If you are a typical Christian, you’ve probably never paid attention to the amazing month of Av. This is the month we’ve just entered on the Hebraic calendar for 5785. Perhaps you thought there was no reason to ponder this month. Many Christians consider the month to be only a Jewish observance.
Personally, I do not hold that opinion. In studies of the creation, I’ve realized that God hung His calendar in the skies specifically for mankind to follow. This happened on the fourth day of creation week. That was the day God created the sun, moon and stars which make up the solar/lunar calendar. This is the same calendar the Jewish people of today have followed through history.
NOT SPECIFICALLY A JEWISH CALENDAR
Though they have always been the faithful followers of this calendar, it wasn’t created specifically for the Jews. God gave mankind the gift of life and the gift of time on the sixth day of creation. That was the day He created mankind. The calendar intended for all of mankind was already set and hanging in the sky over the universe. So you see, God planned it for all men to use. All men. God planned for all of us, He simply used the people of Israel as a first example or a pattern.
God gave all of us a way to be on the same waves of times and seasons which He chose to create. We could follow the patterns from Heaven upon the earth. Following this calendar puts us on the same time wave that God uses. God spelled it all out and set it all in motion on the fourth day of the creation week. Then He gave time to us as one of our first heavenly gifts. Our gift of time happened when He created man on the sixth day. God placed mankind inside of time.
On that sixth day of creation, there was no nation of Israel. Many years passed before that nation existed. This calendar that God created specifically for those who want to communicate with Him was given to the very first man (Adam) on the sixth day of creation. All men have had access to it since that time. It was a gift from God to all of His people.
DO NOT BE ROBBED
Satan would like for you not to know or understand these facts. He desires to pull you away from God, not to bring you closer together with God. Of course he would want to destroy one of God’s first gifts to mankind. So over the years Satan has used men to deny God’s way of keeping time. I have a personal goal to return to this ancient practice of keeping time. I like to describe it as “fidelity to the original.” Many others feel the same. The world fights us, but we continue trying to follow God’s calendar as best we can.
So, if you have been unaware of these facts, I’m sorry the world has conspired with the enemy to rob you. They have taken the blessings which result from this calendar’s months and seasonal observances. Such observances are scriptural in nature. They are good for all people. God orchestrated them so that we could come closer to Him. This is the same sacred calendar which gives us the Sabbath. It shows us God’s appointed times and seasons. God maps out His feasts and festivals within it’s days.
KNOWN PATTERNS OF AV
Today, we enter the month of Av on that ancient calendar. It is the Hebraic year of 5785. There is so much to know, consider and remember as we go through this new Hebraic month.
Av is a month of strict justice. I’m not speaking of social justice, but God’s perfect justice. I didn’t just pull this concept from the air, history has shown such patterns of justice and judgement occur in Av. One must keep in mind that God’s justice is different from the way men bring justice. It has the purpose of restoration in mind. When God brings justice it typically is to bring us to a place of healing. God’s justice makes corrections that mankind has failed to do. This is a merciful type of justice.
JUSTICE, JUDGEMENT AND CHANGE
Often when we make necessary corrections we experience hard changes. It isn’t easy. Sometimes we have to go through hard places before we see the final results. It is easy to lose the way. That is how the month of Av has played out in time so far. This is a pattern that has been observed for millennia.
The meaning of this month carries us into exploring some heavy history. God had to allow some harsh things to happen because of men’s lack of wisdom and/or obedience. The hard things taught us our mistakes. Hopefully, we can learn from them. Maybe we can make the corrections that never lead us back down the same wrong roads. This process is actually very merciful. It would have been easier for God just to wipe us all out and start completely over.
After the flood in Noah’s days, God made a promise to us. He is keeping it for as long as possible. He doesn’t want to destroy the world again. Therefore, he uses strict justice to convince us to turn around when we go into the wrong directions with life.
TISH B’AV
Because of the heavy historical significance of this Hebraic month, you might think my description of “amazing” is an odd statement. That appears even more evident when you consider the days in the beginning of this month. Av begins with the observance of Tish B’Av. Tish B’Av is a three week period of mourning which ends on the 9th of Av.
These times of mourning (the 9th of Av and the three weeks proceeding) are for mourning many sad events in the history of God’s people. They all happened during the month of Av. There was the loss of the original generation of Israel who were not brave enough to cross over into the Promised Land. Historically, that happened during this time period.
Also in this same month, the world experienced the loss of Aaron, the loss of the First Temple, the days of the Bar Kochba revolt being crushed, the loss of the second Temple, and the beginning of World War I with the Germans declaring war against Russia.
All of those events happened in this month called Av. All of these tragic events are very sad. There are good reasons to mourn that they happened. It is a month for remembering the past. The effort is made to remember these tragedies annually and to consider why they happened.
MEANINGS LOST TO CHRISTIANITY
It seems to be this writer’s destiny to continuously proclaim the lost history of Christianity to a world of Christians who haven’t yet considered the history of their own identity. Sure, these were all things that happened specifically and mostly to the Jewish people. However, it is because of the Jewish people, and these events which God allowed, that we Christians have what we call Christianity today.
