The Days of Omer

are a time of

reflection and growth

in preparation for

Shavuot.

For those new to

Our Fathers Appointed Times in His Annual Calendar

here is a brief explanation of

what it is

when it is

and

what it is for.

More can be read at:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/counting-our-blessings-with-omer/ 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/daily-devotions-for-the-49-days-of-omer/

Saying the

בְּרָכָה blessing/berakah

for

Counting the Omer (transliteration)

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, asherkid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al sfirat ha’omer. 

Hayom yom echad ba’omer.

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.

The season of Passover/Pesach

includes the week of Unleavened Bread

and the start of the Counting FROM the Omer

50 days towards Pentecost/Shavuot.

Some scholars say The Omer is counted every evening after nightfall, from the second night of Passover/Pesach, until the night before Shavuot/Pentecost.

There are disputes as to which day is the first day, and this has been going on since before Jesus/Yeshuas’ time; and can be studied further if the reader so desires.

Here is given a basic understanding of

the pattern

a reason to follow the main outlines for personal growth;

and

to remember and realize what Messiah has accomplished for us.

The 2 links given above have more details concerning the Omer.

The Book of Leviticus, ספר ויקרא

Vayik’ra 23:9 – 16

From the day after the Shabbat for 49 days.

In chp. 23 after the 7 day feast of

unleavened bread/Matzah

which western Christianity totally misses…

we come to a moed/appointed time

that does not have a name.

However the scripture says that at this moed or appointed time the children of Israel are commanded, notice it is not a suggestion! They are commanded to bring

an omer to the priests.

 

An omer is simply a sheaf;

specifically a bundle of grain

from the beginning of the first crop or harvest.

Which was most likely barley see Exodus/sh’mot 9:31…

Shemot, Shemoth, or Shemos

שְׁמוֹת ‎  Hebrew for: Names,

Book of Exodus.

…referring to the names of the Israelites who come to Egypt with Jacob.

The priest is then to

wave the omer

before Adonai/Lord God, as a

wave offering,

so that the omer

and the entire harvest will be accepted.

 Note on Leviticus 8:27:

He then put all these on the hands of Aaron and on the hands of his sons and presented them as a wave offering before the LORD.

Moses took the sacred portions of the peace offering along with the breads of the grain offering and placed them into the hands of Aaron and his sons. (See previous post for more detail). As they held the sacred elements, Moses presented them as a grain offering, implying that Moses must have joined hands with the priests in holding these elements. Hand in hand with Moses, still clutching the sacred portions of the sacrifices in their hands, the new priests offered the elements before God in a wave offering.

Facing the Sanctuary/Mishkan where the shekinah presence of the Father rested, they lifted the portions before the Almighty.

Then Moses took the elements back from the new priests and offered them up on the altar.

This has a Messianic implication for believers!

People may often feel unworthy to pray/talk with the Father, and sometimes people find it difficult to lift his or her heart to heaven.

We ask ourselves, how can we even dare to approach the Father when we are bowed down with the shame of sin and guilt?

Lets think on this as we approach our Heavenly Father in worship and in prayer, offering before Him the service of our hearts, the scarred hands of our High Priest/Messiah Jesus/Yeshua join with ours to lift the offering/presentation before the Father.

He lifts our hands together with His

in a wave offering

before the Almighty! Wow!

We are to understand the pattern

that our Heavenly Father set in place by WAY

of His Appointed Times/Feasts/Moedim,

which were given to us as

an annual rehearsal

for the future fulfillment by Messiah.

This was what Yeshua/Jesus completed

He was the

first fruit

the omer of the harvest of souls

presented to His Father

so that the entire harvest

all those who in the then future and still continuing today

would be acceptable to the Father. Wow!

Then from the day of your

bringing in the omer of the wave offering

count 50 days

and you will bring near a new offering to Adonai.

Vayikra 23; 15,16

The Book of Leviticus, ספר ויקרא

‘Va•ik•ra,’ means ‘And [the Lord] called,

Hebrew: ויקרא‎, Wayiqra, 

This was the precursor to

Shavuot/Pentecost

and the outpouring of

His Ruach HaKodesh

upon all flesh

fulfilling Joels prophecy of

the last days/end times/ end of the age.

