Our sin always has a context. We do not sin in a vacuum. When the Israelites cried out for God to deliver them from their oppression, God began by reminding them of their love relationship with Him. God had found them when they were slaves. He had freed them and led them to a land flowing with milk and honey. God had protected them and provided for all their needs. As long as they had faithfully obeyed God, they had prospered. It was not God who had forsaken His commitment to the people. It was the people who had shamefully turned their backs on the One who had done so much for them.
Sin is never merely breaking a commandment. It is rejecting Someone who loves you and has done much for you. Sin is always personal. When God began to talk with His people about their sin, He began by going back to their relationship with Him. Sin had robbed them of the intimacy they had once enjoyed. Sin had brought separation, as it always does.
At times our primary concern can be for God to alleviate the consequences of our sin. But God is focused on our relationship with Him. He will not be satisfied until it is restored to what it once was. Do you remember what your walk with God was like before you sinned? That is what God wants to restore to you once more.