49 Days Of Omer
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The counting of the Omer
In Leviticus 23:10-12 we read,
10 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘After you enter the land I am giving you and harvest its ripe crops, you are to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the cohen . 11 He is to wave the sheaf before Adonai , so that you will be accepted; the cohen is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat . 12 On the day that you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a male lamb without defect, in its first year, as a burnt offering for Yahweh .
What is this “wave sheaf” offering? What does it symbolize and represent?
Notice that it is a sheaf of the “first fruits,” and it is offered to Yahweh our Adonai before the Israelite’s can harvest the spring harvest. Yahweh commands, “And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh” — that is, produce from the new harvest — “until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your Adonai: it is a STATUTE FOR EVER throughout your generations in all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:14).
The practice of counting the Omer is a traditional mindfulness practice, moving us daily toward closer spiritual connection through marking each of the 49 days of the Omer.
COUNTING THE OMER IS A DAILY DEVOTIONAL TOWARD SHAVUOT(PENTECOST)
Looking into the sequences, as they are revealed in Leviticus 23:
1) Yeshua, as our Passover Lamb, offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice for our sins, pictured by the Passover, slain in the afternoon of Nisan 14, and partaken of at the Passover dinner at the beginning of Nisan 15. We claim this sacrifice on our behalf, symbolized by our participation in the Passover; this is step one on the path to salvation — belief in the Messiah (Leviticus 23:5). This offering is accepted by Yahweh the Father immediately upon its fulfillment — not several days later!
2) The very next day, being the First Holy Day of the Days of Unleavened Bread (and also the weekly Sabbath), pictures our putting sin out of our lives (symbolized by the removal of leaven); this is step two on the path to salvation — repentance from dead works and sin (Leviticus 23:6-7).
3) Then the high priest took the “wave sheaf” which symbolized the FIRSTFRUITS of the barley harvest to “wave” it before the Adonai, to be accepted. This typified the 144,000 — the first-century Follower FIRSTFRUITS OF ZION, who became “at one with Yahweh,” through the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah and their acceptance of his sacrifice on their behalf, and their beginning to obey Yahweh by beginning to depart from Egypt, typified by their observance of Passover and Nisan 15. The “wave sheaf” offering meant that THEY had to first BE ACCEPTED before the rest of the HARVEST could commence!
While the first-century Followers from out of the twelve tribes of Israel were the FIRSTFRUITS — the rest of the harvest is the general wheat harvest itself and includes all those Followers from the first-century down to our time today. The general harvest could not be reaped UNTIL the FIRSTFRUITS, the 144,000, were accepted by Yahweh!
Now let’s understand this, step by step!
1) The Messiah “offered himself” when he died on the Mount of Olives facing the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple and sprinkled his blood before the altar of Yahweh’s Glory. Thus he “presented himself before Yahweh.” His offering was accepted IMMEDIATELY — NOT THREE DAYS LATER!
2) However, before that sacrifice could be applied to the FIRSTFRUITS, they had to first REPENT OF SIN (putting out the leaven); once they BEGAN to do this, Adonai immediately applied the sacrifice of the Messiah to THEIR sins, and accepted his sacrifice in THEIR personal behalf.
3) This having been accomplished, the High Priest (the risen Messiah) then “waved” the first wave sheaf before the Father’s Presence in the Temple, to be accepted by Him — picturing the 144,000 of ISRAEL, then being offered to the Father as the “FIRSTFRUITS” of the new harvest! The wave sheaf, composed of many individual grains of barley, thus typified the many individuals among the FIRSTFRUITS OF THE ECCLESIA OF Yahweh, being called and “chosen” during this age, to inherit the Kingdom of Yahweh!
Thus the one-two-three step process is completed, and symbolized by Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Wave Sheaf Offering. How amazing! How wonderful! How fulfilling! How humbling!
Blessing for Counting the Omer
for all 49 days:
Counting the Omer
(Recite Every Day of Omer)
Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu melech ha’olam,
asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav,
vetzivanu al sefirat ha’omer.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our Elohim, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.
Today is the [ ] day of the
[ ] week of seven weeks.
Today is the [ ]
day of the counting of fifty days from
the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Shabbat.
Today is Shabbat, the [ ]
shabbat of seven shabbatot.
Today completes the [ ]
week of seven weeks.
You shall count for yourselves – from the morrow after the Shabbat, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving – seven Shabbatot, they shall be complete. Until the morrow after the seventh Shabbat you shall count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh! Vayikra-Leviticus 23:15-16
“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, Yahweh our Adonai, King of the Universe who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer. Today is the ____ day of the Omer.”
Blessed are You, O Yahweh our Adonai, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by Your commandments and commanded us to be a light unto Your nations and has given us Yeshua our Messiah, the light of the world.
Psalm 67: May Yahweh be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine on us. Selah. So that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the nations praise You, O Yahweh; let all the nations thank You. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for You shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations on earth. Selah. Let the nations give thanks to You, O Yahweh; let all the nations praise You. The earth shall yield its increase; and Yahweh, our own Adonai, shall bless us. Yahweh shall bless us; and all the ends of the Earth shall fear Him..
