God had promised to make Abraham’s descendants a great nation. He had called them out of Egypt and separated them from the gods and practices of the Egyptians. The Israelites must now learn to become a nation that will reflect the character of the one true God to the nations around them. God called Moses up on a mountain where He gave him the laws by which they are to live. This will become the moral guide they must follow in order to reflect the character of a holy God.