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Remember that we have been "counting the Omer." We are counting up to the 50th day after the Feast of First Fruits. That 50th day must be pretty important for God to command our counting those days. What did Pentecost or Shavuot (the 50th day) represent?
After the Israelites left Egypt and had secured their freedom from slavery, God headed them in the direction of Mount Sinai. On the 47th day God told them to prepare for that 50th day.
Exodus 19:10-11 (KJV)
10
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
11
And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
On the 50th day God was going to come down in the sight of all the people! In preparation the people were sanctified and they washed their clothes. They needed to be holy in order for God to meet with them.
Exodus 19:16-20 (KJV)
16
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
17
And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
18
And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
19
And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.
20
And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
God actually came down onto Mount Sinai and He spoke, requesting Moses to come up into the Mount. Moses complied and what was he given? Chapter 20 of Exodus begins relating the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Mosaic Law. This was the important event that occurred on the first Pentecost!
Let's remember, too, God's purpose in giving the Law.
Exodus 19:5-8 (KJV)
5
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
7
And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.
8
And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
God was gathering a people unto himself, that would be a kingdom of priests, and would be a holy nation. Notice, too, that the people answered by saying that "all that the Lord hath spoken we will do!" Yet, the Law had not been given yet. They were responding without even fully knowing the requirements.
Does this remind you of any other common practice?
Many of us have stood before the holy God with a life partner and declared lifelong wedding vows. The Israelites, in effect, were entering into a covenant relationship with Almighty God in much the same way as a bride and groom do on their wedding day. Yet God had already pledged His commitment to His people. We are reminded of it when we drink the Fourth Cup at the Passover Seder, the Cup of Praise.
Exodus 6:6-8 (KJV)
6
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
7
And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8
And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.
Yet, as amazing and wonderful this event is, it provided a foreshadowing of at least two other events. After Yeshua's death and resurrection, the Jews were in the process of counting the Omer. When the 50th day and the Feast of Pentecost or Shavuot arrived and the believers were likely in the Temple, the Holy Spirit came upon them and changed them forever. The second event has yet to come.
Revelation 19:4-9 (KJV)
4
And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
5
And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
6
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
One day Yeshua's Kingdom will be established on the earth and the believers will participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb. He will have His people!
Wow, that counting business IS pretty important!
Showing posts with label Counting the Omer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Counting the Omer. Show all posts
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Count Up to Pentecost (Shavuot)
Previous:
About a year and a half ago I began a countdown to two very important events. I was expecting not only my first grand baby, but my second as well. The babies were due about a week apart and I had pregnancy tickers on my desktop to remind me of the development of these two little ones and the passage of weeks until their due dates. Finally, last May they were born, not a week apart, but three (One needed to come early.). It was a time of rejoicing that will live long in my memory!
It is common to count down to an important event, but how many times have you heard of somone counting up to an event?!
When we are in the middle of the "counting of the Omer," we count up, beginning with the first day and ending with the 49th day (Pentecost being the 50th day.). Many, I'm sure, have wondered why the count has traditionally been done that way. Not being Jewish, I really don't have any answer to this, but I do have some impressions.
Certainly, the counting is meant to be a way of marking when Pentecost (Shavuot) occurs, and it is meant as a connection between the Feast of First Fruits and Pentecost, but it seems that it would have been easier to mark it by a date, similarly to the 14th of Nisan marking the day when the Passover lambs were killed. There must be some importance, then, in the counting itself.
If you are counting up, does that highlight the coming event in some ways more than if you were counting down? Perhaps, although this is certainly a subjective impression. But let's run with that idea.
Passover and the Exodus from Egypt is the central redemptive event in Judaism. What possibly could compare to the way the Israelites' lives were changed from slavery to freedom? If God wanted the people not to rest on the great miracles they had participated in during the Exodus and wanted them to move forward, to look for that next important step, maybe a count up would do just that. But what was so important about Pentecost, that God decidedly shifted His focus to it?
Most Christians believe that Pentecost was the beginning of the church, but Pentecost's history began during the days of Moses and the Israelites. Since they were wandering around in the desert and had not planted any crops, the Feast of First Fruits and Pentecost were not actually celebrated until they came into the land.
Leviticus 23:10 (KJV)
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
It is believed, however, that something very important occurred on what would have been Pentecost.
Exodus 19:1-6 (KJV)
1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Fifty days after the Passover (in the first month) the Israelites came to Mount Sinai (in the third month). When Moses went up onto Mount Sinai, God told him to tell the Israelites that if the people would obey His voice and keep His covenant, they would be God's treasure above all people.
This event was a milestone in the life of the people that marked another significant change for the Israelites. Is it no wonder that God commanded the people to remember Pentecost, not only as a time of gratitude for the wheat harvest, but for the establishment of the covenant as well?
As we "count the Omer" are you joyfully anticipating the coming celebration of Pentecost?
More on this next time.
Next:
About a year and a half ago I began a countdown to two very important events. I was expecting not only my first grand baby, but my second as well. The babies were due about a week apart and I had pregnancy tickers on my desktop to remind me of the development of these two little ones and the passage of weeks until their due dates. Finally, last May they were born, not a week apart, but three (One needed to come early.). It was a time of rejoicing that will live long in my memory!
It is common to count down to an important event, but how many times have you heard of somone counting up to an event?!
When we are in the middle of the "counting of the Omer," we count up, beginning with the first day and ending with the 49th day (Pentecost being the 50th day.). Many, I'm sure, have wondered why the count has traditionally been done that way. Not being Jewish, I really don't have any answer to this, but I do have some impressions.
