Thursday, April 13 | Omer Day Eight
In Leviticus 23:15-16, the Lord commanded the Israelites to count fifty days from the Passover to the festival of Shavu’ot. Seven full weeks transpired – forty-nine days with the fiftieth day being Shavu’ot. The Greek word for fifty is πεντηκοστῆς (pentekonta) so the festival became known as Pentecost, and the beginning of the church. Today is Omer Day Eight.
During the days of the Temple, on the first day of the Omer the priests would wave a sheaf or omer in the air. The sheaf was a tied bundle of harvested cereal including both the stalks and the heads of grain. Do you remember the old hymn? “Bringing in the sheaves. Bringing in the sheaves. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves!” This festival gives new meaning to the hymn, doesn’t it?
We will not keep the entire Jewish tradition when we count the Omer, but we will keep a similar pattern.
- Jews proclaim the blessing, “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by his commandments.” Let’s continue the tradition by proclaiming, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who has sanctified us through the sacrifice of His Son.”
- Declare the count: “Today is eight days, which is one week and one day of the Omer.”
- Jews pray for the Temple to be rebuilt. Pray instead for the building of God’s kingdom in the church. Pray that the church has the faith and fortitude to change the world.
- Read the Scripture passage of the day.
- Pray for personal holiness in preparation for Pentecost.
Here is the Scriptural passage for the day:
I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. I gave an account of my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 119:25-27 NIV
The passage begins with an interesting phrase. “I am laid low in the dust.” The NASV translates “My soul cleaves” to the dust. The Hebrew verb speaks of something that bonds together with something else. Think in terms of a strong glue binding items together. Throughout the Bible, the word “dust” indicates the ways of the physical world. “Dust to dust.” The psalmist laments that he tends to cleave to the ways of the world. To break that indelible bond, he must rely on the decrees, precepts, and words of the LORD.
