Omer Devotional Day 25

April 24 at sundown - Day 25
Today is day 25 of counting the Omer 
Today is day 25 out of Egypt
Today is day 25 of Messiah Resurrected

Passover 2.0 (Numbers 9:1-12)

Second Month Passover
1 Adonai spoke to Moses in the Sinai wilderness in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt saying,
2 “Bnei-Yisrael is to observe Passover at its appointed time.
3 You are to celebrate it at its appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, with all its rules and regulations.”
4 So Moses told Bnei-Yisrael to observe Passover.
5 They celebrated Passover at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month in the Sinai wilderness. In accordance with all that Adonai commanded Moses, so Bnei-Yisrael did.
6 However, there were some men who could not celebrate Passover because of being defiled by a dead body. So they came to Moses and Aaron on that same day,
7 and these men said to him, “We have become unclean because of a dead man’s body. Why should we be kept from presenting the offering of Adonai at the appointed time with the rest of Bnei-Yisrael?”
8 Moses answered them, “Wait, and I will inquire what Adonai commands concerning you.”
9 Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying,
10 “Say to Bnei-Yisrael saying: If any man, whether you or your descendants, becomes unclean because of a dead body, or is away on a long journey, he may yet observe Adonai’s Passover. 
11 They are to celebrate it at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month. With matzot and bitter herbs they are to eat it.
12 They are not to leave any of it until morning, or break any bones. When they celebrate Passover they are to observe all its regulations.

Reflect:

God wants us to keep His ways, but sometimes there are extenuating circumstances. In this case, the people in question weren’t able to keep Passover because they were ritually unclean. In other words, their impurity kept them from taking part in the joyful celebration God had ordered the people of Israel to take part in. Instead of allowing them to be excluded, God made a provision for them and for future generations to be able to celebrate Passover 2.0 (Passover in the second month). This ruling would be especially pertinent during the revival of King Hezekiah when he restored the Passover to Israel. It is easy for us to read the scriptures as a list of do’s and don’t’s, but they are so much more than that. The entirety of the law and the prophets is not just rules and the threat of judgement for breaking them; instead it is provision of commands for our benefit, rulings that come from our gracious God who is rich in mercy and compassion towards us in our fallen, sinful state.

Prayer: You are a God who is rich in grace and compassion towards us. Remind us that alongside of your commands there is grace as well and that when we fall short or face obstacles to obedience that You will always make a way to restore us. In Yeshua’s name, amen.

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At Restoration, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. During this season of counting of the Omer, we have decided to do this collectively as a congregation in the days leading up to Shavuot. Together, we want to trust in His power to impact our lives, our congregation, our city, and our world. The last 10 days we will encourage a corporate time of fasting and prayer, which starts the evening of May 9 and ends the evening of May 19. The conclusion of this season of prayer will culminate in a congregational picnic on the 50th day, the day of Shavuot - Sunday, May 20 at noon.