Certainly, the counting is meant to be a way of marking when Pentecost (Shavuot) occurs, and it is meant as a connection between the Feast of First Fruits and Pentecost, but it seems that it would have been easier to mark it by a date, similarly to the 14th of Nisan marking the day when the Passover lambs were killed. There must be some importance, then, in the counting itself.
If you are counting up, does that highlight the coming event in some ways more than if you were counting down? Perhaps, although this is certainly a subjective impression. But let's run with that idea.
Passover and the Exodus from Egypt is the central redemptive event in Judaism. What possibly could compare to the way the Israelites' lives were changed from slavery to freedom? If God wanted the people not to rest on the great miracles they had participated in during the Exodus and wanted them to move forward, to look for that next important step, maybe a count up would do just that. But what was so important about Pentecost, that God decidedly shifted His focus to it?
Most Christians believe that Pentecost was the beginning of the church, but Pentecost's history began during the days of Moses and the Israelites. Since they were wandering around in the desert and had not planted any crops, the Feast of First Fruits and Pentecost were not actually celebrated until they came into the land.
Leviticus 23:10 (KJV)
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
It is believed, however, that something very important occurred on what would have been Pentecost.
Exodus 19:1-6 (KJV)
1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Fifty days after the Passover (in the first month) the Israelites came to Mount Sinai (in the third month). When Moses went up onto Mount Sinai, God told him to tell the Israelites that if the people would obey His voice and keep His covenant, they would be God's treasure above all people.
This event was a milestone in the life of the people that marked another significant change for the Israelites. Is it no wonder that God commanded the people to remember Pentecost, not only as a time of gratitude for the wheat harvest, but for the establishment of the covenant as well?
As we "count the Omer" are you joyfully anticipating the coming celebration of Pentecost?
More on this next time.
Next:
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Counting the Omer
Have you been counting the omer? This is a command by God found in Leviticus 23.
Leviticus 23:15-16 (KJV)
15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Most Christians have never even heard of the omer, much less the counting of it. Yet, here it is, right after the description of the Feast of First Fruits. In fact, the Feast of First Fruits is the beginning of the counting. Verse 15 refers to the Feast of First Fruits as the morrow after the sabbath, the day that the Jewish people were to bring the first sheaf of barley to be waved before the Lord. This counting was to continue until seven sabbaths were counted. This equals 49 days (7x7). Verse 16 then concludes that on the following day, the 50th day, a new grain (meat as in meal) offering would be made unto the Lord. This would be an offering of the wheat harvest.
Can you guess what day is the 50th day after the Feast of First Fruits? It is the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost! This feast is one that most Christians are very familiar with given the events of Acts chapter 2 and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The counting of the omer connects the Feast of First Fruits and Pentecost. But what is an omer? An omer is a measure of about 3.64 liters. The idea was to bring the first sheaves of the barley harvest to the priest to be waved before the Lord. So the command is basically to count a sheaf of barley every evening until Pentecost. Traditionally, the counting began on the 16th of Nisan. (Remember the Passover lambs were to be killed on the 14th.) Today, we simply count the days, since the Temple has been destroyed and we can't physically perform the required offerings. But the counting is still called, "the counting of the omer."
The traditional count, done in the evening, is accomplished by saying something like the following:
"Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us regarding the counting of the Omer. Today is the (whatever day, eg. fifth) day of the Omer."
After Yeshua was raised from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits, He spent 40 of the 50 days teaching the disciples. After that, Yeshua ascended into Heaven and told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit, which occurred on Pentecost, the 50th day.
If Yeshua meant those days to be a type of preparation we should continue to remember them.
Next:
Leviticus 23:15-16 (KJV)
15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Most Christians have never even heard of the omer, much less the counting of it. Yet, here it is, right after the description of the Feast of First Fruits. In fact, the Feast of First Fruits is the beginning of the counting. Verse 15 refers to the Feast of First Fruits as the morrow after the sabbath, the day that the Jewish people were to bring the first sheaf of barley to be waved before the Lord. This counting was to continue until seven sabbaths were counted. This equals 49 days (7x7). Verse 16 then concludes that on the following day, the 50th day, a new grain (meat as in meal) offering would be made unto the Lord. This would be an offering of the wheat harvest.
Can you guess what day is the 50th day after the Feast of First Fruits? It is the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost! This feast is one that most Christians are very familiar with given the events of Acts chapter 2 and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The counting of the omer connects the Feast of First Fruits and Pentecost. But what is an omer? An omer is a measure of about 3.64 liters. The idea was to bring the first sheaves of the barley harvest to the priest to be waved before the Lord. So the command is basically to count a sheaf of barley every evening until Pentecost. Traditionally, the counting began on the 16th of Nisan. (Remember the Passover lambs were to be killed on the 14th.) Today, we simply count the days, since the Temple has been destroyed and we can't physically perform the required offerings. But the counting is still called, "the counting of the omer."
The traditional count, done in the evening, is accomplished by saying something like the following:
"Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us regarding the counting of the Omer. Today is the (whatever day, eg. fifth) day of the Omer."
After Yeshua was raised from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits, He spent 40 of the 50 days teaching the disciples. After that, Yeshua ascended into Heaven and told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit, which occurred on Pentecost, the 50th day.
If Yeshua meant those days to be a type of preparation we should continue to remember them.
Next:
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