A model of the Second Temple in Jerusalem

"Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the Temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets."  (Micah 3:12)

Shalom Florin on this Somber Day of Tisha B'Av

Today is Tisha B'Av, a day of national mourning and the saddest day on the Jewish calendar.

All around the world, the Jewish People are in deep sorrow over the destruction of the Holy Temple in which the Shekhinah (Divine Presence) dwelled here in Israel among His people.

"I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you."  (Leviticus 26:11)

Sitting on the floor on Tisha B'Av is a traditional sign of mourning.

The destruction of the First and Second Temples in 586 BC by the Babylonians and in AD 70 by the Romans, and the resulting brutal exiles, is deeply felt by the Jewish People.

For that reason, many Jews are fasting today, and in synagogues around the world this morning, the Torah portion is Deuteronomy 4:25–40, which prophesies Israel's future iniquity and exile.

The Haftarah (prophetic portion) this morning is Jeremiah 8:13–9:23, which accurately described the desolation of Zion.

The Flight of the Prisoners, by James Tissot

During this afternoon's service, however, our thoughts turn from despair to hope with Exodus 32:11–14, a Torah portion in which Moses asks God to turn from His fierce anger.

The afternoon Haftarah is Isaiah 55:6–56:8, a prophecy that reveals that in the last days a Third Temple will be established and the nations will stream to Jerusalem in reverence for the Holy One of Israel.

Tisha B'Av, therefore, is not only about something that happened in the past; it is also about our future as His people.

"These I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”  (Isaiah 56:7)

Tisha B'Av at the Western Wall:  On Tisha B'Av in some Jewish communities,
tefillin (the black straps called phylacteries) are not worn during the morning
service, as is usual, but during the afternoon prayer service.   
 

How should Believers, as fellow citizens in the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12–13, 19), respond today to the grief of the Jewish People?

This is the time to show compassion, to weep with those who weep and to mourn with those who mourn.

It is also the time to faithfully stand in the gap for Israel.

Will you be an intercessor who shares in His grief and plead for mercy for His people, Israel?  (Luke 13:34–35)


Please help us bring the Word of God to the Jewish People this Tisha B'Av.