DAY 41 OF THE OMER

“Today is forty-one days which are five weeks and six days of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the Week: Yesod - Intimacy

·       Theme of the Day: Yesod - Intimacy

·       Overall Theme: The Intimate Intimacy of His Intimacy

·       Psalm 103

Have you seen the skeletons in your best friend’s closet? Do you know all the dirt on them? Have you seen behind the picket fence and seen their dirty laundry waving in the wind on the line? Don’t be too quick to say, “Yes.” Sure, you may know a lot that most people don’t know about your bosom buddy because we are all vulnerable and private and hang on to at least one dark or shameful thing. Yet the God of this Universe knows what you try to keep so quite and in the dark and He still loves you anyway! And since you know He knows and if you have given yourself wholly over to Him, you know what He has doesn’t come with regret.

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  

That’s not in a complete circle like North to South is. It is an infinite line away from you.
The Traditional Psalm to read is Psalm 103:

Psalm 103

 ¹Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
 ²Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
 ³Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
 ⁴Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
 ⁵Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
 ⁶The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
 ⁷He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
 ⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
 ⁹He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
 ¹⁰He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
 ¹¹For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
 ¹²As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
 ¹³Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
 ¹⁴For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
 ¹⁵As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
 ¹⁶For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
 ¹⁷But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;
 ¹⁸To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
 ¹⁹The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
 ²⁰Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
 ²¹Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
 ²²Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

“Abba ADONAI God, despite the most darkest and concealed blight on my soul, You know and You still love me anyway! You have taken that which I tried so hard to hide and flicked it away like a piece of lint on my clothes. HalleluYah! Thank You Father! All in the Name of Yeshua You have done this and In His Name I pray, Ameyn.”

DAY 40 OF THE OMER

“Today is forty days which are five weeks and five days of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the Week: Yesod - Intimacy

·       Theme of the Day: Hod - Glory

·       Overall Theme: The Glory of His Intimacy

·       Psalm 99

Today is a busy day in the count of the Omer. During the Journey in the Wilderness, Yitro (Jethro), Moses’ Father-in-Law visits and gives Moses life changing advice that has left its mark on Judaism ever since and this was the establishment of Judges:

Exodus 18:17-24 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

It is also said to be the day of Moses’ 40 day fast and lastly this day also commemorates Yeshua’s ascension into Heaven after His resurrection.

Matthew 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Acts 1:1-11 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

All of which gives one a taste of the Glory of His Intimacy. When ADONAI speaks through others and you listen, know it’s from God and do it. When you fast in order to deny your flesh, clear your head to see, feel and know Him more. When you stick around to see some godly person depart and drink in their last words, all of which you experience His Intimacy in a Glorious, unforgettable way. That is forever life changing and we see that in all 3 Scriptural examples. Even the Traditional Psalm we read today lets us taste this theme:

Psalm 99

 ¹The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
 ²The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.
 ³Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.
 ⁴The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
 ⁵Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
 ⁶Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
 ⁷He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.
 ⁸Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
 ⁹Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

“Abba ADONAI God, please move me and put me in such a place to where I am able to experience Your life changing Intimacy in a Glorious way, so I may better serve You and others. In Yeshua’s Name I pray, Ameyn.”

DAY 39 OF THE OMER

“Today is thirty-nine days which are five weeks and four days of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the Week: Yesod - Intimacy

·       Theme of the Day: Netzach - Victory

·       Overall Theme: The Victory of His Intimacy

·       Psalm 98

When you are madly in love and are intimate with the Creator, God not only rules the world but your heart as well and therefore we have victory over sin.

The Traditional Psalm to read is Psalm 98:

Psalm 98

 ¹O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
 ²The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
 ³He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
 ⁴Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
 ⁵Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
 ⁶With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
 ⁷Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
 ⁸Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
 ⁹Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

“Abba ADONAI God, I praise You and thank You for the victory I have in my life because of my Intimate relationship with You. In Messiah Yeshua’s Name I pray, Ameyn.”

DAY 38 OF THE OMER

“Today is thirty-eight days, which are five weeks and three days of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the Week: Yesod - Intimacy

·       Theme of the Day: Tefreit - Beauty

·       Overall Theme: The Beauty of His Intimacy

·       Psalm 96

The Traditional Psalm to read is Psalm 96, but I would like to focus on verses 6-7:

Psalm 96

 ¹O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.
 ²Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
 ³Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
 ⁴For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
 ⁵For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.
 ⁶Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
 ⁷Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
 ⁸Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
 ⁹O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
 ¹⁰Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
 ¹¹Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
 ¹²Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
 ¹³Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Just as sex between a husband and a wife is a holy intimate and strengthening act, because it is holy it is NOT dirty or smutty, but beautiful; just like praise and worship is beautiful.

We often use the word beautiful as an esthetic term of an object or thing.  But here the word is used as an act, as an event.

Today also commemorates the beautiful victory Israel had against Amelek because of the strength gained from the intimate experience of ADONAI providing water from the rock.

Exodus 12:8-16 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

Another beautiful and Intimate act is when we love our fellow man by helping him carry a load.

