In Genesis, the Lord God establishes a relationship with Noah and subsequently forms personal relationships with Abraham and Jacob. In contrast, Exodus primarily depicts God choosing the Israelite people and continuing His relationship with them.
Viewed this way, Exodus is the book that gives birth to the chosen people of Israel. Of course, Exodus is inseparable from both the preceding Genesis and the subsequent Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Hence, these five books are called the Pentateuch.
In Judaism, the Exodus from Egypt and the experiences tied to it became the foundation of the Israelite faith. The Passover festival, celebrated annually in Jewish homes, commemorates and reenacts the Exodus from Egypt. Christianity also connects the Exodus from Egypt to the Passover liturgy. We see Jesus' death and resurrection as the fulfillment of Israel's Exodus from Egypt. The Book of Revelation depicts the suffering Jesus Christ as the sacrificial lamb in the Passover celebration, the commemoration of the Exodus. The Lamb that had been slain...
If we were to name two events in Israel's history that had an absolute impact on the Israelites' identity and self-awareness as the Lord's people, they would be the Exodus from Egypt and the Babylonian Exile.
Israel gradually came to teach and accept the Exodus from Egypt as an event personally orchestrated by the Lord God through Moses. "In days to come, when your children ask... You shall say to them: 'The Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, with a mighty hand. Because Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of beast.'" (Exodus 13:14-15)
The Exodus from Egypt gradually became the confession of faith for the people of Judah. "You shall say to the Lord your God: 'Our ancestors were wandering Arameans... The Lord... brought us out of Egypt with great terror, signs, and wonders... and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.'" (Deuteronomy 26:5-9)
The Book of Exodus recounts the liberation and salvation of the Israelites, who groaned under oppression in Egypt. The God revealed in Exodus is the One who rescues those suffering under oppression. Moreover, the goal of the Exodus from Egypt is to free them from oppression and "lead them to worship the Lord their God freely." Moses delivers the Lord's message to Pharaoh: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."
Thus, the Book of Exodus gives birth to the covenant people of Israel and lays the foundation for the later formation of the Christian community.
