I. The liberation of Israel 1:1-15:21
A. God's preparation of Israel and Moses chs. 1-4
1. The growth of Jacob's family 1:1-7
2. The Israelites' bondage in Egypt 1:8-22
3. Moses' birth and education 2:1-10
4. Moses' flight from Egypt to Midian 2:11-15
5. Moses' life in Midian 2:16-25
6. Moses' call 3:1-4:18
7. Moses' return to Egypt 4:19-31
B. God's demonstrations of His sovereignty chs. 5-11
1. Pharaoh's response to Moses and Aaron's initial request 5:1-6:1
2. Moses and Aaron's equipment as God's messengers 6:2-7:7
3. The attestation of Moses and Aaron's divine mission 7:8-13
4. The first three plagues 7:14-8:19
5. The fourth, fifth, and sixth plagues 8:20-9:12
6. The seventh, eight, and ninth plagues 9:13-10:29
7. The proclamation of the tenth plague ch. 11
C. God's redemption of His people 12:1-13:16
1. The consecration of Israel as the covenant nation 12:1-28
2. The death of the first-born and the release of Israel 12:29-36
3. The exodus of Israel out of Egypt 12:37-42
4. Regulations concerning the Passover 12:43-51
5. The sanctification of the first-born 13:1-16
D. God's completion of Israel's liberation 13:17-15:21
1. The journey from Succoth to Etham 13:17-22
2. Israel's passage through the Red Sea ch. 14
3. Israel's song of deliverance 15:1-21
II. The adoption of Israel 15:22-40:38
A. God's preparatory instruction of Israel 15:22-18:27
1. Events in the wilderness of Shur 15:22-27
2. Quails and manna in the wilderness of Sin ch. 16
3. The lack of water at Rephidim 17:1-7
4. The hostility of the Amalekites 17:18-36
5. The friendliness of Jethro the Midianite ch. 18
B. The establishment of the Mosaic Covenant 19:1-24:11
1. Preparation for the Covenant ch. 19
2. The Ten Commandments 20:1-17
3. The response of the Israelites 20:18-21
4. The stipulations of the Book of the Covenant 20:22-23:33
5. The ratification of the Covenant 24:1-11
C. Directions regarding God's dwelling among His people 24:12-31:18
1. The revelation of these directions 24:12-18
2. Contributions for the construction of the sanctuary 25:1-9
3. The tabernacle furnishings 25:10-41
4. The tabernacle structure ch. 26
5. The tabernacle courtyard 27:1-19
6. The investiture of the priests 27:20-28:43
7. The consecration of the priests 29:1-37
8. The service of the priests 29:38-30:38
9. The builders of the tabernacle 31:1-11
10. The sign of the Sabbath 31:12-18
D. The breaking and renewing of the covenant chs. 32-34
1. The failure of Israel ch. 32
2. The re-establishment of fellowship ch. 33
3. The renewal of the covenant ch. 34
E. The construction and dedication of the objects used in Israel's worship chs. 35-40
1. Preparations for construction 35:1-36:7
2. Execution of the work 36:8-39:43
3. The erection and consecration of the tabernacle ch. 40
In an interesting and original chart of Exodus, Ted Grove suggested the following structural outline of Exodus.8
I. Israel's liberation chs. 1-18
A. Israel's affliction (Israel is Egypt's possession) 1:1-2:14
B. Deliverance 2:15-18:27
Ted saw the following chiastic structure in this section.
AMidian: Moses' commission 2:15-4:28
BEnemy: Egypt defeated 4:29-15:21
CWater: bitter to sweet and 12 springs 15:22-27
DFood: manna and quail ch. 16
C'Water: out of rock 17:1-7
B'Enemy: Amalek defeated 17:8-16
A'Midian: Moses accepts wisdom ch. 18
II. Israel's adoption chs. 19-40
A. Covenant delivered 19:1-24:11
B. Sanctuary planned 24:12-31:18
C. Covenant broken ch. 32
D. Covenant renewed chs. 33-34
E. Sanctuary's construction 35:1-40:33
F. Covenant sealed (Israel is God's possession) 40:34-38
Ted also saw a chiasm in this part of the book.
ACovenant delivered 19:1-24:11
BTabernacle planned 24:12-27:21
CPriestly instructions chs. 28-30
DCraftsmen's direction 31:1-11
ESabbath instructions 31:12-18
FCovenant broken ch. 32
F'Covenant renewed chs. 33-34
E'Sabbath reminded 35:1-3
D'Craftsmen and construction 35:4-38:31
C'Priests prepared ch. 39
B'Tabernacle completed 40:1-33
A'Covenant sealed 40:34-38
The center of the first chiasm is the manna. The center of the second chiasm is the tablets of the Law. These were the two items God instructed Moses to preserve in the ark of the covenant.
Ted saw the key verse of the book as 34:9.
