The ten commandments: introduction

The Israelites were free. After their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, they saw God continue to go before them in a column of smoke and fire. God also provided daily manna from heaven and guided them to water sources. After traveling for three months, they arrived at the Sinai Desert and set up camp near Mount Sinai. Moses knew this wilderness well because he spent forty years herding his father-in-law’s sheep in the area.