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 day five of the Omer.
Meditation
Exodus 1:20-21
20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
Devotional
God was good to the midwives and the Hebrews families continued to grow. They multiplied even under the sever oppression. The language used is creational recalling that of Genesis 1:28. God gave the midwives families (houses) of their own. God makes houses. House is a home and shelter for a family. It can represent the womb, a place of nurturing, protection and care. Egypt had been that for the children of Abraham which grow into a people there. Hosea 11:1 declares, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” There is hope of a better day when facing dark and difficult times. “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 54:17).