“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord.”
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Leviticus‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT

Israel wasn’t just on a physical journey. They were also on a moral journey. In God’s goodwill, they were taken out of the land of Egypt. Here they had sat and gestated for four hundred years. This time, because of how connected to God their progenitors were, brought prosperity to all, and they flourished. But it also introduced wicked behavior into their moral compass. This behavior was engrained into their being, as witnessed in their sharp return to idolatry at Sinai. It should be noted that this was sharp, but not sudden. The Israelites had been living as pagan in Egypt. Pagan worship was intuitive to them. God’s purpose wasn’t to save them from Egypt. It was to establish them as his own. Allowing them to return to idolatry worship and paganism in a different land than Egypt, wouldn’t have accomplished his goal. They needed to be set apart in every way. This is largely because they had no godly compass to guide them. They would need a rigid structure to protect them from their own impulses to return to idolatry. Thankfully, this process is simplified by the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit, who helps to sanctify our conscience and restore our ability to navigate life away from idolatry and back to God more organically.

Israel’s Moral Journey: Israel’s journey from Egypt was not just physical but also moral, marked by a struggle between their inherited pagan tendencies and God’s desire to establish them as a holy people.

Purpose of God’s Deliverance: God’s purpose in delivering Israel from Egypt was not just to rescue them from physical bondage but to set them apart as a holy nation, free from idolatry.

Need for Structure and Guidance: The Israelites, lacking a godly compass, required a rigid structure to protect them from their inclination towards idolatry and guide them towards a righteous life.