Tuesday, May 14, 2013

50 DAYS of the OMER



“Today is fifty days of the Omer which is Shavuot.”

The theme is the culmination of all His Attributes of Loving-kindness, Strength, Beauty, Victory, Glory, Intimacy and Majesty.

I will allow the text to speak for themselves as we celebrate the giving of the Torah and the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).

Psalm 105

 1O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
 2Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
 3Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
 4Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
 5Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
 6O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

Lev. 23: 9-22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD. And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD. Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

Numbers 28:26-30 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the first year; And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto one bullock, to tenth deals unto one ram, A several tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the seven lambs; And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you. Ye shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings.

Acts 2

 1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
 5And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
 6Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
 7And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
 8And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
 9Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
 10Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
 11Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
 12And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
 13Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
 14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
 15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
 16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
 17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
 18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
 19And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
 20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
 21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
 22Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
 23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
 24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
 25For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
 26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
 27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
 28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
 29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
 30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
 31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
 33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
 34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
 35Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
 37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
 42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
 43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
 44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
 45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
 46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
 47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Shalom, Shalom, Chag Semeach Shavuot!