We are in chapter twelve of Exodus with our word for today. חִפָּזוֹן in haste, a hasty flight, trepidation, hurried flight. It is used 3 times in the Old Testament. Our word is used in the sense of a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry. In all the uses we see God’s power displayed with overwhelming force in rescuing his people. In Isaiah we find God’s deliverance being so domineering that his people will not have to rush like you were running away from someone. Isaiah 52:10, 12 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. Depart, depart, go out from there!...But you will not leave בְחִפָּזוֹן֙ in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. The other two times our word is used in the Bible it is describing the event in our chapter for today. Exodus 12:11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it בְּחִפָּז֔וֹןin haste. It is the Lord's Passover. This verse gives us the details of what our word means belt fastened sandals on your feet and staff in our hand. In other words, eat like you were getting ready to move out. I think God needed them to get their minds and hearts ready for him to act because of how long they had been waiting up to this point. 430 years is a long time to wait but now this very night it was happening. The Passover would then be set up as a continual reminder of this miraculous event. Deuteronomy 16:1-4 Celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God...he brought you out of Egypt by night. Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name. Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in בְחִפָּז֗וֹן haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning.
Throughout the Bible we find God moving slower than people would like him. We also see that God is doing this because he is making sure everything is set and ready to go before he acts because he wants to bring the most good out of his actions for the people he loves. He is truly our loving father with our best interests in mind. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. We also see throughout the Bible that because God seems slow in acting that not everyone is ready when God moves. Matthew 25:1-13 The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Luke 12:39-40 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. And we also see throughout the Bible that when God does move things happen all at once. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
