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The time between Passover and Pentecost is 50 days, the same number of days between Israel's deliverance from Israel and the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. The counting of the omer is the time in between these two powerful events that foreshadow our salvation and the baptism in the Holy Ghost. This is the time we actually count aloud each of these days, a foreshadowing of the waiting the disciples did in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. Some today are in the valley of decision on receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit just as many Jewish people today wait during this time for the celebration of the giving of the Law. The Holy Spirit is so needed today to guide us into ALL truth. He is truly our helper and counselor and power.
By Chris McDonald
TEXT:
Leviticus
23:15 The Jewish community, especially the Messianic one, is currently celebrating what is called the "counting of the omer." From Bible history we know that the Jewish people left Egypt on Passover, and 50 days later (on the holiday of Pentecost (Shavuot) received the Torah at Mount Sinai. The term "Pentecost," is a Greek term that means "50." Today, in revisiting that Sinai experience, there is a unique time we are in right now called the "Counting the Omer," where one actually counts aloud each of these days, beginning on the second night of Passover and continuing till Shavuot. According to the Levitical Law, (Lev. 23:15), the Lord commanded the children of Israel to count the days from the second night of Passover to the day before Shavu'ot, seven full weeks. The omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering. Leviticus
23:15 Every night, from the second night of Passover to the night before Shavu'ot, one recites a blessing and states the count of the omer in both weeks and days. So on the 16th day, one would say "Today is sixteen days, which is two weeks and two days of the Omer" and so forth. This period is a time marked by partial mourning, during which weddings, parties, and dinners with dancing are not conducted, in memory of a plague during the lifetime of Rabbi Akiba. Haircuts during this time are also forbidden. The 33rd day of the Omer (the eighteenth of Iyar) is a minor holiday commemorating a break in the plague. The holiday is known as Lag b'Omer. The mourning practices of the omer period are lifted on that date. The word "Lag" is not really a word; it is the number 33 in Hebrew, as if you were to call the Fourth of July "Iv July" (IV being 4 in Roman numerals). The counting is intended to remind us of the link between Passover, which commemorates the Exodus, and Shavu'ot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah and in anti-type fulfillment the ultimate outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon the church in Acts 2:1-4. It speaks to us all that Israel's redemption from slavery was not complete until the full revelation of God which was given on Sinai. Blood brought Israel out of Egypt. The Law at Sinai would help in the process of bringing Egypt out of Israel! The events of Sinai were a foreshadowing of a greater event which would take place some 2500 years later on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit would come and indwell believers, writing that same law on Sinai in man's hearts through the power of the New Covenant, a change from what took place 2,500 years later on tablets of stone. The number "50" remains a topic of debate among theologians and Jewish rabbinical study. One theory exists that says that Israel was not yet spiritually ready to deal with the full revelation of God He would give them on Mount Sinai through the Law (the first five books of our Bible). For over 200 years, they had been living in an Egyptian society known to be the world center for immorality and vice. Even without direct Jewish participation, these influences nonetheless permeated the air and seeped into their consciousness. We see those seeds in the events of the wilderness. According to Jewish tradition and commentary, the primary book of Kabbalah, "The Zohar," reports that in Egypt the Jews had slipped to the 49th level of spiritual impurity. (50 is the very lowest.) Thus, spiritual maturity was needed and 50 days traveling from Egypt to Sinai was God's prescribed order of the day. Yet as we know from Biblical history even 50 days of traveling didn't change Israel's hearts!!! (LET THAT SINK IN 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE FOLKS!) You can't make Christians perfect or sanctified with a 40-day scheme!