Fleeing the tyrannical dictatorship of Egypt, the Israelites voluntarily enter into a covenant with God to create a new nation, different from everything the world had ever known. In Egypt, like in many nations, power was concentrated into the hands of the few while the many were enslaved. But God calls us to embody a wholly different world, shaped by philosophical, political, theological and legal guidelines that create a just, good, and merciful society. The covenant at Sinai shaped ancient Israel and everyone who passed through on the way. The Sinai covenant shaped Jesus and brought him into conflict with the tyrannical powers of his day. Sinai is the birthplace of the politics of freedom. Freedom from tyranny and freedom for a worldwide good.