Counting the Omer: Day 22

Let's Learn Together

So it was, on the fiftieth day of the Omer count, that the spring moed or appointed time of Shavu'ot (Day of Pentecost) was observed. It too was called a day of 'firstfruits.' Thus the 'Counting of the Omer' both begins and ends with a day which, in some way, represents the 'firstfruits' of the harvest. During this entire time, not only was grain harvesting taking place, but late in the fifty days the early fruits also began to ripen. Thus, Shavu'ot marked the end of the spring grain harvest and also the beginning of the summer fruit harvest, the time when the 'firstfruits' of that harvest were brought to the Temple.

Another way of looking at these festivals is in the context of a marriage ceremony. Passover represents the acceptance by the bride (the children of Israel) with the betrothal cup presented to her by her prospective Husband, YHVH. By accepting the blood of the lamb, and placing it on the doorpost of their homes, the children of Israel were accepting the Ketuvah, their marriage contract or covenant. Then, at Mount Sinai, the actual wedding took place. The Bridegroom (YHVH) appeared, the Bride (the children of Israel) was present, the best man (Moshe) was there, and the wedding vows were exchanged by the Bride accepting the terms of the Ketuvah or covenant.

"So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words (the
Ketuvah) which the LORD commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do.' So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD."
(Ex. 19:7-8)

It is interesting to note that in Jewish practice, the Sabbath before Shavu'ot is termed, Shabbat
Kalah,' which is the same name given to the Sabbath before any bride's wedding.  However one wishes to view this event, the simple fact is that Passover and Shavu'ot are definitely interconnected.

… will continue tomorrow

COUNT THE OMER:  DAY 22

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is twenty-two days, which is three weeks and one day of the Omer.

For the Choirmaster; a song with instrumental music; a Psalm. God be gracious to us and bless us; may You make Your countenance shine upon us forever; that Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. The nations will extol You, O God; all the nations will extol You. The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on earth forever. The peoples will extol You, O God; all the peoples will extol You, for the earth will have yielded its produce and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us; and all, from the farthest corners of the earth, shall fear Him.

 We implore You, by the great power of Your right hand, release the captive. Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One. Mighty One, we beseech You, guard as the apple of the eye those who seek Your Oneness. Bless them, cleanse them; bestow upon them forever Your merciful righteousness. Powerful, Holy One, in Your abounding goodness, guide Your congregation. Only and Exalted One, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Accept our supplication and hear our cry, You who knows secret thoughts. Blessed be the name of the glory of Your kingdom forever and ever.

Master of the universe, You have commanded us through Moses Your servant to count the Omer, in order to purify us from our evil and uncleanness. As You have written in Your Torah, "You shall count for yourselves from the day following the day of rest, from the day on which you bring the Omer as a wave-offering; [the counting] shall be for seven full weeks. Until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days," so that the souls of Your people may be cleansed from their defilement. Therefore, may it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, that Your people may be purified and sanctified with Your holiness.  Amen, selah.

Counting the Omer: Day 21

Let's Learn Together

Passover (and the Days of Unleavened Bread), and Shavu'ot are tied together by a common thread known as Sifret HaOmer (See-fret Hah Ohmer = Counting the Omer). It is for this very reason that Jewish tradition teaches that Shavu'ot is the conclusion or culmination of the Passover season and not a 'stand alone' festival. The reason for this is apparent.

• Passover is the celebration of redemption, freedom, liberty, and the release from slavery, fully accomplished at the Reed Sea.
  
• Shavu'ot, on the other hand, is the celebration of revelation, when the children of Israel became a nation with its own set of laws, because that is the day on which the Lord revealed the Ten Words or Commandments to them.
  
• Sifret
  HaOmer is the time period during which the children of Israel journeyed from the Reed Sea to Mount Sinai.
  

It is taught that Shavu'ot is part of the Passover experience and cannot be separated from it, because the children of Israel needed to have instruction (Torah) in order to function as a viable free nation under the authority of HaShem (the Lord). In other words, they could only experience true liberty if it were under the rule of law (Torah).

… will continue tomorrow

COUNT THE OMER:  DAY 21

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is twenty-one days, which is three weeks of the Omer.

For the Choirmaster; a song with instrumental music; a Psalm. God be gracious to us and bless us; may You make Your countenance shine upon us forever; that Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. The nations will extol You, O God; all the nations will extol You. The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on earth forever. The peoples will extol You, O God; all the peoples will extol You, for the earth will have yielded its produce and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us; and all, from the farthest corners of the earth, shall fear Him.