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The high-impact adventure of the Exodus -- 10 miraculous plagues and the splitting of the Red Sea -- launched the Jews into physical freedom. Yet the miracles of Egypt did not produce a depth of faith and trust in God to the point that the nation would survive in the wilderness as we see in the historical recordings of Moses in the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy. A one-time experience with God, as powerful as it is, does not permanently change anyone's emotional attitude and increase their spirituality. Maturity takes time and time is something most modern Christians don't care to take too much of when dealing with growing up into Christ. Not to sound redundant, but again, this is a tremendous lesson for us today. Miracles are great and powerful and God still does those today. But miracles in themselves will never make great Christians! Israel had more miracles take place on its behalf than any other nation on the face of the earth. Yet taking Israel out of Egypt was much easier for God than getting Egypt out of Israel and when push came to shove in the wilderness, the first generation out of Egypt set a blueprint for what Israel would ultimately do later in the time of Christ and that is perish because of unbelief, self-righteousness and apostasy. I want to say it again. By all accounts, Israel should have been more than willing to enter into the Promised Land given to her by God but in the time of decision when it came down to believing or not believing God - Israel through the mouths of 10 spies chose not to believe what God had said and the results have been disastrous to this very day. It is a powerful footnote of history to see the fact that Jewish people know that God exists and that He gave the Law (Torah) to the Jewish nation at Mount Sinai. Yet without the opening of their hearts to Jesus (Yeshua), the impact of that mental acceptance lasted a very short time as is evident today. All of man's schemes in the modern church to produce righteousness and holiness in our people last but a few days at most! And when the religious "high" wears off the junkie comes to the reality that all the scheming, all the programs, all the legalistic trying, and all the ridiculous and insidious efforts of man have FAILED to produce the peace within and bring them to a place where sin does NOT have dominion over them any longer! Let me tell you this. Real change occurs only through the work of the HOLY SPIRIT and the power of Yeshua's finished work on the cross. It takes FAITH! Paul wrote to the Hebrews that Israel failed in the wilderness because they did not mix the word they received at Sinai with FAITH and it profited them NOTHING. 2 Cor.
3:9-15 Hebrews
4:1-3 I'm afraid that many today are in the same boat as Israel of old. We have heard sermon after sermon. We have attended seminar after seminar. We have had hands laid on us day in and day out hoping to find our way out of the abyss we seem to be slipping in. We go to and fro looking for the peace that only an intimate relationship with the Father can bring through the loving heartbeat of Jesus and the power and grace of the HOLY GHOST. ALL the preaching of the last 100 years has produced very little true Christian commitment and power. The apostasy that the apostles predicted has taken hold in our bodies rapidly because of this. We need a move of God so very badly. We need a Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Ghost in our churches, homes and schools. We need God to rend our hearts and change us. We need to mature so greatly in these last days so we can stand against the onslaught of Satan that is already at its highest volume in history but will only get worse as we drive closer to the Rapture. Darkness is about to envelope the earth but the believer has the power to stand against that darkness through the power of the HOLY GHOST - the GLORY OF GOD that is soon to rise upon us! Isaiah
60:1-3
The message of the counting of the omer is about maturity and how the Holy Spirit alone can produce CHRIST in us, the hope of all glory! It's going to take spiritual maturity to stand in the evil day. Friend, I don't state these words lightly as I write them. We are in perilous times. 2 Tim.
3:1-8 The Counting Of The Omer Is Supposed To Be A Time Of Growth Ephes.
