Do you believe in curses? The Bible speaks of both the power of a blessing, and the power of a curse. One of the greatest modern-day examples of a curse at work is found in the Biblical date of the 9th of the month of Av.
Known as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, this annual fast day mourns a stunning series of calamities that all occurred on this very day on the Hebrew calendar. The calamities include the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in the days of Jeremiah and the burning of Herod’s Temple some 500 years later on the very same day. It remembers the merciless crushing of the final Jewish rebellion against Rome in AD 135 and the calamitous forced expulsions of all the Jews from England in 1290 and from Spain in 1492.
World War 1 started on the 9th of Av and Hitler’s “final solution” was accepted by the Nazi party on this very day as well. In 2005 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon chose this day to remove around 10’000 Israelis living in Gaza. The hope was of a ‘if we leave them alone, they will leave us alone’ type peace. Needless to say, Israel is still feeling the terrible impact of this decision to this day.
Many believers are unaware that the Bible specifically speaks of the 9th of Av, and links it to both Israel’s past as well as her prophetic future. The story of the 9th of Av reveals the power of a curse, and also the even greater power of our God to bring restoration.
The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple
In Jewish tradition, the first 9th of Av was the fateful day when the spies brought the bad report of the promised land. Their unbelief and rejection of God’s promises was the first seed turning this day to a curse.
Fast forward to the time of the prophet Jeremiah, and by this stage the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had consistently and stubbornly refused to listen to years of divine warnings.
God did not want judgment to come on His people, and ‘rising early’ He sent warnings (2 Chr. 36:15-17). But the people mocked and despised the message of warning until ‘there was no remedy’. So judgment came as foretold by Jeremiah and the other prophets, in the form of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on the 9th of Av.
Looking back at the devastation of Jerusalem, Jeremiah records that God “has called an assembly against me to crush my young men” (Lam 1:15). The word for ‘assembly’ here is ‘moed’ which also means an appointed time. The sin of a nation had caused this day of the 9th of Av to become an appointed day of a curse, which sadly has followed the Jewish people down through history.
Jeremiah wept for his nation and the destruction of Jerusalem. His weeping was not just for the destruction that he witnessed – but it was also a weeping that his own people had so stubbornly refused to heed the warnings of God.
In the days of Jesus some 500 years later we see a repeat of the same sequence of events. Beneath Jerusalem’s polished surface, the corrupting power of sin was at work and the hand of God was again coming against His people in judgment. God sent His Son but as a nation, Israel refused to heed the message.
We read poignantly how Jesus looked over Jerusalem and wept because they ‘would not come’ (Matt. 23:37). Their sins had hardened their hearts to the point of not recognising the Saviour standing their right in front of them. In fulfilment of Jesus’ prophetic warning, 40 years later the judgment of God fell upon Israel in devastating power – and again it occurred on the very same day, the 9th of Av.
Today, we are seeing many Western nations pursue a path very similar to ancient Israel. They are rejecting God’s standards from the Bible as ‘old fashioned’ and irrelevant as they accelerate recklessly down a path that seems much better to them. Are our nations also heading down a path of judgment? Is there hope for our nations?
The time of Rejoicing is Coming
“Thus says the Lord of hosts:…. The fast of the fifth (month)… Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts” Zec. 8:19, NKJV
The story of the 9th of Av reveals the power of a curse, and also the even greater power of our God to bring restoration.
The 9th of Av – known here as the fast of the 5th month – is promised by God Almighty to be turned into a day of great rejoicing.
Considering the devastating legacy of this day, how is it possible for it to turn into a time of joy and feasting?
The Jewish sages suggest that something truly amazing must be destined to happen on this day, perhaps even the coming of the Messiah Himself.
According to the New Testament, the Messiah’s return will indeed mark a period of ‘restoration of all things’ (Acts 3:21). This restoration will include the Messiah regathering the scattered Jewish people from the four corners of the globe and reigning in justice upon the revived throne of King David in Israel (Luk 1:32). All the promises of God to the Jewish people will in that day be fulfilled, including her once and for all inheriting the complete promised land covenanted to Abraham.
While we can all wish for this restoration to happen soon, there is an important condition which must be met to turn the 9th of Av into a day of joy, and the condition is repentance. The Bible foretells troubling times coming for Israel in the End of Days. It will be a time when Israel will find herself isolated, with no powerful allies to save her, and even the might of the IDF will be unable to rescue her in that hour.
In her time of great distress, there will only be one answer, and that is a wholehearted nation-wide turning to the God of Israel. The prophet Zechariah predicts that in that day their eyes will be opened and they will look on ‘Him whom they have pierced’ (Zec 12:10). As they begin to mourn in repentance, God graciously embraces His people, and in the words of Paul, then ‘all Israel will be saved’ (Rom 11:26). God has promised in that day to comfort those who mourn in Zion (Is. 61:3) and turn their sorrow into joy. And it is then that the 9th of Av will no longer be remembered for the sorrow and the curse, but for the God who has turned their curse into rejoicing.
What a day it will be for Israel and for our world.
Repentance Leads to Restoration
Have you experienced a curse in your life? A pattern of evil that keeps repeating itself in your family, your career or your church?
The story of the 9th of Av reveals the key to breakthrough. We must identify and confess to God in repentance the sins of our families and in our own lives which have opened the door to the curse.
And the 9th of Av reveals God’s prophetic promise, His ability to turn around what the ‘enemy has stolen’ (Joel 2:25) and turn the very curse, the very moment of great loss and tragedy, into a day shining with His glory.
The lesson of the 9th of Av is that we can have hope that God is able to turn around the most devastated families, the most impossible circumstances, the most dire situations. That He can make the greatest sorrow and loss in our lives into something that shines for His glory. But like for Israel, it all hinges on our whole hearted repentance and seeking after Him. What a promise, but also what a challenge it is to all of us.
0 Comments