"And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments" (Ex. 33:4).
The reaction of Israel to God’s decision not to go into their midst was one of mourning and grief. Though they would go to Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, they could never enjoy its bounties without the presence of the Lord. Matthew Henry comments, “Of all the bitter fruits and consequences of sin, that which true penitents most lament and dread most is God’s departure from them. God had promised that, notwithstanding their sin, He would give them the land flowing with milk and honey. But they could have small joy of that if they had not God’s presence with them.” Though we have good friends, wealth, health, and prosperity, these cannot be truly enjoyed if we do not have close communion with God. God’s presence is what gives meaning to our lives, it’s what fills the emptiness in our souls. Not to have His face shine upon us every day is a bitter trial indeed.
Of course, there are times when God is close to us, but when we still don’t realize it because our faith is weak, or because we are consumed with ourselves and our own trials and tribulations. But, in the case of Israel (as is often the case with those who experience the loss of God’s presence), it was because of sin that God departed. If God had come into their presence in their unrepentant state, He would have consumed them because of His justice. The same is true for professing Christians. If they remain unrepentant, they cannot assume that their profession is genuine, and eventually, if they continue in their stiff-necked ways, they will be consumed by God’s judgment (just as many in Israel were destroyed before they reached the Promised Land).
But as they stood before Sinai, Israel mourned the loss of God’s presence. They took off their ornaments because of their grief, but they also removed their decorations because God commanded them to do it as a sign of repentance. We might assume that, stripped of their ornaments, some of them prayed as the sons of Korah in Psalm 44, “Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. Why do You hide Your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings to the ground. Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.” May this be our prayer as we repent of our sin and cry for the return of God’s blessing.
Do you have sin over which you need to mourn? Do you have confessions that need to be made? If you have difficulty enjoying life’s pleasures, it might be because your relationship with the Lord is disrupted by unrepented sin. Repent today and know the assurance and peace that comes from believing the Gospel.
