On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 52:12-14
Sunday, July 29 is Tisha B’Av, a day in the Jewish liturgical calendar that marks the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem. They were destroyed on the same day on the Jewish calendar. The first was in 586 BC by the Babylonians (see above). The second was in AD 70 by the Romans. Several other tragic events are also remembered as happening on the same day throughout history.
Besides the specific events the day commemorates, it remembers the general suffering of the Jewish people throughout history. It is easy to forget those who have paid a heavy price to pass on God’s word. They are our spiritual ancestors in the faith. Extending its purpose, I would say we need to remember our brothers and sisters in Messiah around the world today who are suffering. Remember the price is being paid.Tisha B’Av is observed by fasting and mourning. It is a day not to be enjoyed. It is a time for remembering and mourning. The sad books of Lamentations and Job are traditionally read. Why would someone do this? What would a day of mourning do for our culture? How hard to we work to ignore the suffering around us to make us feel better?
There is a principle called “Sitting Shiva” derived from the book of Job. Job, after losing everything, has three friends who come to visit him. “Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was” (Job 2:13). It is easy to come to someone in mourning and want to comfort them with wonderful words about God’s love and other great theological ideas, but that normally doesn’t mean much at the time. Sometimes we just need to show up and show them that someone cares.
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
Lamentations 3:38-40
that both calamities and good things come?
Why should any living man complain
when punished for his sins?
Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.