OMER 34

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

Theme of the Week: Hod - Glory

Theme of the Day: Yesod - Intimacy

Overall Theme: The Intimacy of His Glory

The counting of the Omer also recounts the journey in the wilderness to Mount Sinai where Israel received the Torah (Law) and ever so often in the count a stop or an event in the journey is recounted. Today is just such a day as we recall the stop at Rephidim where Moses gets water from the Rock.

Exodus 17:1-16

We see Israel is camped in Rephidim which means, “spread them” a contraction of Raphot Yadim meaning “weakness of the hands. This is a Hebrew idiom for fear. Kind of like when we say, “Weak in the knees” The hand in Hebraic thought means ability, authority and power. So we can put it all together like this; “When your hands are weak, spread them.” When do we see people spreading their hands in Scripture, what are they usually doing? Praying and or Praising. And in our day and time what does spreading the hands mean? Surrender. So when we are weak we must surrender ourselves and our situation to G-d and spread our hands out in prayer and praise for the anticipated answer that is coming.

There are two stories about Rephidim, and each involves weak and spreading hands.

1. Exodus 17:3 “And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”

Israel was WEAK with fear for their lives, and Moshe SPREAD his HANDS and struck the rock and water flowed.

This most likely was a porous volcanic rock that allowed water to flow through it from an underground spring. Or it could have been sandstone or limestone rock which is light enough to allow water to pass through it, and the rock would act as a purifier and so the water would be supper clean.

“The striking of the Rock at Rephidim by Moses and the gushing forth of water sounds like a veritable miracle, but the writer [Major Jarvis] has seen it happen. Some of the Sinai Camel Corps had halted in a wadi and were digging in the loose gravel accumulated at one of the rocky sides to obtain water that was slowly trickling through limestone rock… One of the men began to dig with great vigor… One of his lusty blows hit the rock… out of the porous rock came a great gush of clear water.” – Yesterday and Today in Sinai – Major C.S. Jarvis

2. The battle with Amalek. The problem was that Moshe’s hands were physically WEAK and the solution was Aharon and Hur helped SPREAD his HANDS so they could win the war.

“Did then the hands of Moses wage war or break war? Not so; but so long as Israel looked upwards and subjected their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they prevailed; and when they did not, they fell.” -- Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 29a

 Exodus 16:1 “And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.” (KJV)

Yesod means foundation and in going through the attributes we liken foundation to closeness and intimacy because when you superimpose the Seforitic chart onto the outline of a man, Yesod symbolizes the regenerative organ, and hence in a marital relationship this has to do with intimacy.  In a relationship one will go the extra wile or jump though hoops to please their partner and to prove their love. Sometimes a want or a need arises and one will go out of their way for their partner to meet such a want or need because of love. Water was just such a need and getting it from a rock was the extreme YHWH was willing to go to meet that need and to prove His love for Israel. His Intimacy for Israel was manifested in a Glorious and unusual way.

Now spiritually who is the Rock? And who is the Water? Yeshua the Messiah (I Cor. 10:4, John 4:10)!

The Traditional Psalm to read is Psalm 78:56-72:

Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies: But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel: So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men; And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand. He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance. The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage. Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation. Then the LORD awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach. Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved. And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever. He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

“Abba YHWH Elohim, You indeed are my all in all and if I but trust, believe and submit, even my most intimate and essential needs would be met. Help and enable me to fully trust, believe and submit to You. In the Name of Messiah Yeshua I pray. Ameyn!”