The beginning of Judgment or the beginning of Faith. When we as Jews think of the 9th of Av it really does almost make our bones shutter…. Many of us believe that History is not haphazard and that there are certain days that have the uncanny knack of repeating themselves. The 9th of Av is not a biblical feast day or a joyous celebration, in the minds of many Jews it is just the opposite. It is a day of solemn reflection. “why” you Ask….. Well Im glad you ask….. In the year 423 BCE the first Temple was destroyed on the ninth of Av. During the next five hundred years Israel had reacquired the land and rebuilt the temple. But in the year 70CE on the 9th of Av the Roman army led by the Emperor Titus and his second in command Tiberius sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the second temple. This was shocking to the Jewish people when they realized the second temple had been destroyed on the exact same day as the first temple. This was not the end of the battle though. A Jewish lead arose named Simon bar Kochba. Yeshua had long been killed, resurrected and ascended to Yahweh. But many Jews were heralding Simon as the Messiah because of his seeming successes against the roman forces in battle. His success came to an abrupt end and their hope of him being the promised messiah was laid to rest in 133CE when the Jewish rebels were massacred at the final battle of Betar. The date of the Massacre was the 9th of Av. Just a few more dates you might want to take note of…. 9th of Av 1290 Jews Expeled from England 9th of Av 1492 Jews banished from spain 9th of Av WW1 Germany declared war on Russia bring about the holocaust in WWII. I could go on and on drawing lines of judgment that accorded on the 9th of Av on the Jews, these are just a few. There is one thing that is missing here though when talking about the 9th of Av, and this is the reason that sparked me to write this Article. It is believed that on the 9th of Av is when the spies returned from spying out the Promised Land and the 10 gave a negative report saying that there was no possible way that we could take the land. This would have been the Day that the father judged Israel and cursed them to wander the desert for 40 more years without a home. The judgment was that no Israelite above the age of 20 would enter into the Promised Land. That the children that they said Yahweh had brought out into the desert to kill would be the ones to inherit the land. ECEPT for two men, Joshua and Caleb. Even When the Father Judges his people he blesses them. His very judgment is in fact a blessing even though we might not think so. His Judgment has always been for only one reason and that is to protect his people and keep them in covenant with him. If he did not Judge his own people they would be lost from him forever. So he brings judgment to his people so he can untimely fulfill his promise to his people that they will be a nation of kings and priest to the rest of the world. He said in his word Judgment starts in his own house first. (1Peter 4:17) Joshua and Caleb had to endure the forty years in the Desert as well they were not exempt for the judgment because Yahweh had judged the whole house of Israel. It was because of their faithfulness that they did not receive the full penalty of the judgment. This 9th of Av remember That Judgment is the beginning of purification. Yahweh seeks a set apart people who in the face of adversity can believe and have faith that his is capable and will do all that he has promised. I know that people who know the history of the 9th of Av are always waiting almost in a state of panic or fear when this day comes around. They Fast and lament in the anticipation of another huge judgment. And that Judgment may come but if we are the Joshua and the Caleb’s of our day we will be spared… Walk in faith and holiness. Believe in all that he has promised and when the circumstances look to over whelming remember what has Yahweh said that he will not do. our redemption lies in him alone. Shalom
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:48:14 +0000
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