Most of our biggest regrets didn't come from bad intentions. They came from moving too fast: the relationship we jumped into, the job we quit after one hard day, the text we fired off at 11 p.m. We rarely think of hurry as a spiritual problem, but the Bible does. In Proverbs 6, Solomon lists seven things God hates, and one of them is "feet that are quick to rush into evil." Click the link above to watch the full message.
Why Does God Hate Feet That Rush Into Evil?
Proverbs 6:16–19 says, "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community." That's strong language, and it can be hard to hear. But God doesn't hate you. He hates what is destroying you, the same way a parent hates a disease but never the child who has it. Like a skilled surgeon, God only cuts in order to heal.
The phrase "quick to rush" is worth slowing down for. In Hebrew, Solomon stacks two speed words on top of each other: mahar, which means to hurry, and ruts, which means to run. God isn't only naming the sin here. He's naming the speed. Proverbs 19:2 makes the same point: "Desire without knowledge is not good—how much more will hasty feet miss the way!"
Hurry Takes You Where You Never Meant to Go
Think about the moment a plane lands. The seatbelt light dings, and 150 people jump up at once, only to stand hunched under the overhead bins for ten minutes because the door isn't open yet. Nobody gets off the plane any faster. Rushing doesn't get us there sooner; it just makes us uncomfortable sooner.
Scripture gives a far more costly example. In Genesis 25, Esau comes in from the field starving and trades his birthright, his entire future and inheritance, for one bowl of his brother's stew. Genesis 25:34 sums it up in a few quick verbs: he ate, drank, got up, and left. Five minutes of hunger made a lifetime decision, because feelings make fast decisions.
Paul explains why this pull is so strong in Galatians 5:17: "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." Our flesh wants what's immediate, while the Spirit draws us toward God. When we move fast, the flesh usually wins, because we leave no room for the Spirit to speak.
Jesus Was Never in a Hurry
When you study the life of Jesus, one thing stands out: He was never in a hurry. When He heard Lazarus was sick, "he stayed where he was two more days" (John 11:6). On His way to heal a dying girl, He stopped in a crowd to ask, "Who touched my clothes?" (Mark 5:30). And as the crowds grew, "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Luke 5:16).
We like to strike while the iron is hot, but Jesus lived differently. Even on Palm Sunday, He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, an animal that moves at about half the speed of a horse (Matthew 21:1–11). You never see Jesus run in the Gospels. You see Him stop, sit, kneel, and wait. He didn't live at the pace of pressure; He lived at the pace of grace.
How to Make Wise Decisions: Slow Down and Get Counsel
Slow feet make wise decisions. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy approved the rushed Bay of Pigs invasion with almost no pushback in the room, and it failed within days. Eighteen months later, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, his generals urged an immediate strike. This time Kennedy slowed down, spent thirteen days letting his advisers argue, and chose a naval blockade instead. Decades later, those advisers learned that Soviet troops in Cuba already had nuclear weapons ready, so the fast decision could easily have started a nuclear war.
It was the same man in the same office. The difference was pace and counsel. Proverbs 15:22 says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." When pastor John Ortberg asked his mentor Dallas Willard how to stay spiritually healthy, Willard told him, "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." Here's a simple place to start: before a big decision, pause, pray, and talk to two people you trust.
Slow to React, Quick to Give Grace
When you slow your pace, something changes in how you treat people. James 1:19 says, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry," and Proverbs 19:11 adds, "A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense." Hurried people react, but patient people make room for grace.
Abraham Lincoln had a habit that helped him here. When someone made him furious, he wrote that person a letter saying everything he felt, then put it in a drawer and never sent it. After Gettysburg, he wrote a scathing letter to General Meade, and it was found after his death marked "never sent, or signed." Some of us need a drawer. Not every feeling needs to be sent, so the next time you're hurt, wait 24 hours before you respond.
You Don't Have to Carry the Weight
We can give grace because we have received grace. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28–29, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… for I am gentle and humble in heart." So much of our hurry comes from believing everything depends on us. Picture a young boy "helping" his dad move a couch, red-faced and straining, while his father carries the whole thing and the boy a little too. That's us with God: He carries the weight and lets us hold a corner.
A lot of our sin is really impatience. We grab what God hasn't handed us yet because we don't trust Him to carry it. But God doesn't only want to stop feet that rush into evil; He wants to make them beautiful. Isaiah 52:7 says, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news." When we slow down to the pace of grace, our feet stop running toward what destroys us and start carrying hope to the people around us.
Questions for Reflection
What decision are you facing right now that you've been tempted to rush, and who could you talk to before you make it?
Think about the last time someone hurt you. What would it have looked like to wait 24 hours before responding?
What are you carrying right now as if it all depends on you, and what would it look like to hand it to God this week?
Further Resources
Discover Church is a new life-giving church in San Marcos, CA, meeting at Mission Hills High School. Our mission is to help you follow Jesus, find community, and discover your purpose so you and your family can win at what matters most. Plan your visit this Sunday
