Exodus 12:11

And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

INTRODUCTION

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and forewarned the Israelites to get ready for inheriting the Promised Land. You see, since in the beginning of the creation it is God who initiated the plan of salvation.

1. God promised Abraham and fulfilled it through Moses.

Genesis 15:13, declares: “Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.”

Many times people do not understand the gravity of the truth that is in the word of God and claim to underestimate its power.

2. The Lord spoke to Moses by saying that the Israelites must be ready to transition to a new place.

In order for God to set the Israelites free, the Israelites must express eagerness. In Exodus 12 and verse 11, the Lord commands them to ear it in haste.

What does “eat in haste” mean?

In Exodus 12, Israel is about to be delivered from Egypt. God commands them to eat the Passover meal as people ready to leave immediately. “Haste” is not panic—it is readiness and obedience.

Here are the key meanings:

I. Urgency of Deliverance

The judgment on Egypt was imminent. Israel’s redemption would happen that very night.
Eating in haste meant:

• No delay
• No settling in
• No looking back

God was teaching them that salvation is God’s work, not theirs, and when He acts, the response must be immediate.

“For the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste.” (Exodus 12:33)

II. A People Ready to Move

The posture described—belt fastened, sandals on, staff in hand—was the posture of a traveler, not a diner.

Spiritually, this shows:

• Faith in God’s promise before seeing its fulfillment
• Willingness to leave Egypt (bondage) behind
• Readiness to follow God into the unknown

Faith obeys before circumstances change.

III. Break from the Old Life

There was no time for leaven (symbol of corruption and the old life). The haste marked a clean break with Egypt.

Later Scripture reflects on this:

“They baked unleavened cakes… for they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait.” (Exodus 12:39)

Deliverance does not negotiate with bondage—it departs.

IV. The Lord’s Passover

God says, “It is the LORD’s Passover.”
This was not Israel’s idea, timing, or strategy. Haste emphasized:

• God’s authority
• God’s timing
• God’s power to save completely

3. Fulfilled in Christ

The Passover points directly to Christ:

“For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)

Just as Israel had to be ready to leave Egypt:

• Salvation in Christ calls for immediate response
• No delay in repentance
• No clinging to the old life

Redemption demands decision.

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!