We implore You, by the great power of Your right hand, release the captive. Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One. Mighty One, we beseech You, guard as the apple of the eye those who seek Your Oneness. Bless them, cleanse them; bestow upon them forever Your merciful righteousness. Powerful, Holy One, in Your abounding goodness, guide Your congregation. Only and Exalted One, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Accept our supplication and hear our cry, You who knows secret thoughts. Blessed be the name of the glory of Your kingdom forever and ever.

Master of the universe, You have commanded us through Moses Your servant to count the Omer, in order to purify us from our evil and uncleanness. As You have written in Your Torah, "You shall count for yourselves from the day following the day of rest, from the day on which you bring the Omer as a wave-offering; [the counting] shall be for seven full weeks. Until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days," so that the souls of Your people may be cleansed from their defilement. Therefore, may it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, that Your people may be purified and sanctified with Your holiness.  Amen, selah.

Counting the Omer: Day 20

Let's Learn Together

In the time of the first and second Temple periods, the religious Hebrew calendar (which is a lunar calendar) was governed by actual observation. Each new moon had to be visually sited by at least two credible witnesses and then approved by the Sanhedrin. Because the calendar months were based on the cycles of the moon (each of which had either 29 or 30 days), the twelve month 'lunar' year always came up several days short of the 'solar' year (the year as determined by the rotation of the earth around the sun). Thus it was necessary to add a 'thirteenth' month every two or three years. Eventually, in a span of nineteen years, the 'solar' and 'lunar' years came back into perfect conjunction.

In the days when the Temple was in use and observation from Jerusalem was the key to the calendar, the Sanhedrin had to take several things into account before proclaiming the beginning of the month of Aviv* (also known as Nisan), the first month of that sacred calendar. For it was during the month of Aviv that the festivals of Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread were celebrated, Because the Omer had to be waved during this period, it was crucial that the barley grain be properly ripened so that the required offering could be performed. It was for this reason that the first month was named 'Aviv,' which literally means "a green ear." Thus, Aviv is "the month of green ears.

[*Many Christian sources and some Jewish ones spell the name of this month 'Abib.' This is because the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet bet or vet, can be pronounced either as a "b" or a "v." When the dot, or dog-ash, is present in the center of the letter it is pronounced "b," when it is missing it is pronounced "v." The first month of the sacred calendar is correctly pronounced Aviv (Ah-veev) rather than Abib (Ay-bib), as many English speakers are prone to do.]

As the end of the twelfth month (Adar) approached, representatives of the Sanhedrin would examine the barley fields around Jerusalem to see if the grain would be ready for harvesting during the upcoming Days of Unleavened Bread, a little over two weeks away. If it was apparent that the grain would not be ready, they would proclaim a thirteenth month (called Adar II) and everything would be postponed one month.

However, there were earlier signs that could also indicate whether the new year would need to be postponed or not. One of these signs was the appearance of the almond blossoms. Since they would appear well ahead of the 'green ears' of barley, the blossoms were early indicators as to when the new year would begin. Another factor was the weather conditions. If the rains lasted later than usual it would be highly unlikely that the almond blossoms and the barley crop would be ready as expected. In addition, late rains would make it well nigh impossible for the pilgrims to come to Jerusalem for Passover because the roads would be impassable. However, in the end the bottom line was that ripe barley grain had to be available in order for the Omer Wave Offering (Wave Sheaf Offering) to take place. Without the ripe barley there could be no Omer Wave Offering; without the Omer Wave Offering there could be no festival of Passover; and without the festival of Passover there could be no festival of Shavu'ot since there would be no new wheat flour available to make the two loaves of leavened bread that were central to the Temple offering for that day.

… will continue tomorrow

COUNT THE OMER:  DAY 20

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is twenty days, which is two weeks and six days of the Omer.

For the Choirmaster; a song with instrumental music; a Psalm. God be gracious to us and bless us; may You make Your countenance shine upon us forever; that Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. The nations will extol You, O God; all the nations will extol You. The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on earth forever. The peoples will extol You, O God; all the peoples will extol You, for the earth will have yielded its produce and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us; and all, from the farthest corners of the earth, shall fear Him.

