Notes on Exodus from the Literary Study Bible:

The book is designed to achieve the following literary purposes:

• glorify God by telling the full story of how he delivered his people

• establish Israel's identity by rehearsing its founding experiences as a nation

• personify evil in the cruelty and tyranny of Pharaoh

• present Moses as an ideal mediator for the people of God

• present memorable images of divine judgment

• provide a travel guide for a life of spiritual pilgrimage

• record memorable instances of personal and national encounters with God

• reveal God's will for his people, as summarized in the Ten commandments

• show how God's law relates to daily life, as exemplified in the Book of the Covenant (chapters 21-23)

• formalize the true pattern of worship in the institution of Passover, the renewal of the covenant, the construction of the tabernacle, and the consecration of its priests

• revel in the luxurious beauty of the tabernacle and its furnishings

• warn against the spiritual dangers of grumbling against God or deciding to worship him our way rather than his way

• convey a sense of reverence and awe for the holiness and majesty of God

• captivate us with the story itself