The plagues in Egypt were designed to destroy the entirety of Egyptian society. It was God's judgement that that society was evil and had to be uprooted.

One of the issues of dealing with Pharaoh is that he refuses to allow the Jews to define who they are. The issue is that only the Jews get to define who we are, not anyone else.

When Moses starts to redeem the Jews, he is facing the problem that they have given up hope. He has to get them to understand that they will be redeemed. This is true thought-out history, It is hard for those enslaved to believe that the end will be good.

Aaron was happy that Moses was chosen to lead the Jews to freedom. This is a major shift from the Book of Genesis where sibling rivalry is the norm.

It is very clear that Moses did not want the job of leadership. This is the basic reason that he was chosen for the job.

When Moses came across the Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, he looked up & down & did not see a man. He saw other people, but he did not see anyone who would protest. He became the man.

Pharaoh gives the order to kill all Jewish male babies born. The midwives ignore it. This was the beginning of the redemption. That the midwives feared God more than they feared Pharaoh.

The Book of Exodus begins with the statement that there was a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. Basically, he was denying Egyptian history. This is what those who wish to do evil do. They deny their own history when it does not suit their plans.

As we begin the Book of Exodus, we meet an anti-Semite with power. He believes that the Jews are powerful and will take over Egypt. That there is no evidence of this doesn't matter to him.

David stresses to his son, Solomon, that leadership is not a right, it is a duty. That a leader has to set a moral example for the nation.