The Eight Stages of the Disappearance of God

1. Moses sees God at Sinai.
2. Moses, the one man who has seen God, wears a veil.
3. God tells Moses, “I shall hide my face from the Israelites.”
4. The last time God is said to be revealed to a human: the prophet Samuel
5. The last time God is said to have appeared to a human: King Solomon
6. The last public miracle: divine fire for Elijah at Mount Carmel; followed by God’s refusal to appear to Elijah at Horeb/Sinai
7. The last personal miracle: The shadow reverses before Isaiah and Hezekiah
8. God is not mentioned in Esther.29

From The Disappearance of God (Richard Elliot Friedman) 1995