Exodus 33:1-6

Exodus 33:1-6

[1] And the LORD  said  unto Moses,  and go up  hence, thou and the people  which thou hast brought up  out of the land  of Egypt,  unto the land  which I sware  unto Abraham,  to Isaac,  and to Jacob,  saying,  Unto thy seed  will I give  [2] And I will send  an angel  before  thee; and I will drive out  the Canaanite,  the Amorite,  and the Hittite,  and the Perizzite,  the Hivite,  and the Jebusite:  [3] Unto a land  flowing  with milk  and honey:  for I will not go up  in the midst  of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked  people:  lest I consume  thee in the way.  [4] And when the people  heard  these evil  tidings,  they mourned:  and no man  did put  on him his ornaments.  [5] For the LORD  had said  unto Moses,  Say  unto the children  of Israel,  Ye are a stiffnecked  people:  I will come up  into the midst  of thee in a  moment,  and consume  thee: therefore now put off  thy ornaments  from thee, that I may know  what to do  unto thee. [6] And the children  of Israel  stripped  themselves of their ornaments  by the mount  Horeb. 

What does Exodus 33:1-6 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

God would not now dwell in the midst of the Israelites as He intended to do in the tabernacle because they had repudiated His covenant with them ( Exodus 33:3).
The announcement of the change in God"s relation to Israel and the consequent loss of blessing led the people to mourn and sacrifice out of sorrow ( Exodus 33:4-6). They willingly gave up the use of the ornaments that they had used in the rebellion and that were, therefore, an offense to God.