Gal. 6:2-3 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

“Indeed ADONAI, We have a Beautifully Intimate thing going on here, help me to further submit to You and therefore deepen and strengthen that Beautiful and Intimate bond. In Yeshua’s Name, Ameyn.”

DAY 37 OF THE OMER

“Today is the thirty-seven days, which are five weeks and two days of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the Week: Yesod - Intimacy

·       Theme of the Day: Gevurah – Severity and Strength

·       Overall Theme: The Severity and Strength of His Intimacy

·       Psalm 95:1-7

Revelation 4

 ¹After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
 ²And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
 ³And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
 ⁴And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
 ⁵And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
 ⁶And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
 ⁷And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
 ⁸And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
 ⁹And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
 ¹⁰The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
 ¹¹Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Revelation 7

 ⁹After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
 ¹⁰And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
 ¹¹And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
 ¹²Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
 ¹³And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
 ¹⁴And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
 ¹⁵Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
 ¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
 ¹⁷For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Two things fit this overall theme to a “T” and that is praise and worship. When we totally let go of our paranoid, “who’s watching me,” inhibitions and lose ourselves praising Him, we begin to receive Strength through the high of Intimacy we get when we worship.

We as believers are likened to a bride, right? And when a married couple has passionate sex, it’s called, “making love.” Feelings of Intimacy are there and afterwards you feel closer, the bonds of your relationship is strengthened and you feel an inner, personal strength like you can take on the world. This is similar to what happens when we are intimate with HaShem though our acts of praise and worship, and this is what our traditional text of the Psalms is all about:

Psalm 95

 ¹O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
 ²Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
 ³For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
 ⁴In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
 ⁵The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
 ⁶O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
 ⁷For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

“Oh Mighty and Majestic God, the Lover of my soul, I pray you would help and enable me to fall more madly, deeply and passionately in love with You. I want to know You and in the Hebrew the word to Know implies intimacy. I want to be like a giddy, love sick school girl who wants to be with you 24-7. I love you Adonai! In Yeshua’s Name I pray, Ameyn.”

DAY 36 OF THE OMER

“Today is thirty-six days which are five weeks and one day of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the Week: Yesod - Intimacy

·       Theme of the Day: Chesed – Loving-kindness

·       Overall Theme: The Loving-kindness of His Intimacy

·       Psalm 94:12-23

John 4:5-10 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

In Yeshua’s Day and culture men and women who were not married or were not related to each other never just “shot the breeze” or “chewed the fat.” Dialogue was considered intimate and was only reserved for same sex, spouse or close relatives of the opposite sex, like a sister.

So here is the woman some would consider, damaged goods, trash, a floozy, a hussy. She was an outcast of sorts even among her own in so much that she had to get water from the well at an odd time of the day so she would be harassed by the locals because of her reputation. And here we see Yeshua, a Rabbi striking up a conversation with her. Not only was she a woman of ill-repute, but a half-breed Jew, a Samaritan and to speak to such a person with a complexity of labels was taboo. Yet by dialogue, as we already established was a form of intimacy; He spoke to her about spiritual matters, instead of degrading her and sending her away displayed Messiah’s loving-kindness in an intimate way.

The Traditional Psalm to read is Psalm 94:12-23:

¹²Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
 ¹³That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
 ¹⁴For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
 ¹⁵But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
 ¹⁶Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
 ¹⁷Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
 ¹⁸When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
 ¹⁹In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
 ²⁰Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
 ²¹They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
 ²²But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
 ²³And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.

“Loving Abba God, help and enable me to be lovingly intimate as Yeshua was, through my words and actions. Especially toward those society and religion frown upon and help me make an everlasting difference in their lives. In the Name of Messiah Yeshua I pray, Ameyn.”

DAY 35 OF THE OMER

“Today is thirty-five days which are five weeks of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the Week: Hod - Glory

·       Theme of the Day: Malchut - Majesty

·       Overall Theme: The Majesty of His Glory

·       Psalm 93:1-5

Exodus 19:16-20 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. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 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. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 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.

Have you ever witnessed a natural event from a far, like a tornado or volcano? The sheer size and power, the sights and sounds stagger the mind and instill a tinge of fear. No wonder pagans believed such events to manifestations of gods.
A king’s displays his glory with great pomp and circumstance with trumpets and a show in some way of his wealth. In modern day, a parade of his military prowess and might is on display, a show of what he commands, what power is at his fingertips is seen.

At Shavuot (Pentecost), like a king displaying all his awe inspiring majesty, ADONAI manifests Himself and His Power through a thick cloud, wind, earthquake, thunder, lighting and a blast of an unseen shofar. Such display invoked fear in the Israelites to get them to fully understand that their God is not like all the other gods. Indeed, it must have been a majestic sight of His Glory.

The Traditional Psalm to read is Psalm 93:1-5:

 ¹The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
 ²Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
 ³The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
 ⁴The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
 ⁵Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

“Majestic Almighty King of the Universe, I stand in awe and reverential fear of Your Awesome Majestic Might. May that respectful fear enable me to agree to keep Your Torah as those at Sinai agreed to do. In Yeshua’s Name, Ameyn.”