This Shavuot was preceded by

the day of the wave offering and

49 days were to be counted forward to

bringing the new offering from the wheat harvest.  

shmot 34:2

and on that day 3000 souls were added…  

There is an inference to the time of counting, that the wheat crops are continuing to grow and ripen but will be ready for harvest when the counting is complete!

It also ensures the correct time (agriculturally), for the farmers to harvest the crops.

A further prophetic picture emerges if we recall that Egypt/מצרים (mitsrayim / meets-rah-yeem), is the type of the world system. This was where both the children of Israel/Yisrael, and ourselves have been freed from its’ slavery; and the one who had prepared the way for them to sojourn and be safe during the plagues so long before was Joseph. Joseph, a type of Jesus/Yeshua who had the dream of the 12 sheafs bowing /waving to his sheaf. The 12 tribes did bow down to Joseph, the type of Messiah; and One day every knee shall bow to the One who was the fulfillment of the Omer, the Wave offering before the Lord/Adonai.

Some call this day

Yom haBikurim/bikuriym Day of the First Fruits.

The scripture 23:9 does not mention bikuriym

which is the word often translated as

first fruits

in verse 10 is actually

reshiyt which means beginning

(familiar from bereshiyt/Genesis) .

The day following the first day of

Unleavened Bread

is called

Yom HaBikkurim י ום הביכורים 

the Day of Firstfruits,

or

Reshit Ha’Katzir  ראשית הקציר

the first of the harvest.

Reishit Qatzir ראשׁית קציר

The spring-time feast of Reishit Qatzir

Beginning of the Harvest

Numbers/B’midbar 28:26 clearly says that

Shavuot/Pentecost the moed/appointed time,

occurring 50 days later

is yom habikuriym ..

Shmot 23:16 and vayikra 23:17

also agree that

bikuriym

in this context is associated with

Shavuot/Pentecost.

Walking through the spring feasts moedim /mo’ediym we see a picture of our own walk with Messiah.

At Pesach/Passover, we are reminded of how we are set free from the bondage of sin;

then during the feast of matzah/unleavened bread, we have the chance to practice walking in our unleavened state/without sin.

As we continue towards Shavuot/Pentecost, we can count from the Omer. We are like the crops of wheat growing towards maturity, ultimately to become an abundant harvest for the Lord/Adonai.

Some important themes or subject matter for this season would be: sowing

growing

increase

being fed and nourished by His word

and

being mindful and focused

of how we are growing towards maturity in Him.

This time is often referred to as:

s’fiyrat haomer – counting the omer;

this is not exactly correct as it is

not the omers being counted but the days, that is:

the days from the day of the first offering of the Omer.

We should therefore say

counting FROM the omer  

s’fiyrat meomer /sefirat ha-omer 

מרעמ   ספירת  

The counting is to begin

according to scripture the 16^th day of the first month.

Which is the first day after the first day of matzah/unleavened bread.

Yom haBikkurim /Day of the First Fruits

is at the same time.

Counting of the Omer 

סְפִירַת הָעוֹמֶר‎,

Sefirat HaOmer,

sometimes abbreviated as

Sefira or the Omer;

is always on 16th of Nisan /Aviv.

From sunset to sunset and is counted AFTER sunset.

This מִצְוָה – mits-vah – command, decree; derives from the Torah commandment to count forty-nine days beginning from the day on which the עֹמֶר  oh-mer – omer is offered.

The week of matzah unleavened bread

together with the

counting from the omer

is part of the

spiritual preparation

prior to the outpouring of His Spirit of Holiness 50 days after His Resurrection at Pentecost/Shavuot.

They had to wait in Jerusalem/Yerushalayim which would have been very dangerous for the Talmidim/Disciples of Messiah. However they were obedient and received the fullness of His Spirit/Ruach, to empower them to go out into all the world with the good news and make disciples/talmidim of all nations…….

Each year this is a great opportunity for every believer who wants to walk as His disciple/talmid

to do a spiritual check up.

We willingly get physical/medical check ups and its often required by employers/insurers. We get our vehicles/cars/transport checked regularly change the oil and tires yet we often neglect the most important area of our life and that is where we are spiritually.

This is an important if not a critical point of assessment and we tend to keep going along, without checking ourselves to see if we are still in the right condition to continue the journey as well as the right direction. We could even check our own oil level and pressure! For a car it’s important that the oil lubricates the engine parts, stopping friction from overheating and blowing up; and that there is the right amount so the engine does not dry out and seize up. So an annual spiritual checkup is just as critical for us and we should not leave it just for one time a year; however, this is a good time to do a personal one. Spiritual maintenance helps to prevent burnout when we will become unable to function effectively in our own lives and of little to no use in aiding and serving others.

