It's the twisted logic suffusing all this that bugs me. God using a pillar of fire/smoke to guide/shiel the tribe? Couldn't he have done this more easily? Direct action against their enemies; a quiet (or LOUD) pronunciation to back off?
And why that mob and no others? What especial virtue did they have? Not their DNA - they're all semites. Not their faith - there were quite a few variations within the jewish people (or did that come later?) and in any case monotheism was already ancient.
And read a bit further - the trials of Job are among the most mean and sadistic acts I've shuddered to read about.