4:15-16 Classic Talmudic commentators say that the days of counting the Omer were used by God to increase Israel's spirituality and level of commitment to Him. He knew what lie ahead in the days to come and knew that many would fall by the way side along this journey. This necessity for self-growth is stressed in the Genesis description of Abraham: "Abraham was old, he came with his days" (Genesis 24:1). "He came with his days" teaches us that Abraham used each of his days to the fullest extent. At the end of his life, he came to old age "with all his days" in hand. No day was without its requisite growth. Our natural growth is similar to our spiritual growth. When we are babes in Christ, our level of responsibility is not as great as when we are in Christ for a longer period of time. You don't expect a 10-year-old to act the same way he did at age five. But somehow as adults, we lose that impulse to continue growing. Friend, God wants us to GROW up into CHRIST! Spiritual maturity is needed in our lives today. We need to be changed from glory to glory! There are seven blessings of perfection or spiritual maturity concerning the Holy Spirit and the counting of the Omer: 1. Maturity—no
longer children (Ephes. 4:14) God's Grace Is Always Progressive, Religion Is Not A major impediment to spiritual growth is the feeling of being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task. The biggest reason people fail is that they have set a goal which is too lofty and unattainable. We inevitably fall short and get discouraged. In Jacob's famous dream, God shows him a vision of a ladder reaching toward heaven. Spiritual growth, like climbing a ladder, must be one step at a time. By setting small, incremental goals, we will be encouraged by the periodic success. Take pleasure in the times you achieved your goal, and use that as a motivation to improve further. Don't castigate yourself if you do not always succeed. No human being is perfect. The Kabbalists say that spiritual growth is "two steps forward and one step back." We will inevitably have setbacks. What's important is that we're heading in the right direction. Grace is always progressive and rejoices in PROGRESS. There are some people who are bound by a spirit of demonic perfection. EVERYTHING has to be just perfect before they will join themselves to it or sponsor it. That is not God's system of ministry. The Holy Spirit is changing us each day "from glory to glory." 2 Cor.
3:17-18 King Solomon tells us in Proverbs (24:16): "The Tzaddik falls seven times and gets up." The definition of a Tzaddik is not someone who never makes a mistake, but rather someone who, although he may fail, does not give up. He tries again and does not despair! Abraham, it is said, "staggered not in unbelief," at the promise of God. But we know from reading his history that Abraham staggered all over the place reaching the place where he trusted the Lord like he should. That is not a contradiction in statements. It means that no matter how many times Abraham failed God, he got up and never quit. And neighbor before you begin this journey into maturity, you must understand that you and I are going to fail sometimes. It's not that we should or shouldn't fail, it's what we do when we fail. We are but flesh and the Lord understands that. What the Lord does not tolerate though is arrogance and pride that puffs us up and keeps us from seeking HIS FACE and allowing the Holy Spirit to change us. God RESISTS the proud, but gives GRACE to the humble. James 4:6
Religion keeps count of your progress in such a way if you fail more than once you are automatically labeled as sinful and wicked. We are such hypocrites sometime in the body. We are so quick to judge others based upon their actions but when we judge ourselves we always judge ourselves based upon our intentions! Our neighbor uses a cuss word and he's "not right with God I guess." We use that same cuss word by accident and "we just lost our temper, we're ok with God!" Sound familiar? "They smoke those cigarettes because they are just a bunch of backsliders." When we smoke a cigarette, "it's just one of those habits I'm dealing with." That is religion and it stinks to high heaven in the nostrils of God. He is not pleased with those attitudes in our hearts. Religion will tear down someone seeking to find their way with God instead of building them up. God's process of Grace gives room for failure but it does not give room for presumptuous sin. What you did two years ago you're not doing today. As Christians we seek NOT to find reasons to sin, but we find reasons to live for righteousness. If we fail, we repent quickly and continue striving to overcome those sins in our lives and hearts. A dear friend told me just