How does Adam figure in this?

Take a trip all the way back in Genesis/B’resheet to the time when our Heavenly Father called to Adam in the garden, asking:

Where are you?

Genesis 3:9

It was not that He didn’t know where Adam was physically because Our Heavenly Father knows and sees everything and nothing takes Him unawares.

Adams new spiritual condition was not a surprise to the Father but He wanted Adam to own up as to what had happened to him spiritually after he was disobedient and fell in sin.

We could and should put our own name in that very searching question….

Where are we?

Right now today ….where are we?

Our Heavenly Father is asking us

about our spiritual condition

and

about our position in covenant relationship with Him.

Where are we spiritually?

Are we still on the narrow Way?

We may be doing great in the natural sense, everything may be going along fine. Or we may be filled with our own ways, our own goals and dreams; and not pressing in to the things of Jesus the Messiah/Yeshua, as we know to do if we are to call ourselves His talmidim/disciple.

So there is somewhat of a connection with Adam and Omer in that, Adam needed to check his spiritual condition and do what he was required to do on his part to fix that broken fellowship caused by his sin.

In the same way we are to take the time to assess our spiritual position before the Father and refresh our relationship in covenant with Him by the power of His Ruach haKodesh/Spirit of Holiness. This is a time of turning towards the Father, a time of introspective teshuvah /repentance.

As we count from the omer it’s a time of

reflection and growth

in preparation for

Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks.

When we also remember Moses/the Giving of Torah and the celebration of covenant/marriage with the children of Israel who had just come out of bondage and needed guidelines for life/chaim.

 

According to the Torah (first 5 books of the old covenant), it took seven weeks for the Israelites to travel from Egypt to Mount Sinai.

The name Shavuot/Pentecost, meaning “weeks,”

refers to this seven-week period.

Each day is counted, which is known as the Counting of the Omer, or Sefirat HaOmer.

In the days of the Temple, the counting marked the seven weeks from the wheat harvest on the spring festival of Passover, to the harvesting of barley on Shavuot.

Festival of Reaping – חג הקציר (Exodus 23:16)

The Three Pilgrimage Festivals,

in Hebrew Shalosh Regalim (שלוש רגלים),

are three major festivals in Judaism

Pesach (Passover),

Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost),

and Sukkot (Tabernacles, Tents or Booths)

when all ancient Israelites who were able would make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, as commanded by the Torah.

Each of the three pilgrimage festivals marks a new period in the agricultural season:

Passover is also known as Chag ha-Aviv, the Spring Festival, which marks the beginning of the new planting season. The basic meaning of the word aviv, is the stage of growth in grain when the seeds have reached full size but have not yet dried.

Chag ha-Katzir, or the Jewish Harvest Festival of Reaping, is when the first crop of the season is ready. This happens at the time of Shavuot.

The next agricultural step is for all of the crops to be gathered. This happens with the third pilgrimage festival, Sukkot, which is also referred to as the Festival of Gathering, Chag Ha-Asif.

Day of the First Fruits – יום הבכורים (Numbers 28:26)

Yom Habikurim (Day of the First Fruits) comes from ancient times, when people would bring Bikkurim, their first and best fruits, as an offering to the Holy Temple. Bikkurim were brought from the Seven Species for which the land of Israel is praised: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates (Deuteronomy 8:8).

Shavuot and Pentecost

The Greek name for the Shavuot holiday, Pentecost, means “Fiftieth day.” This name refers to the fifty days between Passover and Shavuot.

 See other posts for more detail.

The scripture

teach us to number our days

takes on a new meaning in light of

counting from the omer.

Counting 49 or 7 weeks 7×7 is like counting a complete cycle counting 7x shabbats/Sabbaths. Weekly Shabbat is a cycle straight from Genesis and 7×7 is also like a cycle. The Moedim/Appointed Times of The Lord, and His set apart people, is an annual cycle following a planned specific pattern repeated, so we will remember His instructions, His Patterns that we are to follow –

fulfilled in Jesus/Messiah

that we may continue to remember and

follow the pattern, the WAY. Come Follow Me!

