The Temple – it was the focal point of Israel and Judaism. It was where God dwelled. It was the embodiment of Jewish people’s relationships with God. It was where they brought their offerings and where their sins were covered. And it was in the location where the Lord chose to put His Name (see Deuteronomy 12, 14, 16).
Three times each year, Jewish men came from all over the Land and the world to present their harvest offerings at Firstfruits, Shavuot and Sukkot. The Temple brought the widespread people of Israel together. As the place where forgiveness and atonement occurred, the Temple brought God and man together.
And then it was gone, destroyed on the 9th day of the Hebrew month Av, in 587 B.C.E. The people of Israel were taken into captivity, or they fled in every direction to avoid it.
Later, they returned, and the second Temple was completed in 515 B.C.E. The Temple resumed its central role among the people, anchoring Jewish life in God’s presence.
And then it was gone again. In 70 C.E., the second Temple was taken from Israel. On the same date as the first destruction – the 9th day of Av – the Romans destroyed the second Temple. Later, and also on Tisha B'Av, they plowed over the rubble and covered the Temple Mount. Jewish people were expelled from Jerusalem, and they no longer had a homeland.
In 1948, the State of Israel was born, and today, it is a thriving country with a population of 9 million. But the Jewish people still have no Temple in His city. All that’s left of their holiest site is the Western Wall of the Temple Mount – the stone foundation upon which the Temple once stood. On the Temple Mount now sit the Al Aqsa mosque and the Islamic shrine known as the Dome of the Rock.
Tisha B’Av (TISH-ah Buh AV), meaning “the 9th of Av,” is a day of mourning in Israel and for Jewish people throughout the world. It’s astonishing that both Temples were destroyed on the very same calendar date more than 650 years apart. Their loss is the primary focus of Tisha B’Av’s grief. However, there’s even more to the Ninth of Av’s sadness.
Several other calamities have befallen Israel on this same date across history. First, Rabbinic tradition holds that it was on Tisha B’Av that the 12 spies returned to Israel in the wilderness, and 10 of them persuaded the people to be afraid despite God’s promise to give them the Land. Over the centuries, this same date has brought a surprising amount of persecution, expulsions and other adversities upon the Jewish people.
Tragic Events that Took Place on the 9th of Av
On Tisha B’Av, mourning includes fasting from food and water as well as refraining from activities that represent ease and luxury. Such things as bathing/washing, using perfumes or colognes, marital relations and wearing leather shoes are among the comforts given up as an expression of grief on Tisha B’Av.
Learning Torah is also prohibited on Tisha B’Av as it brings joy. Also avoided on this day of mourning are engaging in business, sitting higher than one foot off the ground part of the day, greeting others, offering gifts, idle talking and leisure activities.
Weep with those who weep.
―Romans 12:15
As Israel mourns this woeful day, we join in the sorrow of Tisha B’Av and grasp another opportunity to pray for Jewish people throughout the world to know the hope of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
Download this free devotional and discover 9 ways you can pray for Israel and the Jewish people worldwide during these critical times.
Since the eruption of conflict began in 2011, Israel has defended itself by carrying out hundreds of airstrikes targeting Iranian and Hezbollah forces entrenched in Syria.
Many of Israel’s strikes are in an effort to prevent weapons from being transferred and distributed among Iranian-backed terror organizations that seek to utterly destroy Israel.
In mid-July, it was reported that the Israeli Air Force was responsible for an airstrike against a rocket depot in a Shiite militia base north of Baghdad, Iraq. According to reports, the rocket depot received Iranian-made ballistic missiles shortly before the attack via trucks used to transport refrigerated food.
These missiles, I’m sure you’d agree, had the sole purpose of launching an assault on Israel and her people.
Earlier last week, Israeli forces launched another defensive airstrike.
The area targeted was a key military base with intelligence facilities near the Israeli-annexed part of the Golan Heights. While the base was supposed to be manned by Syrian regime troops, pro-Iranian militias – including Hezbollah – were stationed there.
The airstrike killed six Iranian soldiers and three pro-regime Syrian fighters.
While we mourn for the dead, and the tragic loss of precious life, we stand firm in our resolve that Israel must be allowed to defend herself from enemies who seek her destruction and ruin.
But we don’t know what will happen next . . .
The truth is, Israel and her people are surrounded by her enemies on all sides.
And these enemies – whether it’s Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Houthis Rebels or any other terror group or militia – will stop at nothing until Israel no longer exists.
How is such hatred overcome? Is there any chance for peace?
While this is a developing story, with the potential for retaliation and more tragic bloodshed, we cast our hope on the only certainty we know: the power and presence of God.
We know, and can find great comfort, in the truth that God is in control of all outcomes. That He isn’t surprised by the ongoing threat against His people.
While I stand with Israel, and support the Jewish people, I pray fervently for peace. For opportunities to stop the violence and curb the threat of war.
And I hope you’ll join with me, and Jewish Voice, in praying for peace during this time of tension and uncertainty.
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Gutu’s central location enables people to travel from all over Zimbabwe to visit the upcoming Jewish Voice Medical Clinic. It’s been three years since we've been to Gutu, and with the great need in Zimbabwe right now, we’re expecting to see over 10,000 patients in six days.
