The 9th of Av

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 on our calendar will be the ninth day of the month of Av on the Jewish calendar. This is a very significant and ominous date in Jewish history.

It has been on this date, 9th of Av, that many bad things have happened to Jerusalem and the Jewish people. According to the Mishnah (Jewish law transmitted orally) five negative events have befallen Israel on this date. They are:
1. The ten spies returned with a negative report from the promised land.
2. The temple built by King Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonians.
3. The second temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD beginning the Jewish exile from the Holy Land.
4. The Romans crushed a Jewish revolt killing over 100,000 Jews in 132 AD
5. The Romans plowed the site of the temple in 133 AD

Besides the tragedies here are other events that have happened on this date:
1. The Jews were expelled from England in 190 AD.
2. The Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 AD.
3. In 1914 WWI broke out setting the stage for WWII and the holocaust.
4. On the eve of the 9th of Av in 1942, the transfer of Jews from the Warsaw ghetto to Treblinka began.

Many Jews fast on the 9th of Av every year. I think it would be appropriate for Christians everywhere to set aside some time on July 20, the 9th of Av, to pray specifically for Israel.
1. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
2. Pray for the salvation of the citizens of Israel.
3. Pray for protection for Israel and Jerusalem as war looms on the horizon.
4. Pray that the leadership of the United States will stand beside Israel, and that our nation will continue to bless Israel and not curse Israel. (Genesis 12:3)