One final thought is that it was during these days of

counting from the omer

that the risen/resurrected Messiah Yeshua

was seen by His talmidim /disciples. John 20:19-25.

It is recorded that Messiah stayed forty days after His resurrection on this earth. He met with His talmidim/disciples again on the mount of Olives and ordered them to wait until they received His Ruach haKodesh/Holy Spirit. 

This has to be significant because nothing is happenstance with our Heavenly Father. There indeed is something about this period of time between His Resurrection and the giving/outpouring of His Spirit  that is so prophetic and powerfilled that it should give us great pause for thought!

He also appeared to so many other people.

Mary of Magdala Mark 16:9

Joanna Mary mother of James Matthew 28:9

the 2 on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:13-32

References include: the gospels. Matt 28:8-10. Mark  

Peter had also met the risen Christ. Luke 24:34.

Eight days later again Messiah manifested Himself before His disciples/talmidim, and this time Thomas was there and he touched Yeshua/Jesus and believed Him from that moment. John 20:26-31

The third time Messiah came to meet His talmidim/disciples where they were on the seashore and He had breakfast with them.

He also showed another miracle by telling them to cast the net and the net was full of around 153 fish. John 21

   There are references both in John and in Acts.

Jesus/Yeshua ascended to heaven after this meeting with His disciples. Acts 1:3-12.

Messiah appeared five times on the first day of the week. He continued to meet His disciples and teach them during the forty days between Passover/Pesach and His Ascension.

Saint Augustine in his book 

De Consensu Evangelistarum 

(Harmony of the Gospels from about AD 400)

catalogues ten appearances of Christ.

1st to the women at the sepulchre;

2nd to the same on the way from the sepulchre;

3rd to Peter;

4th to the two disciples going to the town of Emmaus

5th to several of them in Jerusalem when Thomas was not present

He came again a 6th time when Thomas saw Him

7th time was by the sea of Tiberias at the capture of the fishes;

the 8th was on the mountain of Galilee, according to Matthew;

the 9th occasion is expressed by Mark, ‘at length when they were at table,’ because no more were they going to eat with Him upon earth;

the 10th was on the very day, when no longer upon the earth, but uplifted into the cloud, He was ascending into heaven.

However, Saint Thomas Aquinas notes, “But, as John admits, not all things were written down. And He visited them frequently before He went up to heaven,” in order to comfort them. Hence it is written (1 Corinthians 15:6-7) that “He was seen by more than five hundred brethren at once . . . after that He was seen by James”; of which apparitions no mention is made in the Gospels.

 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, it is recorded that Messiah was seen by over 500 people at one time after His resurrection. Over a period of 40 days up to the day Yeshua/Jesus went back Home He was seen by, and talked to a number of individuals. He said He would come back the same way He went to Heaven.

From the very B’resheet/Genesis – beginning we were created to walk before the Father in obedience to His statutes, ordinances and ways.

The first Adam failed – the last Adam succeeded

and showed us the WAY back to the Father, the truth/emet of our condition and the life/chaim that we can live and have because of His sacrifice.

He was also

The Unleavened Bread from heaven

The Omer that was waved and

The Firstfruits from the dead.

And furthermore counting from the

Omer to Shavuot

He is the outpouring ON the harvest

through His Spirit of Holiness/Ruach HaKodesh.

This was so He could be with us always even to the end of the age; empowering all believers who unlike the first Adam, will choose to be obedient and follow Him.

50 days for us to reflect and repent and be ready for the outpouring that we will remember at Pentecost/Shavuot; refreshing and reviving us again to be witnesses to Him as He has commanded us.

Time to consider our ways

and choose life.

The question that Adam and Eve were asked still applies, because the very same question that He asked mankind in the Beginning, (B’reshyt/Genesis), is the same question He is asking mankind today!

Where are you?

So it would seem there is a connection between

Adam and Omer…

Let us allow the re-newed spirit imparted to us by the last Adam direct our steps these next days as we count them from Omer; not as a religious observance, but as one

desiring the fullness

of all Messiah won for us at Calvary

so we can be effective and bring glory

to the Name above every name.

Father teach us to count our days!

and let’s… 

Make each and every day count!

 

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim/friends and mishpachah/family!

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week,

you are greatly loved and prayed for daily.

Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation.

Let the deep inner knowing that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua bring you His shalom right now!

Not sure ..you can be…

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord, and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.