Verse of the week

'Now take off your ornaments' Exodus 33:5

Every now and then I come across a verse that has made no impression on me when I've read it before but I suddenly see what it's on about (usually helped by someone else pointing it out to me in very simple language). Exodus 33:5 is one such verse.
The action is taking place at the bottom of Mount Sinai, after God's rescued his people from Egypt. Moses went up the mountain to get the Ten Commandments, but the people below got bored and decided to make an idol, which God had expressly told them not to do, and worship this golden calf they'd made. They deliberately disobeyed God. God, understandably, was pretty angry, and many of those who were involved died. It looks like the relationship between God and God's people is over; divorce seems to be the likely outcome.
Where do 'ornaments', or jewellery, come into all this? Why does God tell his unfaithful people to take their ornaments off? Is this a divine prohibition on necklaces, bracelets etc?!
No...the key to understanding it is that to make the golden calf, God's people had used their earrings. They'd used their some of their ornaments to sin against God...and yet they were still wearing them! It's almost as though they still want to leave themselves the possibility of sinning in this way again. And so God says 'Take off your ornaments'. If there's to be any possibility of these people being forgiven for what they've done, they need to take steps to make sure they'll never do it again.
Aren't Christians today very much like the people of God then? How often do we sin, and say we're sorry, but not think about how we can stop it happening again? How often do we sin in the same way over and over again, never making sure we don't get into that particular situation or thought process? We're like an alcoholic who goes to a pub and then is surprised that he gets drunk.
God says to us today - 'Take off your ornaments'. Which sins are you struggling with? Identify them, and then think hard about how you can make sure you don't do the things which cause you to do that sin, or don't speak in the way which leads to that sin. Elton John once sang 'Sorry seems to be the hardest word' - well it isn't...it's easy to say, but not so easy to do anything about. Take off your ornaments.