I was running late for church this morning.
It was time to leave … but I still hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.
So, with my shoes on … and my coat on … I stood at the kitchen counter and scarfed down my piece of zucchini bread.
In a “blink” of sudden clarity, it occurred to me that this is what it was like when the people of Israel celebrated the very first Passover in Egypt.
God had instructed the people: “ … This is how you are to eat the Passover: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.” – Exodus 12:11
All my life I have envisioned the very first Passover just like God instructed – with their shoes on their feet, their cloaks on, and their staff in their hand, scarfing down the meal. But then, at that point, I never envisioned the people hurrying out their door.
For some reason, I have always imagined them then sitting down … with their shoes on, their coat on, and their staff in their hand … waiting. Sort of like waiting for someone to show up to pick you up to go somewhere. You are waiting … with your shoes on, your coat on, and at any moment their car could show up in your driveway.
This is how I have always pictured the people of Israel at the very first Passover. Because of course they had to wait for God to pass though. Exodus 11:4 and Exodus 12:29 both clearly state that God passed through at midnight.
If dinnertime is around 6pm, or 7pm at the latest, then that would leave several hours for the people to be sitting around (shoes on, coat on, staff in hand) … waiting for the signal to leave.
What if you were told today that you would be leaving your home this evening, and that this afternoon was all the time you had to gather together and pack any items you wanted to take with you?
And additionally, you needed to take an animal and prepare a very important ceremonial meal … which you were just now given the instructions for??
You can bet there was a lot of scurrying!! You can bet the women of the homes were a frantic disaster scurrying around trying to gather together whatever items they wanted to take (knowing that they were forever leaving behind everything else!)
What would you choose?? If you only had a few hours to pack your entire house to move … what would you choose??
And then on top of it all, they were told by God to ask their Egyptian neighbors for plunder. So not only did they not have much time to pack … they now had lots of additional expensive plunder to take along as well!
And on top of all that (trying to pack, and gathering expensive plunder from all the neighbors), they now had to prepare a very important ceremonial meal … according to very precise instructions.
Do you know how hard it is to try to eat when you are in the middle of packing and moving?? There’s no time to eat … because you are so busy packing and moving!
It’s no wonder that it was around midnight when the people wound up scarfing down their dinner … shoes on, coats on, staff in hand … and then hurrying out the door!!
The next time you are running late to get somewhere, and hurrying out your front door … remember that this is what it was like!
That frazzled franticness you feel as you hurry out the door (wondering if you got everything!), gobbling down your muffin on the way! … accidentally spilling coffee all over you! … and backing out of your driveway in great haste! … this is exactly what it was like!