In addition to the medical and dental services, we provide water education and distribute LifeStraw® water filters, which improves overall health with clean water. Come serve the proud Lemba people who have ties to the ancient tribe of Levi.
We desperately need non-medical partners to serve in:
Zehra Kids Program
Line Management
Counseling and Prayer
Gefat literally means “the blowers.” This will be our first Outreach to Inchini and the last Medical Outreach of 2019.
This may be the only time that the people in this rural community have an opportunity to receive free medical and dental care. The Clinic also provides a platform for us to share the Gospel through the local Messianic congregation, who will continue to share the love of Yeshua (Jesus) once the Medical Clinic ends.
Medical Professionals
We need: dentists, dental hygienists, opticians, ophthalmologists, general physicians, gynecologists, dermatologists, pediatricians, registered nurses and nurse practitioners.
Non-medical volunteers
Non-medical volunteers are essential to helping the clinic run efficiently. Help manage patient flow and organize the lines of those waiting to enter the clinic. This efficiency enables medical professionals to treat as many patients as possible and sets the stage for God’s love to change lives.
On all sides, Israel faces people who resent her existence. The Golan Heights in Israel’s northeast is critical to her defense, and Syria wants it back. Syria’s civil war and Iran’s meddling presence there brought fighting dangerously close to the Golan border. Hezbollah in Lebanon to the north and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip to the south are consumed with eliminating Israel. Israeli communities in these boundary regions are vulnerable to attack tunnels dug under the borders to provide access to harm those living nearby. Tens of thousands of rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza, and, once the warning sirens sound, Israelis in nearby towns often have less than 60 seconds to find shelter.
Father, we ask Your protection on the people of Israel’s border communities. Please lead any enemy rockets away from Israeli homes, buildings and public gatherings. Thwart every effort of Israel’s enemies, and reveal to the Israeli military the location of attack tunnels so that they can destroy them. Lord, may the distress of living in these vulnerable border regions of Israel cause residents to seek You for their security and comfort. Be especially near to the children, the elderly and those who are most sensitive to fear and trauma.
Tisha B’Av is a national day of mourning in Israel. The Hebrew words represent the calendar date and mean the 9th day of the Hebrew month Av. Many tragic events have happened to Israel and the Jewish people on this exact date across history. Most prominently, both the first and second Temples were destroyed on the 9th of Av some 600 years apart.
Father, as Israel mourns on Tisha B’Av, we pray that the hearts of the people will be drawn to You. In ages past, the Temple was where You met with Your people. May its absence today incite a deeper hunger and thirst for Your presence in Israeli lives. And while Israel mourns her national tragedies, we know that at any given time, people in Israel may be going through personal tragedies as well. May You bring them comfort and use Messianic Believers to meet their needs so that they will hear the Good News and come to faith in Yeshua (Jesus).
Over thousands of years, the ugly disease of anti-Semitism has not been cured. It breeds in both outlandish superstitions and careless stereotypes about Jewish people. It lurks in hate-filled organizations and the inexplicable prejudices of otherwise kind-hearted people. It often comes out in misinformed bias against Israel, typically by those who have not taken the time to gaze clearly at the full picture.
Lord, Your people have been mistreated throughout the centuries. We know it’s because the devil hates whom You love. He is the father of lies, and he has not stopped lying about Israel. God, we ask that You tear down the strongholds of anti-Israel bias all over the world. Open hearts and minds to identify prejudicial attitudes having no basis in truth. Stir up compassion for Israel and persecuted Jewish people. Cause people to see the full picture and not merely the story spread by an anti-Israel mindset. May the nations and individuals recognize the truth and identify the lies. Protect Your people, and give them favor in the sight of the world.
College years are a highly impactful period of one’s life. During them, students move out from under their parents’ world views to form their own. They become more aware of social issues, establish political views and often question the faith of their upbringing. Young adults come under the persuasions of authority figures and peers bearing significant influence over developing ideologies.
Father, we pray for Israel’s college and university students. These are critical years for them in the formation of their world views. Please protect them from the sway of misguided belief systems, untruths and ideologies that leave You out. Create in them a hunger for truth that will lead them to You and to Yeshua the Messiah. For those students who believe in Yeshua, give them the courage to stand up for their faith and the world views that spring from Your truth. May they not be swayed by lies but make them powerful influencers of others, leading many to You.
Among Jewish people, it is often more tolerable to turn to an eastern religion than to Yeshua. Many Jewish people in Israel and around the world have converted to other faiths. It’s clear that they hunger for spirituality and long for a connection to God. Yet their pursuit has led them to false beliefs and away from the only true God – the God of their fathers.
Lord, we know that there is no other name by which men can be saved other than the name of Yeshua (Acts 4:12). He alone is the bridge to give man access to You and forgiveness for our sin. Create unrest in the hearts of Israel’s Jewish people who have turned from You to other religions. Cause them to see the flaws in their chosen faiths. Prick their spirits about sin, and show them the inadequacies of their new religions. Stir up questions and reveal the emptiness and deficiencies of their faiths, and draw them to Your Word. Bring them to the truth, and open their eyes and hearts to receive You. Bring Messianic Jewish Believers to them who will share the Good News of Yeshua. He is the only remedy for sin, and He alone can save. In His name, we pray. Amen.
Download this free devotional and discover 9 ways you can pray for Israel and the Jewish people worldwide during these critical times.