this week of a man in his mid-50s who proclaimed himself to be a prophet. This man went out and had an affair with a 30-year old woman, got her pregnant, but when time came to take responsibility for it, he didn't see his actions as sin, but the result of the medication he was on. Grace does not cover such arrogance and deception. The man's medication may have been a problem, but committing adultery is sin. The medication didn't make him pull his pants down and have fornication with a woman 20 years his junior. I'm not judging the brother. We ALL are subject to temptation and the onslaught of the enemy. The issue is how we deal with failure when it happens. Grace gives us the power to not fail if we will be obey and believe. Mercy is granted for our sin through the blood of Christ. Mercy covers a sincere heart that does not make excuses for its failure but comes boldly to the throne of Grace asking for forgiveness AND deliverance! 1. Spiritual Maturity is A Call That We Grow Up, Not Remain Children. Ephes. 4:14
Paul exhorts us not to remain children tossed to and fro which always places us in jeopardy of being led astray by false doctrine. So many believers today are not grounded in Christ. As a result, every single sleight of man that comes down the pike we are all too often willing to jump on the band wagon and run with it. There is nothing new under the sun friend. God is a God of variety for sure and many things He does is not going to sit well with the religious. That's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about doctrines that the prince and power of the air produce that brings people into bondage, not freedom. It's doctrine that carries us away from the source of ALL our help - the cross of Christ. ANY teaching, doctrine or movement that belittles the finished work of Christ on the cross is a false doctrine propelled by more than likely false preachers and teachers. Seducing spirits will take many captive in these last days. So much of the glorious gospel of Christ is hid to many because the enemy has blinded their minds. Sadly, many Christians have not renewed their minds and thus, are blind as well. We live in a time that is far too important to be blind to the truth. GROW UP! Renew your mind. Study the word of God. Make reading and listening to God over the Word a priority, not a time on your busy schedule. The Lord is not concerned with keeping a scorecard so when you look at that scorecard your pride wells up thinking of how much time you've devoted to it. Reading the Bible is more than a spiritual discipline. It's an encounter with the author of the book! JESUS wants to come along side and speak to our hearts during this encounter so we won't be deceived in the days at hand. In the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was WITH GOD and the WORD WAS God. We need the WORD today and the Spirit. The Word of God is the source for all of man's ills. It will always point man to repentance and godly living. Man cannot live godly on his own strength. Thus, the Holy Spirit has come to guide us into all truth and strengthen our hearts for the journey. He LIVES inside us today building up, encouraging, directing, convicting, pointing us to CHRIST. GREATER is HE that is in ME, than HE that is in the WORLD! GREATER is HE that is in YOU friend, than he that is in the world! The "he' that is in the world is the devil. He is the prince and power of the air and we need to recognize his schemes. We are not ignorant of his devices, Paul said in 1 Corinthians. However, many believers ARE ignorant of Satan's devices because we don't know the Word. Spiritual maturity calls us to a deeper walk in the Word of God. A deeper walk in the word of God will bring us into spiritual maturity.
Paul uses the term "children," here in Eph. 4:14. When we come to Christ, we are admonished to receive the Kingdom as children. But when it comes to spiritual growth we are not to remain children. Children tend to be very selfish when they are young. Many Christian adults act just like that when they are old! We need to put away childish things in the body today. We need to move on to what God wants us to be in HIM. The hour we live in will require it friend. We ALL are growing up and having the Holy Spirit work in our lives. When we stop the Holy Spirit from moving in our own lives - that's when we get into serious trouble. Most church splits come from a root of childish behavior in believers. Most division and carnality come from us being babies, instead of mature believers. GROW UP! This is not about YOU or ME, it's about HIM! HE IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH and we are to GROW UP INTO HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 Cor.
3:1-3 1 Cor.
