish before the Face of God. We find likewise the word Face used in a contrary sense: Ps. xxxi. 16. Ps. lxxx. 7.Make thy face to shine upon thy servant. And in another passage, Cause thy Face to shine, and we shall be saved. And I shall be Ib. xvii. 15.satisfied when I behold thy glory, thy Face in righteousness. Thou shalt hide them in Ib. xxxi. 20.the secret of thy face; thou shalt protect them, thou shalt heap thy favours on them.

Ib. lxxxi. 2.To consider the face of any one, to have respect to persons. Usque quo facies peccatorum sumitis? And Solomon, Qui Prov. xxviii. 21.cognoscit faciem in judicio, non bene facit. The Judge ought to shut his eyes against the persons whose cause comes before him, and open them only to justice. Sometimes to know the Face, signifies to do a favour, as in Malachi i. 8, 9. Si quomodo suscipiat facies vestras Dominus. I have accepted Gen. xix. 21.thee concerning this thing also, &c. literally in the Hebrew, I have accepted thy Face.

To spit in one’s Face, is a sign of the utmost contempt. The woman, whose husband died without children, if her husband’s brother refused to marry her, spit in his Face. Deut. xxv. 9.

Ib. xlii. 5.The salvation of the Lord’s Face, signifies the Salvation which he by his favour promises.

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