After the people of Israel were delivered out of slavery in Egypt, they
came to the Sinai Desert. In Exodus 19:4-6, God reminds them of what He has
done, and He asks them to obey Him and keep a covenant with Him in return
for His continued provision. God is saying to His people, I want to advance
my plan to get you back. I want to give you some guidelines to live by, and
I want to come down and dwell with you again. Chapter 5 is a huge
transition in the story. God is not going to just interact with certain
individuals or families; He will share life with all of His people for the
first time since the Garden of Eden. But God says, in effect, “For me to do
this, there are some things that have to be worked out.” And the throng of
Israelites says in one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do”
(Exodus 19:8; 24:3).