Hosea 5:15 LSB
As Israel was about to enter the promised land the Lord told Moses that they would depart from Him after he was gone.
16 And Yahweh said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the foreign gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have cut with them.
17 "Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will find them, so that they will say in that day, 'Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have found us?'
18 "But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.
Deuteronomy 31:16-18 LSB
The scriptures tell of Israel's rebellion against their God. We read of their falling away into idolatry and of the judgement that they would face on account of their sin. God removing His favor and protection from them is what is implied by the hiding of His face.
Throughout their existence they have experienced the Lord's chastisement followed by His mercy upon their repentance. God is faithful, a covenant keeping God. While He must be true to His holiness—He cannot just ignore sin, He also must keep His word. In this case the covenant made with Abraham promising to make his descendants through Isaac and Jacob His chosen people and giving them the promised land. So there is a tension created by Israel's backslidden condition.
We find promises of restoration throughout scripture as well. Passages like the following speak of a coming day when Israel's sin has been dealt with and their relationship with their God has been healed.
4 "Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; and do not feel dishonored, for you will not be humiliated; but you will forget the shame of your virginity, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 "For your husband is your Maker, whose name is Yahweh of hosts; and your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth.
6 "For Yahweh has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of ones youth when she is rejected," says your God.
7 "For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you.
8. "In a flood of fury I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you," says Yahweh your Redeemer.
9 "For this is like the days of Noah to Me, when I swore that the waters of Noah would not overflow the earth again; so I have sworn that I will not be furious with you nor will I rebuke you.
10 "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says Yahweh who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:4-10 LSB
14 And it will be said, "Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every stumbling block out of the way of My people."
15 For thus says the One high and lifted up who dwells forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the crushed.
16 "For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before Me, and the breath of those whom I have made.
17 "Because of the iniquity of his greedy gain I was angry and struck him; I hid My face and was angry, and he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.
18 "I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and pay him and his mourners in full with comfort,
19 Creating the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near," says Yahweh, "And I will heal him."
Isaiah 57:14-19 LSB
Jesus came to His own, the people of Israel. His purpose was to turn them back to the LORD. However He was ultimately rejected by those who were His own (See Isaiah 49:5-7, John 1:11). While the good news came to Israel first, and many recieved it, a partial hardening came upon the nation as a judgement ( Romans 11:11-25).
For the last two millenia it has been this way,
but the day will come, when as a nation, the eyes of the people will be opened. The veil over their hearts will be removed ( 2 Corinthians 3:16).
In Ezekiel 38 and 39 we read of an invasion of Israel that will occur in the last days culminating with Christ's return and the restoration of nation.
21 "And I will put My glory among the nations ; and all the nations will see My judgements which I have executed and My hand which I have placed on them.
22 "And the house of Israel will know that I am Yahweh their God from that day onward.
23 "And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity because they acted unfaithfully against Me, and I hid My face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword.
24 "According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them."
25 Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh, "Now I will return the fortunes of Jacob and have compassion on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name.
26 "So they will forget their dishonor and all their unfaithfullness which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them tremble.
27 "When I return them from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall prove Myself holy through them in the sight of the many nations.
28 "Then they will know that I am Yahweh their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then collected them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer.
29 "And I will not hide My face from them any longer; for I will have poured out My spirit on the house of Israel," declares Lord Yahweh.
Ezekiel 39:21-29 LSB
At the close of this age the surrounding nations will come against Israel, scattering them once more. This event also referred to as the time of Jacob's trouble will bring them to a place of repentance. They will embrace as their Messiah Jesus, who comes to redeem them and restore them to their land one last time, never to be removed again.
The Lord will be vindicated in His sovereign choice of Israel in His plan of redemption. He will be found faithful to His covenant and Israel as a nation will know Yahweh their God from that point on. His favor will once again rest upon them as He dwells in their midst forever.
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