In Exodus 12:2 the Lord
established the Hebrew calendar. “This
month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the
year to you.” The Hebrew calendar begins at the Feast of Passover
in the month of Nissan. This calendar was established by God and
introduced in the Scriptures.
To better understand how God moves in time you can study the Hebrew
calendar and the patterns He established in His Word. Our Gregorian
calendar is on a different time cycle than the Word of God.
The Bible refers to the month of Av as the fifth month counting from
Passover. It corresponds to the months
of July/August on our calendar. This
year Av begins at sundown on July 23, 2017.
The Hebrew name is Tisha B'Av,
which refers to the Ninth of Av.
The Ninth of Av is known as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is a day of fasting to commemorate the
destruction of the first and second temples as well as the many tragedies the Jewish
people have experienced on this date.
“When you study the history of the Jews you discover they have
experienced many calamities over the years, and most of those calamities have
occurred on the same day, the ninth of AV. It was on this date both
temples were destroyed, and the final destruction of Jerusalem took place in
135.”[i] If you go to Google and search the ninth of Av you will discover
calamities and difficulties that have happened to the Jewish people. When did it begin? Why is the ninth of Av such a day of
devastation?
The Lord meant for the ninth of Av to be a day of joy and
celebration. It was to be the day that
they were to enter into their promised land. We learn in Numbers 13 that Moses
sent twelve spies into the land of Canaan to spy out the land. This took place on the seventeenth day of
Tammuz (fourth month).
Forty days later, on the ninth of Av the spies returned and we learn in
the latter verses of Numbers 13 and the first verses of chapter 14 that ten of
the twelve spies brought an evil report.
As a result of Israel’s disobedience and rebellion this generation missed
their opportunity to enter into their inheritance. Because of this rebellion a door was opened
to the enemy on this day. I do not
believe that it is coincidence that many of the tragedies that have befallen
the Jewish people happen on this day.
Av is known as the “time of dire straits.” It is the month that we must press through
the narrow place. It is a month to
choose. Israel chose to believe the bad
report. We must choose to believe the
report of the Lord no matter how the circumstances appear.
In some Jewish thought the month of Av corresponds to the tribe of
Simeon. The name Simeon translates "to hear." This is a month to listen and to hear
carefully. The previous month, Tammuz,
means to see. We were instructed to see
the path, and now in this month we must listen carefully for God’s instructions
and the strategies He will give to enable us to enter into His assignment for
this season.
The Fifteenth of Av is known as the day the maidens of Israel would dance
in the vineyards while their potential bridegrooms would look on and choose a
mate from among the dancing maidens. Thus, the fifteenth of Av is known as the
day when marriages were made.
Av is a month to strengthen your covenant relationships, and to watch for
new relationships on your path. This is
a month to be aware of the kingdom relationships and partnerships that God will
put on your path.
It is a month to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and to watch for the snares
and plots of the enemy to bring you into conflict. What are you going to choose to do during
this month? Are you going to believe the
good report and press through the narrow place?
Joshua 24:14 -15 says, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in
sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the
other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if
it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you
will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the
other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
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