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What Is It?

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Exodus 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they said one to another, Manna [What is it?]. For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. 

Today is Day 16 for the Lords’ Countdown to Pentecost (or should I refer to it as a count up to Pentecost, Shavuot?)

As you may recall an omer was a unit of measuring grain. What should capture our attention is the last phrase of verse 15, This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. In keeping with the theme of counting the omer, or making the omer count – counting the grain of the harvest – it is the grain that has been harvested that is measured, or counted. It is the grain that is used to be ground into flour which in turn is transformed into bread. The grain is the bread which the Lord has provided. Question is, What are we doing with His grain? How is it being “ground” into our lives? How is it being transformed into His Bread? This last question, reveals another truth: Jesus is the Bread of Life, and according to 1 Corinthians 10:17 you and I are His Bread. Since both of these things are true, How is the grain of His Word being ground into your life in order that the Bread of Life might rise within you? 

Oswald Chambers has the following insight in regard to becoming His Bread:Why has God left us on the earth? Is it simply to be saved and sanctified? No, it is to be at work in service to Him. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for Him? Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose and one alone— to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life of service to God is the way I say “thank you” to Him for His inexpressibly wonderful salvation.

One of the ways in which you can measure, or count the omer of the “grain” of His Word is by looking to see how your life is saying “thank you” in your obedience to Him, His Word and His Spirit. How do you “measure” His Grain? It’s “measured” in the lives of those around you. Over the years I have preached many a message, and have heard many an “amen!” of those who believe the Word of God without question, and without doubt. Yet, confronted with the stark realities of Matthew 28:19-20, and questioned about how many disciples they have made, who they have baptized, and the people they have taught – the room becomes strangely silent. Inevitably someone will pull me off to the side to excuse their disobedience. They will say, I don’t need to go to another country because there are people here in the United States who need salvation.” To which I readily agree – in part. But at this point the question has to be asked, Who are you winning to Jesus here in the United States? Who have you baptized? Who are you teaching to walk with Jesus? Others will say, “Well my gift isn’t evangelism, and I am more of a behind the scenes, introverted type of personality.” To which I would reply, Who are you giving a drink of water to? Who are you feeding and clothing? Who are you visiting in prison? Are you reaching out to your neighbor or better yet to your own family – with the Bread of Christ? In other words, Is the Bread of Life rising in you? Are you being broken bread and poured out wine? Is there proof that Christ has risen in you and you have been raised to new life – with Jesus? 

The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

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Revelation 3:18 Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see.

Today is the twelfth day of counting the omer or the measure of barley grain coming from the harvest. Question is, Are you harvesting the “grain” of His Word? Which raises another question, Why are there so many references to bread in the Bible? Jesus was born in Bethlehem, or the House of Bread. Jesus referred to Himself as the Bread of Life. When Jesus was led in the wilderness by the Spirit – following being filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:1) – He told Satan that man does not live on bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. I can keep going but I believe you have gotten the point. Unbeknownst to most wealthy Westerners, bread, or some form of it is a basic commodity of life. Most of the World’s poor can’t afford to slaughter their chickens, cows or goats every day – but they can afford grain to grind into flour to make bread. Which is an interesting concept. As I mentioned in a previous post barley grain is ground into flour by the impoverished to make bread. Barley bread is inferior to bread made from wheat. Wheat then is known as the bread of the wealthy, or more financially stable. Why is all of this significant and how is it connected to the counting of the omer? 

Revelation 3:18 is addressed to the wealthy, self-satisfied, “have no need” Laodiceans. One of the things Jesus counseled them to do was to purchase from Him “salve” to put on their eyes. How was that significant and relevant to the Laodiceans? The Greek word for eye salve is kollurion. Greek was the primary language spoken by the common, average, everyday person. That being understood the Laodiceans knew this word used by John contained a dual meaning. Kollurion could refer to the medicine produced in Laodicea used for treating various vision problems, or it could refer to a roll of bread. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament had this to say: The Greek term kolloúrion carries a fascinating dual meaning rooted in its physical form. The word derives from kollýra, which refers to coarse bread shaped like a cylinder. Jesus’ beatitudes commends those who are poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God. 

How do we apply all of this to making the omer count? Only those who “see” their poverty of Spirit will recognize and hunger for the “bread” that not only feeds them – but heals the way they “see”. Are you poor in the things of the Spirit? Or are you so rich spiritually that you don’t need His Bread? Can you see Jesus? Can you hear His Voice? Can you recognize when He knocks? May I suggest paying the price to get alone with Him for Him to eat with you and you with Him? He really does prepare a table in the midst of your enemy. Are you hungry to hear His Voice? Hungry to see Him? Hungry to hear Him knocking?

Making It Count

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Friday, April 10 marks the ninth day of the counting of the omer. What is the counting of the omer and what difference does it make for followers of Yeshua-Jesus today? Leviticus 23:15-17 states: 15 ‘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. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 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.

You might ask, What’s an omer? One for Israel defines an omer in the following way: An omer is a unit of measurement and is about three and a half litres, or just over fifteen cups of dry commodities. In this case, barley. Sometimes an omer is translated as sheaf, since it is about the amount of barley or grains that you would need to bundle into a sheaf.

One for Israel explains the significance, or the “why” of counting the omer: Just as any woman who has given birth knows exactly how long nine months feels, the Jewish people know exactly how long it feels from Passover until the feast of Weeks (called the feast of Shavuot in Hebrew, which means weeks, also known as Pentecost because of the 50 days) because they have to count the days off every year. Fifty days. Seven weeks. Every day, the omer is counted.

Following the crucifixion of Jesus, and Passover, every Jewish person would have been counting. One for Israel adds: He was crucified at Passover, and raised on the morning of the third day which is when the counting starts, and ascended ten days before the Holy Spirit was poured out at the feast of Weeks. For forty of those fifty carefully counted days, Yeshua was walking around, hanging out with friends, eating with them, talking with them, freaking them out from time to time. Especially at the beginning.

Now this counting is significant for several reasons:

  1. Firstfruits. Got Questions defines firstfruits in the following way: Firstfruits was a Jewish feast held in the early spring at the beginning of the grain harvest. It was observed on Nissan 16, which was the third day after Passover and the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Firstfruits was a time of thanksgiving for God’s provision. The day of the firstfruits offering was also used to calculate the proper time of the Feast of Weeks. The firstfruits offering found its fulfillment in Jesus. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
  2. Harvesting of Grain. Firstfruits signaled the beginning of the barley harvest. Barley grain made up the poor man’s bread. It was coarser than wheat, and crumbled easily after being baked into bread. Why is that of significance? Following Jesus resurrection from the dead He made appearances for forty days to His Disciples and followers providing convincing proofs that He had been resurrected from the dead.

Isa. 55:11 states: So also is My Word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all that I want it to and prosper everywhere I send it.

Now imagine counting every Scripture you have ever read, every verse you’ve ever heard, every sermon, and teaching you’ve been exposed to – and counting to see if it has produced fruit. Imagine having to provide proof of its potency in your life. What firstfruits would come from your harvesting of the grain of His Word? What firstfruits could be offered as thanks for this word? How can you make His Word count?