TUMMUZ 17 AND TODAY’S CHRISTIANITY
We modern-day Messianic Christian believers are very quick to be impressed to know and observe the traditionally Jewish feast and festivals. Adding in the Messianic meanings; they are wonderful days and they bring us such joy! These days make the scriptures come to life for us.
However; how fast are we to pick up on the less-than-happy days; the days of fasting and repentance?
Most of us observe The Day of Atonement by fasting because it occurs during the Fall feast and festivals; but are you aware of the fast held annually on the Jewish calendar on Tammuz 17?
This is a national fast of Isreal that is centered around losses the nation incurred because of their own sins.
It is a day of remembering, repenting and fasting before God in prayers of intercession.
This day has passed us by during this month; but I wanted to bring it up anyway. The three weeks that follow are also considered to be times of remembering.
The main focus is on the loss of the two Temples.
Today; most born-again Christian believers of Jesus as Messiah accept the fact that our physical bodies have become the third temple; because when we received salvation from the atoning blood of the sacrifice of Jesus; God’s Holy Spirit came to dwell inside our bodies and souls and we became living and breathing temples of God.
While the devout Jews are trying to rebuild the third Temple; we are trying to restore our daily lives into a place of more holiness; to become more connected to God through The Holy Spirit that dwells within us. This gift of God’s Holy Spirit was given to us as a promise by our Groom who will return for us one day; Jesus Christ, The Messiah.
When you believe the above; there is a worse tragedy than the destruction of a physical temple; and that would be the destruction of the earthly body where God’s Holy Spirit dwells by un-repented sinful natures that drive God’s Holy Spirit away from us.
It is interesting to consider these things and that is usually done just past the time of celebrating the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit during the Day of Pentecost.
Both days are a time of national observance for Christtians and Jews.
One day is for repenting; and one day is for receiving God into that place that has been cleansed by the saving blood of Christ. There comes a time for housecleaning done by repentance and the turning away from sin.
This type of a day of repentance starts almost one year before the time to acknowledge God’s indwelling of His servants with The Holy Spirit at The Day of Pentecost.
I ask you this; should we not observe this fast annually too; with the modern understanding that The Body of Christ (the Church/the Bride) is the temple of our times?
Are the living, breathing temples of God among our culture and society not being destroyed daily by the slowly seeping ways of the world?
The Jewish people always note the things that occurred on this date during the yellowed pages of history.
The first event they think about is that it was the day Moses came down from the mountain carrying the ten commandments and he saw the people sinning by worshiping the golden calf. He threw the tablets to the ground and they shattered into broken pieces.
Look around you my friends. Think of the ten commandments and take notice of the world.
Are we not worshiping the golden calf today?
Even worse; are we not letting the things of the world break us apart and shatter us into a million pieces?
The truth of God’s law dwells within the hearts of His people. If they become shattered and broken, and if they cannot stand together; the law does not survive.
Almost every home in America has some type of idolatry going on if we are honest. Have you let the foreign influences that take away from God’s ways take over in the raising of your children?
What programs are playing on your television screen?
What music are you listening to?
How are you using and abusing social media?
When is the last time you and your family took a Sabbath rest on the Sabbath day and just spent time in worship with God?
What are you spending your money on?
Are you tithing or are you using your money on the latest trends, gadgets, entertainment, over-indulgent rich foods?
If you are able to work to provide for yourself and/or your family are you actually doing that or have you worked out your own little system of living off the work of others?
Is your marriage safe and nourished?
Do you consider how to educate your children in a way that God would approve?
Do you love your neighbors? What about your enemies?
Do you open your eyes and heart with compassion to the poor, needy, orphaned, widowed or oppressed?
Are you racist?
Do you determine your definition of “racist” from the scriptures or from culture and society?
Any one thing in the long list above would make you an idol worshiper in that you would be turning from The One True God and giving yourself away to false gods and the pagan values of the world.
I will point to myself first.
I have violated many of the above commandments without even considering the fact.
So what do you recommend that I do?
Wouldn’t it be appropriate and effective to be keeping this tradition of Israel too? The one where they repent for their nation and mourn for the true standards of God to be set back into place?
Could this tradition wake us up in a new way?
It isn’t really about a physical building.
Israel still thinks it is a new temple; but the new temple is God’s Holy Spirit indwelling the hearts of mankind.
Isn’t this worth fasting and praying about?
This year has arrived and the day has passed. The three weeks of mourning have already begun slipping away from us. This year it may be too late to be an observer of this particular custom; but should Christians be adding this to their annual observances; just as we have the more popular feast and festivals?
What could matter more right now than the repentance of our nation and the mourning for the true things of God to come back to us and to be the most important part of our national lives?
I’m thinking about all those shattered pieces of the tablets laying on the ground at the feet of Moses. 40 days of work with God – shattered into so many pieces; all broken and useful for nothing.