13:8-12 Ephes. 4:14
Double-mindedness is a result of the fall. This trait is not new, but its increase in these last days IS. The source can be traced back to the garden where Adam and Eve partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This double-mindedness creates instability and is one of the most subtle, profound afflictions of the human race. This may well be the major contributing factor of the great darkness Isaiah spoke of in 60:1 that would come upon the earth in these latter times. What is double-mindedness? To be double-minded is to have more than one mind or personality. A common modern term is schizophrenia (in the traditional definition). There are extreme forms of this that are demonic in nature, but there are degrees of double-mindedness found in all who have been transformed from the carnal, fallen nature of man. How are we transformed? By the renewing of our minds! Romans
12:1-2 There are powerful forces at work in the spirit realm and in the natural realm seeking to undermine man's stability. This will result in an avalanche of human debauchery the world has never seen. The Bible calls it, "great tribulation." When man does what he knows is right, he feels good. When he doesn't, there is discord, regardless of how earnestly he tries to rationalize it. That is the working of the LAW. The Law is in every man. Cain KNEW he had sinned when he murdered Abel even though there was no law yet that said, "thou shalt not kill!" Genesis
4:6-7 It is impossible for fallen man to wholly comply with the law in his heart. Even a heathen Freud realized that man's depression came from guilt. Man's confusion IS rooted in guilt. Paul saw the same thing in Romans when he found freedom in knowing that no man can live up to the law's standards. The resulting guilt brought Paul into a place of despair as well: Romans
7:18-19 This nature will never go away. We must be transformed. The WHOLE LAW is summed up in one word - LOVE. Love the Lord will ALL your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Only by abiding in HIM can we become established in this love. That's His plan and purposes for us. Jesus is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. This is not accomplished by seeing HIM then looking at ourselves comparatively. We are not to be Christ's imitators, but to have Christ FORMED within us! 2 Cor. 3:18
The Law Keeps Count, Grace Sets One Free No Matter The Count As we close this first part of this journal on spiritual maturity, I want to say this. One important principle to remember in this process of growth, is that we are not competing with anyone but ourselves. Secular society has accustomed us to compete against others -- whether in business or on the tennis court. Of course, healthy competition is good. But life is not a race to beat the other guy; life is only a race to conquer yourself. And when it comes to ETERNAL matters and ETERNAL LIFE - the one person ultimately responsibility for your eternal destination is YOU!!! I can't make heaven for you and you can't make heaven for me. Nowhere in the entire Torah is the date of Shavuot mentioned. It merely takes place at the end of 50 days -- because the key was for Israel to get there at God's pace and timing, not theirs. He was always making them walk FORWARD, never backwards. That is spiritual growth. The day we get comfortable with where we are spiritually - then we DIE! There is no such thing as spiritual stagnation. We are either growing or dying. In Judaism, there is a term, "Cheshbon" -- which means "a spiritual accounting." We need to take a spiritual accounting of our lives today and see if we are growing. We will finish the other five principles of growth in the next journal. I pray today that during this season of counting the omer you are growing in grace with Him. His mercy is so deep. I don't care how much you have failed, He loves you and wants you to know today that He has not given up on you. If you won't quit on Him, believe me, He is not going to quit on you. Even if you have quit, get back in the race. There is a heavenly Father in heaven graciously waiting to see you once again on the path to glory. My dad's group sing a beautiful old song that I have a hard time listening to without weeping. "On this glory road I'm traveling, many times I've stumbled on my way, but praise the Lord, I'll be soon be traveling, to that land of endless light and endless day. I can see, the light of home, I can see Him on His throne. I'm too near, to turn back now. Oh, Praise the Lord, I'm heaven bound. When this journey soon shall end. I'll take my flight and go to Him. In that fair land, I'm going to take my stand. It's good to be on this road for glory land." Praise God, Praise God, Praise God. Neighbor, we're on a GLORY ROAD today. Walking with the King, hand in hand. Let Him fill your hearts today with overflowing and reveal to you His purposes and plans for you. It's about maturity. It's about counting the omer. Actually it's making the OMER COUNT! It's about preparation so we will receive the fullness of the HOLY GHOST. That is what this time really meant to Israel. From deliverance to the revelation of the fire on Mt. Sinai - they needed to mature and grow up. The same is true for us today. We've been delivered, but we need to fullness of the HOLY GHOST. This is about being established in the faith once delivered to the saints. It's about being rooted and grounded in LOVE. God Bless. Heavenly Father, we pray today for each one reading this journal. We pray you will touch their hearts and minds in a unique and special way. Help us all Lord to continue on this glory road with You. Ever growing, ever learning, ever seeking Your face, ever being changed from GLORY TO GLORY, never settling for stagnation but always wanting to grow up and mature in you. Reveal hidden sins in our hearts today so we may repent of those and become fit vessels of glory for you in this hour we live in. May the LIGHT of the Holy Ghost shine upon us in Jesus name we pray, AMEN. Questions, comments: spiritjournals@gmail.com
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