God was incredibly gracious to the Israelites in making His presence known to them. Just a few familiar examples are the pillars of cloud and fire by which He led them out of Egypt and through the wilderness (Exodus 13). When He appeared on Mount Sinai to Moses, we read, “the glory of the LORD [YHWH] settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD [YHWH] called to Moses from within the cloud” (Exodus 24:16)
This name for God is revealed within the context of the laws God gave to the Israelites as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. The laws included all the various sacrifices they were to offer, when and how to offer them—essentially when and how to worship God; what foods they could and could not eat; dealing with various diseases and bodily functions; relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, and neighbors; observing special days; crime and punishment; and a whole lot more.
[1] See the companion article “Who is Jehovah?” for an explanation of why I will use Yahweh rather than Jehovah except in quoted material. This name for God, Yahweh Tsidkenu,…
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