Blessing
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.
Barukh atah, A-donai E-loheinu, Melekh Ha-ʿolam, asher qid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu ʿal S’firat Ha-ʿomer.
Count
Today is fifteen days, which is two weeks and one day of the Omer.
Meditation
Exodus 3:1-2
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
Devotional
Moses tended the flock of Jethro in anticipation and preparation for pastoring the flock of Israel. Living in the house of Jethro, the priest of Midian, suggests Moses is being prepared to be a priest, because he will soon enter the House of God atop Mt Horeb. There the messenger of YHWH appeared to Moses in flames of fire within a bush that was not burnt. That bush would be represented by the Menorah in the Tabernacle and Temple. The Menorah represents Israel among whom a Holy God would dwell but they will not be consumed. Speaking through a bush on fire suggests God communicates through creation (See Romans 1:19-21). Is God preparing you for a mission and to serve others? In what situations you are facing, is God preparing you? Mission is born out of difficult times. God used Moses’ empathy and identification with his people who were suffering in Egypt to move him to action that would one day bring about their deliverance from bondage. Do you have a mentor or someone you trust and can help prepare you for service? How has God spoken to you? Don’t discount God speaking to you through the world around you. Pay attention and listen carefully.