When the people answered, “We will do everything that the Lord has told us,” Moses then put in writing those words of the Lord. Isn’t it interesting that Moses put in writing the commandments of the Lord only after the people had assented to them? I believe this development speaks volumes about the nature of the commandments. 
The commandments were not “imposed” on the Israelites. They were a result of a ‘dialogue’ that was going on between God and the people. Of course, God proposed the contents of the commandments. But it is also clear that the people gave their consent. It is this dialogic nature of the commandments that made them binding. Once the Israelites had given their consent, they could not back out. As such, a transgression against the commandments was not only a sin against God but also a loss of honor on their part. They had given God their word.