We implore You, by the great power of Your right hand, release the captive. Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One. Mighty One, we beseech You, guard as the apple of the eye those who seek Your Oneness. Bless them, cleanse them; bestow upon them forever Your merciful righteousness. Powerful, Holy One, in Your abounding goodness, guide Your congregation. Only and Exalted One, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Accept our supplication and hear our cry, You who knows secret thoughts. Blessed be the name of the glory of Your kingdom forever and ever.

Master of the universe, You have commanded us through Moses Your servant to count the Omer, in order to purify us from our evil and uncleanness. As You have written in Your Torah, "You shall count for yourselves from the day following the day of rest, from the day on which you bring the Omer as a wave-offering; [the counting] shall be for seven full weeks. Until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days," so that the souls of Your people may be cleansed from their defilement. Therefore, may it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, that Your people may be purified and sanctified with Your holiness.  Amen, selah.

 

 

 

 

Counting the Omer: Day 19

Let's Learn Together

Since the 'Offering of the Omer' took place during the morning hours of the "morrow after the Sabbath;" and since there was considerable work that had to take place before the omer was properly prepared, the next question is, when did the cutting of the grain take place. Alfred Edersheim (a nineteenth century Messianic Jew), in his classic work; The Life arid Times of Jesus the Messiah, tells that part of the story in beautiful detail:

"It was probably about the same time, that a noisy throng prepared to follow delegates from the Sanhedrin to the ceremony of cutting the Passover-sheaf. ... This Passover-sheaf was reaped in public the evening before it was offered, and it was to witness this ceremony that the crowd had gathered around the elders. ... When the time for cutting the sheaf had arrived--that is, on the evening of the 15 Nisan (Edersheim holds to the Pharisaic view that the sheaf was always cut at the end of Nisan 15) even though it were a Sabbath, just as the sun went down, three men, each with a sickle and basket, set to work. Clearly to bring out what was distinctive in the ceremony, they first asked of the bystanders three times each of these questions: 'Has the sun gone down?' 'With this sickle?' 'into this basket?' 'On this Sabbath?'... and lastly, 'Shall I reap?' Having each time been answered in the affirmative, they cut down barley to the amount of one ephah,..." (Vol. 2; Book IV, p. 619).

Even though the sun had just gone down (the Sabbath did not officially end until three stars were visible and the ceremony of Havdalah had been performed), the cutting of the sheaf actually took place at the very end of the Sabbath day (whether it be the weekly Sabbath or 15 Aviv).

In summary this is what took place. At the end of the Sabbath as the sun was going down, but. before Havdalah had been performed, the barley grain was cut by members of the Sanhedrin (San-head-rin), the Jewish 'Supreme Court.' This cutting was witnessed by pilgrims who were in Jerusalem for the festival. The cut grain was then taken to the courtyard of the Temple that evening, where it was thrashed, parched with fire, and ground into flour. The flour was then put through thirteen different sieves so that what remained was both pure and very fine in texture. From this fine flour, the equivalent of two quarts (an omer) was taken. The next morning this omer was offered in the Temple in the manner of an ordinary meal offering with the exception that it was 'waved' before the Lord prior to it being offered, and prayers were said as preparation for the coming grain harvest.

At this point, the general grain harvest could begin. During the first part of the fifty day count, barley would be the chief grain to be harvested. However, as other grains became ripe they too could be harvested without any further ceremony. The other chief grains, in addition to barley, were wheat and spelt. Of the three grains, barley was the more common and of coarser texture. It was primarily used as food for animals (oats were not grown in ancient Israel). The preferred grain for bread was wheat, and only the common people of the land ate bread made from barley.

… will continue tomorrow

COUNT THE OMER:  DAY 19

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is nineteen days, which is two weeks and five days of the Omer.

For the Choirmaster; a song with instrumental music; a Psalm. God be gracious to us and bless us; may You make Your countenance shine upon us forever; that Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. The nations will extol You, O God; all the nations will extol You. The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on earth forever. The peoples will extol You, O God; all the peoples will extol You, for the earth will have yielded its produce and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us; and all, from the farthest corners of the earth, shall fear Him.

 We implore You, by the great power of Your right hand, release the captive. Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One. Mighty One, we beseech You, guard as the apple of the eye those who seek Your Oneness. Bless them, cleanse them; bestow upon them forever Your merciful righteousness. Powerful, Holy One, in Your abounding goodness, guide Your congregation. Only and Exalted One, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Accept our supplication and hear our cry, You who knows secret thoughts. Blessed be the name of the glory of Your kingdom forever and ever.

