Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 45:14-15

"Thus saith Jehovah, The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, [saying], Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God. Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour." — Isaiah 45:14-15 (ASV)

Thus says the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchants of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours: they shall come after you; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down to you, they shall make supplication to you, saying, Surely God is in you, and there is none else, there is no God. Truly you are a God that hides yourself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.

This is a most merciful arrangement, for, if God did not hide himself, none of us could exist. The full blaze of his divine countenance would be our destruction. God said even to Moses, You cannot see my face: for there shall no man see me and live.

But it is also partly in judgment that God sometimes hides even that measure of his presence which, at other times, he reveals in love. But even then, though he is hidden, he is still there.

As the blue sky is up there, though it is long since you saw it, so is God ever present even though we cannot see him. The mountains, when hidden in darkness, are as real as they are in the light of day; and God is as truly near to his people, to preserve and help them, when they do not see him, as when they do.