The Secret of the Omer

So Aaron and Moses went out to the people and told them, “In the evening you will know that it was indeed Yahweh who brought you out of Egypt! And in the morning you will see the glory of Adonai, because He has heard you grumble against Him. You will know it was Yahweh when He gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning!”

And it came to pass that evening as they were gathered in the camp that the sky was darkened by a flight of quails. They dropped down into their midst, and the people ate and were satisfied. And in the morning, when they rose, there, like frost on the ground, was their heavenly bread. When the people came out of their tents, they called out, “Manna” (written in Hebrew Meme-Noon, pronounced: “Mawn!”). “What is it?” the people asked. The word can also mean “Who?” As in “Who did this?” Manna means “What?” and also “Who?”

You remember the people were instructed to gather the manna in jars. One Omer for each person in the tent. Now an Omer was a measurement, about the size of half a pitcher of milk. Not much, but sufficient to feed one person for an entire day. While there are other meanings of the word, there is no other place in all of the Old Testament where this ancient measurement of the Omer is used. The very obscurity of this word is a hint that it must be important. That it must have some significance not only to the story but to the Messiah and prophecy. God commanded that they make a golden vessel and gather up two days’ ration of manna and place this before Him in the Tabernacle. Two Omers of heavenly bread were given by God as a memorial of His provision for His people.
This Omer is spelled Ayeen-Mem-Resh.

God said He would send bread like rain from heaven. And so He did. From heaven He sent down “What?” And “Who?” to nourish them day after day for forty years.

Now here is the secret of the Omer and the bread sent down from heaven: Omer has a second meaning spelled with a slight difference: Alef-Mem-Resh.  Alef-Mem-Resh is also pronounced Omer. It means “Promise, speech, answer, word.”

God was saying to the people of Israel as they gathered an Omer of manna, “This is My promise to you. I AM speaking here! My Word is the true bread from heaven! My Word will feed your souls as you cross the wilderness of life. Until the end of time there is a battle raging against you, but I, Yahweh, will win the battle for your souls! I, Myself will lead you and provide for you, if you will only trust Me! My word sent from heaven is your salvation.”

Maybe they learned; maybe they didn’t. But this is the lesson. This small truth speaks to us in a big way of the Messiah. He is the WHO, the Messiah! He is the WHAT, the Bread of Life sent from heaven! He is also the Word, the OMER, the full measure of truth that feeds men’s souls. There is always enough to meet our needs and to satisfy the hunger of our hearts.

It is written in Deuteronomy: “Let My teaching fall like rain and My words–Omer –“descend like dew.”
It is written in the Psalms: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech”–Omer. “There is no speech, no language – no Omer – where their voice is not heard.”

Forty-four times in the Old Testament, the word Omer is used to convey God’s speech, His promises to His people. Omer! His teachings, His revelation, His answers, His blessings poured out, rained down on mankind from heaven.

Bread sent from heaven to give life to all who needed it. Manna. The people asked, “What is this? Who is this?” These questions were asked every day by those who gathered God’s blessings and ate the bread rained down from heaven upon them.

The answer to our questions is found within the Omer, like gathering a container of miraculous bread. More than just a measurement of man’s physical need, the Omer–the Word, the Answer–Is the daily ration of Yahweh’s voice, revealing eternal answers to our souls. The Omer of God’s revelation never runs dry. There is always truth to nourish us.

Who is our Messiah? That is the question. God’s speech, God’s words–the Omer–contains the answer! “The Heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the works of His hands. Day after day the heavens pour forth speech like manna, raining God’s answers like bread from heaven. There is no language in which God’s words are not understood.” The people in the wilderness ate bread from heaven… and yet they died!

Jesus is the Omer–He is the true bread sent down from heaven! He is the WHAT! He is the WHO! Those who eat this bread will have eternal life. “For God so loved the world He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will never die.”

Strange, is it not? When God promised to give bread from heaven, the Hebrew word for “give” is a palindrome. It is spelled the same backwards and forwards: Nun-Tav-Nun. It reads the same from either direction. “Give” is a word that never ends. Never runs dry. An eternal word. Past and present and future. God gives His only Son as Living Bread, so we may feed on every word and live with Him for eternity. God’s love for us is a palindrome.

Based on chapter 16 of the book Second Touch (A.D. Chronicles) by Bodie & Brock Thoene