Master of the universe, You have commanded us through Moses Your servant to count the Omer, in order to purify us from our evil and uncleanness. As You have written in Your Torah, "You shall count for yourselves from the day following the day of rest, from the day on which you bring the Omer as a wave-offering; [the counting] shall be for seven full weeks. Until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days," so that the souls of Your people may be cleansed from their defilement. Therefore, may it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, that Your people may be purified and sanctified with Your holiness.  Amen, selah.

Turn On the Light

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:" (Ephesians 5:8)

"Ye were sometimes darkness." What a beautiful expression of the contrast between our past and our present! All of us were in darkness before we came to know the Lord! We walked in darkness . . . there was no light in us!

"But now are ye light in the Lord." A reminder that in and of ourselves there is no light, any light that we have is in the Lord!

"Walk as children of light." The point of the verse . . . we once were in darkness, now we're in light. So, "Walk as children of light." The responsibility of the light bearer is to make sure the light always shines!

We cannot walk as children of light if we're not following in His footsteps, if we're not on the straight and narrow path. Our will must be His will . . . our desires, His desires!

Is your light shining brightly or is it dimmed by a lifestyle that does not glorify the Lord? It is so important to "walk the walk" and not just "talk the talk"! Walk as children of light . . . let your light shine . . . you will ultimately glorify the Lord and draw others to Him!

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32)

Father, the darkness of my past is something I never want to return to . . . I'm walking in Your light now and that's what I'm determined to do for the rest of my life! Lord, help me to let my light shine . . . not only just a little bit, but brighter and brighter as the days go on. Lord I long to glorify You in my life and through my life . . . I love You . . . shine through me! Amen!

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Counting the Omer: Day 18

Let's Learn Together

What was actually offered in the Temple as a 'wave sheaf or 'firstfruits' offering was two quarts of barley grain that had been thrashed, parched, beaten and sieved into fine flour. The Jewish Encyclopedia, in the article entitled, Omer, has this to say about the preparation:

"After the grain had been gathered it was brought to the courtyard of the Temple, where, according to R. (Rabbi) Meir, it was parched while it was still in the ear; according to the other rabbis, it was first thrashed and then parched. The grain was ground into coarse meal and then sifted through thirteen sieves until it became very clean, after which the tenth part was taken, the measure of the 'omer, and given to the priest. ... The priest proceeded with the 'omer as with any other meal-offering, he poured oil and frankincense over the meal, 'waved' it, and then burned a handful of it on the altar; the remainder was eaten by the priests."  (Vol. IX, p. 399).

The manner of waving is also described in the same article:     

"The offering was placed on the extended hands of the priest, who moved them backward and forward (to counteract the effects of injurious winds) and then upward and downward (to counteract the effects of injurious dews; ...). As soon as the 'omer ceremony was completed the people of Jerusalem were permitted to eat of the newly harvested grain; people of towns far from Jerusalem might not do so until after noon, when it was certain that the ceremony at Jerusalem had been concluded."   (Vol. IX, p. 399)

As any grain farmer will tell you, the most harmful things to a ripe grain crop are high winds, which cause the grain to fall to the ground making it impossible to harvest; heavy rains which flatten the grain stalks, making it difficult to harvest; or several days of consistently heavy dew which can cause the grain to mildew. Apparently the 'waving' part of the ceremony accompanied the priests prayer that these conditions not occur, so that the farmers could bring in the full harvest of good grain during the next fifty day period.

… will continue tomorrow

COUNT THE OMER:  DAY 18

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is eighteen days, which is two weeks and four days of the Omer.

For the Choirmaster; a song with instrumental music; a Psalm. God be gracious to us and bless us; may You make Your countenance shine upon us forever; that Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. The nations will extol You, O God; all the nations will extol You. The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on earth forever. The peoples will extol You, O God; all the peoples will extol You, for the earth will have yielded its produce and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us; and all, from the farthest corners of the earth, shall fear Him.

 We implore You, by the great power of Your right hand, release the captive. Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One. Mighty One, we beseech You, guard as the apple of the eye those who seek Your Oneness. Bless them, cleanse them; bestow upon them forever Your merciful righteousness. Powerful, Holy One, in Your abounding goodness, guide Your congregation. Only and Exalted One, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Accept our supplication and hear our cry, You who knows secret thoughts. Blessed be the name of the glory of Your kingdom forever and ever.

