SPECIAL TOPIC: FACE TO FACE

The term "personally" (BDB 815) is literally "face," which denotes God's personal presence (cf. Deut. 5:4; Gen. 32:30; Exod. 33:14-15; Isa. 63:9, "the angel of His presence"). This is also the root behind the Hebrew idiom "face to face" (cf. Exod. 33:11; Deut. 34:10 and same thought in "mouth to mouth" of Num. 12:8). Both speak of personal intimacy.

YHWH truly is the God who is with us (i.e., Immanuel of Isa. 7:14; 8:8,10). Sin breaks the intimacy and YHWH turns His face away (cf. Deut. 31:17; Lev. 17:10; 20:3,6; Isa. 59:2; Jer. 18:17; Ezek. 7:22; 39:23,24,29). I think this even happened to Jesus on the cross as He bore the sin of the world (cf. Mark 15:33-34).

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