"What is the omer?" you ask. Well, literally an omer is a unit of measurement that was used to ascertain how much grain was to be taken to the Temple for an offering (during YHWH's feasts). During the time of the Temple, barley at the beginning of the Omer count and wheat on Shavuot were brought as “wave offerings”—that is, they were waved in all directions before the Lord much as the lulav (a closed frond of the date palm tree) is waved on Sukkot in recognition of the all-encompassing Presence of God. (Chabad)
Another, and deeper spiritual, meaning of omer is a unit of time - time that was counted between important events during YHWH's feasts. More specifically, the unit of time is actually the 7 sabbaths or 49 days between the day that the wave offering is presented (after Passover) and the biblical feast called Shavut (Torah) or Pentecost (in the New Testament). (It is a little more technical than that -- I'll let you look it up if you need and want more details).
“From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf [measure of barley] of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain [wheat] to the Lord.” Leviticus 23:15–16
Day 40 of the omer is the day that scripture tells us Yeshua ascended to his Father in heaven, after appearing to his disciples and hundreds of others after his resurrection. How do we know it was day 40? Simple math. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3), then he ascended. The tenth days after his ascension, was day 50.
While Yeshua was with his followers (before he ascended), he told them to STAY in JERUSALEM and await the Comforter that he was surely going to send once he ascended. Comforter? YES! The Holy Spirit. The Power of YHWH Himself. Yeshua promised that he would send the Holy Spirit so that we would never be alone and so that we would never be powerless! Hallelujah!
“And, behold, I send the promise of My Father on you: but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49
After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven” Acts 1:9-11
Forty-nine days had passed -- the OMER DAYS! The disciples, and the whole WORLD experienced something profound on that 50th day!
Yeshua didn't tell them HOW LONG they would have to wait in Jerusalem, just that they had to wait. And wait, they did -- they were NOT disappointed!
As the feast of Shavuot was fast approaching! The disciples obviously all knew that, but did they make the connection as easily as we can looking back over 2000 years of history and Bible verses? I wonder if they guessed or felt or even had an inkling that the Comforter that Yeshua had promised them would come on that day? Or was it a complete and total surprise to them? Were they completely taken by surprise! From the way the story reads in scripture, it must have been a complete and utter surprise.
Acts 2:1-21 And in the day of the Pentecost being fulfilled, they were all with one accord at the same place, and there came suddenly out of the heaven a sound as of a bearing violent breath, and it filled all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared to them divided tongues, as it were of fire; it sat also upon each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, according as the Spirit was giving them to declare. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation of those under the heaven, and the rumour of this having come, the multitude came together, and was confounded, because they were each one hearing them speaking in his proper dialect, and they were all amazed, and did wonder, saying one unto another, `Lo, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? and how do we hear, each in our proper dialect, in which we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that [are] along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.' And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one unto another, `What would this wish to be?' and others mocking said, -- `They are full of sweet wine;' and Peter having stood up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and declared to them, `Men, Jews! and all those dwelling in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and harken to my sayings, for these are not drunken, as ye take it up, for it is the third hour of the day. `But this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: And it shall be 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; and also upon My men-servants, and upon My maid-servants, in those days, I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy; and I will give wonders in the heaven above, and signs upon the earth beneath -- blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke, the sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the day of the Lord -- the great and illustrious; and it shall be, every one -- whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, he shall be saved.
There is something else remarkable about that day -- the day the Holy Spirit, or Comforter came down to us. Ancient Jewish sages and scholars tell us that the feast of Shavuot was the day that YHWH originally gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, in the desert, on Mt Sinai. Think about this a minute. YHWH gave the people He chose to be His inheritance His WRITTEN Word on Shavuot, then years and years later, as promised and prophesied, He gave them the living power of YHWH and WROTE the Words on their hearts.
THE PROPHECY:
Jeremiah 31:33-34
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
THE FULFILLMENT:
This prophesy was fulfilled by Yeshua who came to renew this covenant with YHWH's Chosen Ones and to be the true sacrifice for the sins of the world: "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,' then He adds, 'Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.' Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:14-23). See also Hebrews 8:10-12.
Day 40 passed. It was a sweet day to remember that once again, our Lord is faithful and true to his promises and he WILL fulfill ALL of the prophecies in His Word. Yeshua ascended on the 40th day and here we "tarry in Jerusalem until we are endued with Power from on High".
Under the (Re-)New(ed) Covenant), which was sealed with the giving of the Holy Spirit on Shavuot (Pentecost) 50 days after Passover, Yeshua became our spiritual Jubilee. In Him, all debts are cancelled. He has redeemed us from slavery to any kind of oppression and empowered us, with the SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD, YWHW, to walk in holiness with our heads held high. Halleluyah!
Day 50 is 9 days away now!