#989 - Exodus 33 – Moses and the Lord

Exodus 33.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, "I will give it to your descendants." I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go with you because you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you on the way." When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn, and no one put on any ornaments, for the Lord had said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites you are a stiff-necked people.

If I were to go with you, even for a moment, I might destroy you.

Now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do with you." So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb." Now, it's interesting.

Why are they stripping off their ornaments? Well, you may remember that it was the ornaments that they used to make the golden calf, so that certainly could be something related to this.

Certainly could be a reminder of what they just did.

But this is not good news.

They're told that he won't go with them because he might destroy them.

There's definitely a fear of God, awesome God sort of moment here, and they're still gonna be sent with the angel who's gonna drive out all of the other people, the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and all of them.

So it's not that the plan has changed, but God is still a little bit mad at them, and they were distressed.

These were distressing words.