&
The counting of the Omer
In Leviticus 23:10-12 we read,
10 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘After you enter the land I am giving you and harvest its ripe crops, you are to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the cohen . 11 He is to wave the sheaf before Adonai , so that you will be accepted; the cohen is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat . 12 On the day that you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a male lamb without defect, in its first year, as a burnt offering for Yahweh .
What is this “wave sheaf” offering? What does it symbolize and represent?
Notice that it is a sheaf of the “first fruits,” and it is offered to Yahweh our Adonai before the Israelite’s can harvest the spring harvest. Yahweh commands, “And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh” — that is, produce from the new harvest — “until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your Adonai: it is a STATUTE FOR EVER throughout your generations in all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:14).
The practice of counting the Omer is a traditional mindfulness practice, moving us daily toward closer spiritual connection through marking each of the 49 days of the Omer.
COUNTING THE OMER IS A DAILY DEVOTIONAL TOWARD SHAVUOT(PENTECOST)
Looking into the sequences, as they are revealed in Leviticus 23:
1) Yeshua, as our Passover Lamb, offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice for our sins, pictured by the Passover, slain in the afternoon of Nisan 14, and partaken of at the Passover dinner at the beginning of Nisan 15. We claim this sacrifice on our behalf, symbolized by our participation in the Passover; this is step one on the path to salvation — belief in the Messiah (Leviticus 23:5). This offering is accepted by Yahweh the Father immediately upon its fulfillment — not several days later!
2) The very next day, being the First Holy Day of the Days of Unleavened Bread (and also the weekly Sabbath), pictures our putting sin out of our lives (symbolized by the removal of leaven); this is step two on the path to salvation — repentance from dead works and sin (Leviticus 23:6-7).
3) Then the high priest took the “wave sheaf” which symbolized the FIRSTFRUITS of the barley harvest to “wave” it before the Adonai, to be accepted. This typified the 144,000 — the first-century Follower FIRSTFRUITS OF ZION, who became “at one with Yahweh,” through the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah and their acceptance of his sacrifice on their behalf, and their beginning to obey Yahweh by beginning to depart from Egypt, typified by their observance of Passover and Nisan 15. The “wave sheaf” offering meant that THEY had to first BE ACCEPTED before the rest of the HARVEST could commence!
While the first-century Followers from out of the twelve tribes of Israel were the FIRSTFRUITS — the rest of the harvest is the general wheat harvest itself and includes all those Followers from the first-century down to our time today. The general harvest could not be reaped UNTIL the FIRSTFRUITS, the 144,000, were accepted by Yahweh!
Now let’s understand this, step by step!
1) The Messiah “offered himself” when he died on the Mount of Olives facing the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple and sprinkled his blood before the altar of Yahweh’s Glory. Thus he “presented himself before Yahweh.” His offering was accepted IMMEDIATELY — NOT THREE DAYS LATER!
2) However, before that sacrifice could be applied to the FIRSTFRUITS, they had to first REPENT OF SIN (putting out the leaven); once they BEGAN to do this, Adonai immediately applied the sacrifice of the Messiah to THEIR sins, and accepted his sacrifice in THEIR personal behalf.
3) This having been accomplished, the High Priest (the risen Messiah) then “waved” the first wave sheaf before the Father’s Presence in the Temple, to be accepted by Him — picturing the 144,000 of ISRAEL, then being offered to the Father as the “FIRSTFRUITS” of the new harvest! The wave sheaf, composed of many individual grains of barley, thus typified the many individuals among the FIRSTFRUITS OF THE ECCLESIA OF Yahweh, being called and “chosen” during this age, to inherit the Kingdom of Yahweh!
Thus the one-two-three step process is completed, and symbolized by Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Wave Sheaf Offering. How amazing! How wonderful! How fulfilling! How humbling!
Blessing for Counting the Omer
for all 49 days:
Counting the Omer
(Recite Every Day of Omer)
Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu melech ha’olam,
asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav,
vetzivanu al sefirat ha’omer.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our Elohim, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.
Today is the [ ] day of the
[ ] week of seven weeks.
Today is the [ ]
day of the counting of fifty days from
the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Shabbat.
Today is Shabbat, the [ ]
shabbat of seven shabbatot.
Today completes the [ ]
week of seven weeks.
You shall count for yourselves – from the morrow after the Shabbat, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving – seven Shabbatot, they shall be complete. Until the morrow after the seventh Shabbat you shall count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh! Vayikra-Leviticus 23:15-16
“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, Yahweh our Adonai, King of the Universe who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer. Today is the ____ day of the Omer.”
Blessed are You, O Yahweh our Adonai, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by Your commandments and commanded us to be a light unto Your nations and has given us Yeshua our Messiah, the light of the world.
Psalm 67: May Yahweh be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine on us. Selah. So that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the nations praise You, O Yahweh; let all the nations thank You. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for You shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations on earth. Selah. Let the nations give thanks to You, O Yahweh; let all the nations praise You. The earth shall yield its increase; and Yahweh, our own Adonai, shall bless us. Yahweh shall bless us; and all the ends of the Earth shall fear Him..