Counting the Omer

Yes, I know. It has been a long time since I've written! In fact, it was Passover. Following that joyous feast we begin the counting of the Omer as commanded in Leviticus 23:15-17: "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. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord."

The word omer literally means barley. We count fifty days between the barley harvest at Passover and the wheat harvest, which culminates in the Feast of Weeks, or Shavu'ot, also called Pentecost. Indeed, the first fulfillment of the fifty days was probably the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai when Yahweh gave His katubah (His marriage covenant) to Israel. This is said to have occurred fifty days after the people of Israel came out of their bondage in Egypt. The second fulfillment of this feast occurred after Yahshua's death and resurrection when the disciples were gathered in the Upper Room and the Holy Spirit was poured out in power upon them, with 3000 added to the Body of Messiah that day. I personally believe the third fulfillment of this feast will occur when the 144,000 are sealed by the Holy Spirit, as it says in Revelation 14:4-5: "These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. these were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb."

And so, with an agreement to pray and fast during this time, we are in the midst of counting the Omer, marking off the fifty days, looking forward with great anticipation to the celebration of Shavu'ot and a new refreshing and outpouring of the Spirit on each of us. During this time, just as the Israelites were in the wilderness, we take a journey toward the heart of God, learning obedience. We learn to stay when the cloud stays and move when it moves. And He is sharpening and refining us, teaching us to truly be a family (a mishpocah) that can and will dwell together in love, humility and forgiveness.

As part of this journey He has given us some profound surprises along our way. We've been given a large community center to meet in each Erev Shabbat at no cost! The Lord's timing is perfect; we had just reached the point of having too many people to fit in homes and at small dining tables! Then, in our prayer time, He gave us His mandate for our ministry: "Gather together the families that I bring you each Erev Shabbat. Teach them to keep my Sabbaths on the seventh day beginning at sundown, and to set this time apart to be with Me. Teach them to bless one another (husbands blessing wives, wives blessing husbands, parents blessing children), and to forgive one another for the past week's offenses. Teach them My Word. Teach them to worship Me in Spirit and in Truth. Families and marriages are broken. Provide for them a safe place to heal and to be restored."

As we count the fifty days, we are indeed making a journey toward something new and beautiful that the Father is preparing. With great anticipation we expect that when we reach the fiftieth day, as at Pentecost, the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) will be poured out, opening the eyes of our understanding for this New Thing He is doing among us. Yet I wonder, "Is it new, Father, or is it old - the ancient path you told us to look for?"

Are you counting the days? Is your heart beating in anticipation of what the Lord is about to do? Are your eyes fixed on Him instead of on the world? He said, "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16)