This book speaks of the deliverance of the People of Israel from bondage in Egypt and the making of a Covenant between God and them at Mt. Sinai. It falls into two major sections: 1) Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage, including the rise of Moses as leader of the people, the Ten Plagues, etc., and the march to Sinai, including the destruction of Pharaoh’s armies in the Red Sea (Ch. 1-18) and 2) Israel’s sojourn at Sinai, where the Covenant was made and laws governing life and worship were promulgated (Ten Commandments, Ark of the Covenant, Tabernacle, etc. Ch. 19-40).
At the center of these events stood Moses, who was called to be the agent of God in delivering Israel from slavery, to be the interpreter of God’s redemptive work and to be the mediator of the Covenant.