Master of the universe, You have commanded us through Moses Your servant to count the Omer, in order to purify us from our evil and uncleanness. As You have written in Your Torah, "You shall count for yourselves from the day following the day of rest, from the day on which you bring the Omer as a wave-offering; [the counting] shall be for seven full weeks. Until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days," so that the souls of Your people may be cleansed from their defilement. Therefore, may it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, that Your people may be purified and sanctified with Your holiness.  Amen, selah.

 

 

Full of Sap

"The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted" (Psalm 104:16)

The trees of the Lord are full of sap, saturated and abundantly supplied with that which is necessary to their growth! There is no want, no lack, of that which is needful to them. The trees of the Lord—the cedars of Lebanon are the loftiest and most magnificent of trees on the face of the earth! The trees being so lofty and large, it seems as if one none of them could be planted except by the Lord God Almighty Himself!

The "trees of the Lord" would remind us of the "trees of righteousness" which are the planting of the Lord, planted in his vineyard. They are full of sap, for what God plants he will water, and those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God (Psalm 92:13).

We have to ask ourselves this question . . . "Are we full of sap?" This verse indicates that we have been given ample supply to cause us to grow into high and lofty trees, a glory to the earth in which they are planted! Are we growing? Are our roots digging down deeper and deeper as time goes on? Or, are we not doing anything with our "sap"? Are we bearing fruit?

It is a sad thing to meet people who are not doing anything with what God has invested in them! Matthew 21:19 talks of a certain fig tree which was bearing no fruit; Jesus cursed the tree and it withered away. To be a lavish, fruit-bearing tree is important to God, almost like a return on His investment!

We have been blessed with an abundance of life-giving, life-sustaining, life-changing "sap". Be careful to draw on that sap to grow your roots deep into His Word and love for you thus fulfilling His plans for your life!

Father, help me to be like the Cedars of Lebanon . . . firm, sound, unmoveable, unchangeable, having roots that run deep, an abundance of sap to sustain me, and bearing much fruit. Father, take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee! As you care for the beast of the field, for the fish in the sea, and for all of creation, Help me, Lord, to use what you have invested in me, bearing much fruit, for Your glory! Amen!

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psalm 1:3)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Count the Omer: Day 17

Let's jump in the middle of these significant days in the Jewish calendar and "Count the Omer"!

This year, according to the Jewish calendar, Pentecost (Shavuot) begins on the evening of Sunday, June 8^th. Each day until the Jewish feast of Shavuot, I'll be posting a little information about "Counting the Omer" and a prayer recited by both Messianic and Orthodox Jews. Although we missed the first 16 days, let's jump in on Day 17 this evening (May 6^th) at sunset; it's best we begin now rather than not acknowledge the significance of these days at all. As the days go on, we'll begin to realize the deep significance of this period of time—a time of focusing on God's Word and His promises of a bountiful harvest. While we read through these short teachings each day, let's look for symbolic references to the Messiah in the "Counting the Omer".

Let's Learn Together

If you've done any reading about these fifty days, you know that the Lord commanded Israel to "Count the Omer" each evening at sunset during this seven weeks of seven days. A celebration was then to be held on the Sabbath after the 49^th day which adds up to a total of 50 days … Pentecost.

"'And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath, then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.'" (Lev. 23:15-16)

There is a tremendous amount of significance in this period of 50 days after which God sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (The Feast of Weeks). So, let me help to clear up some not-so-clear terminology in the scripture above. First, what is the "sheaf of the wave offering"?

    "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: "When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.
      "'"You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings."'" (Lev. 23:9-11,14)

There tends to be some confusion on what constitutes a 'wave sheaf,' because of the translation of the Hebrew word omer (oh-mer) into the English word 'sheaf.' Literally, omer means a measure of dry things," and it is believed to be a quantity of about two quarts. If one wanted to be strictly literal in the translation it might read something like this in English:

"...then you shall bring a measure of dry things of the firstfruits of your harvest to the Priest. He shall wave the measure of dry things before the LORD, ..."

In English, the word sheaf means; "a bundle of cut stalks of grain or similar plants bound with straw or twine." Needless to say, the average reader probably visualizes the Priest taking a bundle of barley grain stalks and waving it in the Temple in a manner similar to what is done at the festival of Succoth (Tabernacles). However, this is not the manner in which it was done.

