Empty Altars: When God Withdraws His Presence

Isaiah 15:2 depicts Moabite refugees ascending to Bajith and Dibon's high places to weep before silent altars. Exell identifies a devastating spiritual reality: the helplessness of idols abandoned by their worshippers.

The heathen gods offered no refuge in calamity. They were merely decorative, powerless to assuage human sorrow. Yet Exell extends this warning to Christian believers: even those who approach the sanctuary may find themselves abandoned by Elohim.

The Lord is not pledged to remain at the altar indefinitely. Genesis declares, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." There exists a day of grace—its hours numbered, though the exact measurement eludes us. The door, once shut, will not open again.

Sinners may so live that they enclose themselves within walls of adamant, pursuing their own vanity and selfish purposes, that when they return to God's house, they discover the Lord has abandoned His temple. They "shall call upon Me, and I will not answer." This is not mere silence—it is silence intensified, aggravated into unbearable burdensomeness.

The signs of mourning mentioned—baldness and beards shorn—originally referenced sacrificial ceremony, but symbolize the complete desolation awaiting those who delay repentance. The warning stands: delayed obedience risks permanent separation from Yahweh's presence.