Now I’m thinking of the brokenness of America; 244 years of working with God to build a country – shattered into a million little pieces on the ground. Just laying there as if all of that time was useful for nothing.
My heart breaks like those tablets.
Can we pick up the pieces and put it all back together again?
No – it is impossible for us; but it is NOT impossible for God.
Nothing is impossible for our Great God.
First we must fast and pray and call upon His name. We must intercede for our nation that is very obviously broken into a million pieces and looking humanly hopeless and useless.
God alone can fix it; and this seems a very appropriate time to begin this tradition in our land
For those Jewish believers today who keep the fast; they will be remembering a time when the Babylonians seized Jerusalem and the daily sacrifices ceased in the land due to the lack of sheep.
Do we not sufferer from the same dilemma in these modern times?
God’s people are often called His “sheep.” We know Jesus as The Good Shepherd. In those days in Jerusalem the evil practices came from the Babylonians who were pagan. They had no concept or respect of the worship of The One True God.
Have the modern-day “Babylonians” taken over our country and driven out all of the true sheep?
Have they turned those who were once true worshipers to idol worshipers?
Have we let the pagan ways seep in all around us until we don’t recognize them anymore and we are drowning in our own sins because of it?
Are we in a time of the growing extinction of those willing to let their bodies become true “living sacrifices” and to follow Jesus in giving up all of the things of the world in order to receive eternal Kingdom life?
Do you hear liberal thinkers making fun of evangelicals who have hearts to serve God?
Have we let our religion seem too political? No – this is happening because some people truly have a spirit to hate God and hate all those who stand with Him. They won’t come out and say that because they want to follow perverted religious activities that use their own man-made ways of worship.
There is an awful lot of false worship happening in America today.
If you want to worship the REAL God you must first know Him and decide to follow His ways.
Is our country under a similar siege that parallels much of the activity that was going on in Jerusalem during the beginning of the Babylonian captivity so many years ago?
God warned them ahead of time.
He has also warned us through scriptures and prophets.
If this is where we are; we should be offering up ourselves in repentance and prayer and turning away from the world.
We should be fasting as a nation.
Instead of saying “we are all in this together” and applying that to a pandemic event; shouldn’t we be applying that to the state of our souls?
We are all in this spiritual warfare together, so let’s fast and pray together. Let’s ask God to help us turn around and turn our nation back around.
It took Jerusalem 70 years. Then it took the leadership of Cyrus to begin the process.
Will God allow us another reprieve as He allowed Jerusalem so long ago?
The legends of the sages speak of how this was the day in history when Apostomas burned the Holy Torah. Remember how the Nazi regime of Hitler made the people turn over and burn their Bibles in Germany?
Do we not have people desecrating things representing God in our culture and society today?
How many reports have you heard lately of those who want to destroy every statue of Jesus/Mary/The Apostles and The Saints?
How many places do you go to now where it is politically incorrect to speak or say the name of God or to read or quote the Holy Scriptures?
These people who are doing such things claim justice. They think they are changing the world for the better. How obvious is it that Satan has twisted minds and hearts into puppets in his army?
Yes; we can elect new leaders that can try to change these abominations within our nation; but they will only be humans. They will make mistakes and they will not know everything that they need to know. It is good to try this; but in the end; we need for God to led us. God is the only One with the strength, power and the answers we need. When all the people turn to God and carry out His will; there is no need for our leaders to do anything. Are each of us now leaders of our own households?
If not; then why not?
Should we not make this day a part of our annual observances too?
Perhaps if we, like the observant Jewish people, had this annual day to remember and repent as a nation; we would not have wandered so far out into the wilderness of sin. Humans need constant reminders. God knew this when He gave us ways to observe our time that are full of commemorations and reminders.
This was the date in history that an idol was placed inside the Temple of God. The holy was desecrated by the evil and wicked who brought unholiness into a sacred and holy place.
The Jewish people remember this and repent of anything that would make them not pure and unholy; anything that would stand between and prevent their communications with God.
Having the blood of Jesus to cover our unholiness before God gives us the power and strength to stand.
Are we taking a stand for holiness before God in our nation? Any nation that doesn’t will fall.
As long as the Israelites had God in the midst of them they prospered and grew and were protected from their enemies.
Whenever they turned to evil and corruption; God left them and they found themselves in very sad circumstances.
Temples were destroyed.
Sacrifices were no longer available.
Holy Scriptures and sacred things were destroyed and burned.
On this day – July 7th in the year of 2020 of our civil calendar which coordinates to Tummuz 17 on the Jewish calendar; the people of Israel (today’s remnant) pause and they pray, intercede and repent before God. They fast and focus on coming closer to God in every way they know possible. They spend the next three weeks pondering and remembering the way their sins destroyed God’s temples of the past.
In making out my holy day calendar for next year I’ve decided to keep this day.
It isn’t commanded and no one will go to hell for not observing; but it seems an appropriate time to practice such an exercise in our country.
Would you like to join me?