… continued tomorrow

 

COUNT THE OMER: DAY 17

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Today is seventeen days, which is two weeks and three days of the Omer.

For the Choirmaster; a song with instrumental music; a Psalm. God be gracious to us and bless us; may You make Your countenance shine upon us forever; that Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. The nations will extol You, O God; all the nations will extol You. The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on earth forever. The peoples will extol You, O God; all the peoples will extol You, for the earth will have yielded its produce and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us; and all, from the farthest corners of the earth, shall fear Him.

We implore You, by the great power of Your right hand, release the captive. Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One. Mighty One, we beseech You, guard as the apple of the eye those who seek Your Oneness. Bless them, cleanse them; bestow upon them forever Your merciful righteousness. Powerful, Holy One, in Your abounding goodness, guide Your congregation. Only and Exalted One, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Accept our supplication and hear our cry, You who knows secret thoughts. Blessed be the name of the glory of Your kingdom forever and ever.

Master of the universe, You have commanded us through Moses Your servant to count the Omer, in order to purify us from our evil and uncleanness. As You have written in Your Torah, "You shall count for yourselves from the day following the day of rest, from the day on which you bring the Omer as a wave-offering; [the counting] shall be for seven full weeks. Until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days," so that the souls of Your people may be cleansed from their defilement. Therefore, may it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, that Your people may be purified and sanctified with Your holiness. Amen, selah.

 

Public Faces / Secret Places

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1)

What does it mean to "dwell in the secret place of the Most High?" Ask yourself these questions: Are you at home in God . . . at rest in Him? Are you acquainted with Him throughout your whole being? Is your heart-work the service of God? Do you worship within the veil, loving to be alone with Him and converse with Him in solitude?

Marriage between a man and woman has two faces . . . one that is seen in public and one that is perceived only in private between the husband and wife. A married couple holding hands, walking arm-in-arm, exchanging winks or touches . . . all these are "public" faces of a marriage relationship . . all these are good and necessary but superficial and not intimate by definition. But, that which takes place in the "secret place" need not be spoken of, but the fruit of the intimate relationship can be seen without any word of public testimony!

Have you found that place of true intimacy with the Lord? Do you love being alone with Him . . . conversing with Him . . . sharing with Him . . . learning from Him? Have you learned to set aside some quiet, alone time to be in His presence where an intimate relationship can develop and grow?

Don't take your time with Him lightly, but nurture it and allow it to grow deeper and deeper day after day for if we DWELL in that "secret place" of the Most High, we will ABIDE under the shadow of His wing . . . no safer place can be found in all of creation!

Father, although our relationship has grown and blossomed since I first met You, I long for a deeper, more intimate relationship with You! I long to find that "secret place" where I can dwell and find my safety under the shadow of Your wing! Lord, help me love You more . . . know You more . . . serve You more! Lord, help me surrender to You more and more each day, that our relationship can be seen and perceived by all who meet me without ever having to say a word! Father, be glorified in our relationship today and every day! Amen!

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." (Psalm 57:1)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Stepping It Up With Praise

"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." (Psalm 89:1)

Praise . . . not much will put a song in your heart and a spring in your step like praising the Lord all the day long!

A song stirring in your heart can dictate the mood of your day when it's a song of praise that's welling up within you! You can be working in the worst of circumstances, but no one can take that song out of your heart! You can be facing the worst circumstances in life, but when there's a song of praise in your heart, you can face anything!

Nehemiah said, "The joy of the Lord is my strength." Thankfully, praise keeps us in touch with the joy of the Lord, which continually gives us the strength we need to face our problems.

What better way to praise the Lord than to sing of His mercies! After all, it is His mercy that bought our deliverance from the bondage of sin and death. It is His mercy that gives us hope!

And, finally, what better way to give hope to your children and your children's children than to teach them to sing of the mercies of the Lord . . . and to make known His faithfulness to ALL generations!

Father, my mind is bombarded with thoughts that would consume me and silence the song of praise in my heart! Help me to recognize those attacks quickly and to take hold of the reins of my mind and cast down all thoughts that prevent me from singing of your mercies continually! Father, teach me to keep that fire burning – the fire that consumes all the wood, hay and stubble but that purifies all that is precious to you! Let a new song spring forth from my heart declaring your mercies and proclaiming your goodness to all generations! I love You, Lord, and I give you all my Praise! Amen!

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." (Hebrews 13:15-16)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved