If you turn your back on the Lord, the Lord will turn his back on you.7 This isn’t because he doesn’t love you, but precisely because he does. To bless those who rebel against God would be to encourage them and others to increasingly do so.
As we refuse to change based on the teachings and examples of others,8 he is left with only one remaining way to persuade us: pain. In order to best assist those who continue in rebellion against him, the Lord increasingly exposes them to a greater share of the consequences of their choices. This is symbolically described as both his “setting his face against you” and “hiding his face from you.” The Lord’s face is “set against you” when his perceived role changes from being the provider of blessings to being the provider of punishments.9 The Lord “hides his face from you” when he withdraws from you the merciful unearned blessings he provides to those who seek him.1316
The Lord turns his face back towards those who turn back towards him.1317 Life features a myriad of ways to increase our appreciation for options for improvement.1318 Those who continue to buck against life’s lessons are exposed to ever greater measures of the consequences of doing so,1319 while those who turn back to God begin once again to enjoy the blessings of his countenance.1320
Footnotes
- 1. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. (Luke 10:16) ↩
- 2. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6) ↩
- 3. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. (John 13:20) ↩
- 4. Whoso receiveth you receiveth me; and the same will feed you, and clothe you, and give you money. And he who feeds you, or clothes you, or gives you money, shall in nowise lose his reward. And he that doeth not these things is not my disciple; by this you may know my disciples. (D&C 84:89-91) ↩
- 5. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:10) ↩
- 6. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. (Luke 10:16) ↩
- 7. And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. (Jeremiah 32:33) ↩
- 8. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. (Ezekiel 3:7-10) ↩
- 9. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. (Psalm 34:16) And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. (Leviticus 26:17) For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. (Jeremiah 21:10) And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Lord. (Ezekiel 14:8) ↩