06/11/2026
When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments. For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are an obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.’” So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
— Exodus 33:4-6
We have not repented truly until we have done that. It means that having had this profound realization of our sinfulness, especially in His sight, our one desire now is to do everything we can that is well pleasing in His sight. And that means forsaking sin and doing His commandments: "Put off thy ornaments" —and the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments. Yes, it was these ornaments that had led to their downfall. These were like the things out of which the golden calf had been made. And they hated the very thought of the whole thing. God says, "Strip yourselves of them." And they stripped themselves.
You have only to read Christian biographies and the story of revivals to see exactly what I mean. There is always this stripping. Men and women are aware that they have been doing things they should not do. Not very harmful things perhaps in and of themselves, but they stand between them and God, so they must go. Ornaments vanish. The people strip themselves. And they give themselves to God in a new consecration and in a new dedication.
This, I say again, is the very essence of repentance. But we realize that we must act. We have to take some steps. Every one of us has to be stripped of something. When a man realizes his sinfulness and sees that the state of the Church is due to the fact that he and others like him are so sinful, a true repentance will lead each one to such аn examination.
🖋️Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
