Passive Aggressive God?

Was it just me, or did it seem as if the God of the Exodus story was a little over aggressive? It seems to me that he felt the need to not just free the Jews, but also make the Egyptians suffer. Was this because the Egyptians with their many gods annoyed him? Perhaps it was that he knew the Jews would revert to Egyptian practices if not given a large enough show? In the end they did any way so really, what did it accomplish? If he had the ability to harden the Pharaoh's heart, why not soften it instead?

We see this again in Job when God feels the need prove that Job is righteous by testing him to his limit.Couldn't he have been able to just tell the satan that Job had been through enough after the first trial?  It's easy to see how the satan morphed into Satan. If Lucifer's job is to make men suffer, the satan seems to fill that role.

Speaking of Satan, isn't it interesting how people who sacrificed animals in biblical times were considered righteous, but people who sacrifice animals now are Devil worshipers? I wonder if that was due to an attempt to make Jews seem more evil.