Without the history of the Jewish people; Christianity would not exist. You cannot have one without the other. The importance of some things apply to both people. We must always be careful to note this fact. Christians need to begin to understand why these historical events are also very important to us.
THE MEANING OF AV
COMFORT FROM THE FATHER
Let’s start to understand more by exploring the meaning of the word Av. Av means “father.” Many have added the word “comforting” to “father” making this mean a month in which our Father in Heaven must come and comfort us in our grief and suffering.
Usually we see this comfort more toward the end of the month. At the end of our transitions and changes God comes to reassure us of His perfect goodness and mercy. In this time of corrective justice, God is helping us to heal. We experience hard things. He stands over us in our grief and sorrow. Like all good fathers, He cares about what we are going through.
TIMES OF TRANSITIONS AND CHANGE
Life is tough. There are moments in growing that require hard changes. Transitions happen which force us to make unexpected but needed adjustments. God suffers along with us. He holds our hand and tries to give us hope for a better tomorrow.
Jesus did the hardest of this work by taking the tragic results of mankind’s sins upon himself as He suffered on the cross. He paid the high price for all of us. We must do our part to never make that have to happen again. Transitions arrive through mourning, repentance, turning and changing. As we suffer and mourn in this month of Av, as we remember the mistakes of the past, we see how to turn and walk further into that perfect mercy and forgiveness which God allows for us. Patience and perseverance are important. Here in Av, they are developed and stretched.
SEEKING FORGIVNESS WITH REPENTANCE
The month begins with three weeks of mourning. The time of mourning ends at sunset on the 9th of Av. In this time the people are remembering the great sins that led Israel into so much destruction. These were times when they had turned from focusing on God. Israel had forgotten the best ways of God. Their living had begun to focus on their own selfish desires. They were putting their thoughts and ways before God’s thoughts and ways. This is the definition of idolatry.
Does any of this sound like the world we live in today?
Av is a time set aside for corporate prayer and mourning in order to ask God’s forgiveness for such things. Men with less wisdom have talked of a great reset. Av is the annual time of God’s great resets. He is teaching His stubborn children which way to go and how to live better. Av is a time of examination. It is a period of time to plead with God for help in turning and changing our ways.
BEWARE OF TRAPS AND TEMPTATIONS
Since the time of Passover at the beginning of the year, we humans typically have already managed to go astray. We might have veered from the path God has destined for our lives. There are many wrong roads and detours set by Satan on this journey through life. We might see traps and temptations around every corner. The tragic events we ponder in this month came about because of them. We forget and we make the wrong choices. There is always a price to pay for wrong choices. They affect others too, not just the individual who made the wrong choices.
Let it not be the same for our generation. We want to stop and examine where we are in relation to what God has purposed for us. If we are on the wrong road, we want to find the map to get back on the correct path. This is done by seeking God’s face. As we are seeking, we remember the mistakes of those who have gone before us.
ALL SINNERS ARE ELIGIBLE
This isn’t merely a Jewish observance. Any sinner can participate. Christians, more than any other people, should be asking God for forgiveness of sins. All Christians, as well as Jews, should be busy asking God to help them to return to the focus of the ways which God has destined for mankind to live.
As we ponder these past patterns of destruction, we must reflect and repent. We should listen to the voice of God’s Holy Spirit. It is a time to be quiet and still and listen. The sound of the clamor of the world needs to be tuned out. Our focus should stay steadily focused on hearing the voice of God.
KNOWING THE CALENDAR OF THE CREATOR
The Jewish culture does seem to grasp and understand how important it is for followers of God to keep His calendar. Over many years of observances, they have noticed how the twelve tribes of Israel have traits which are similar in nature to the months of the Hebraic calendar God created. That should come as no surprise. God made the calendar first, then He created man. He would have originated those different traits of the different tribes. It is one of those amazing mysteries that has been hidden from many.
The tribe that is associated with the month of Av is Simeon.
Remember Simeon and what a great sinner he was? He liked to move forward in his own ways without consulting either his heavenly Father, God or his earthly father, Israel. When Simeon’s sister was dishonored by a local man in the area where they were living, Simeon took matters into his own hands. He murdered a lot of compromised men and animals.
I don’t mean to play with words here; but everything that Simeon decided to do was “overkill.” He moved from the desires of the nephesh (the soul) instead of being guided by God in his spirit. He allowed his soul to rule over his spirit and operated from the flesh. This action made his father (Israel) so mad that he did not include Simeon in the blessings of Israel when he was dying.
Let’s take this lesson of Simeon’s mistakes to heart. We must consider our actions and be led by God’s Holy Spirit into doing the right things instead of the wrong things.
A TIME TO BE HEARING PROPERLY
Simeon’s name in Hebrew means “to hear.”
One’s sense of hearing is how one is able to arrive either in the place of mourning or the place of joy. It all starts with being a good listener. A good listener will harken to the voice of God in all that he does. Simeon did NOT do this. His lack of hearing placed him in an unwise position of mourning.
The same thing happened to ancient Israel when they did not listen and heed the voice of God in the wilderness. This caused them to wonder through the desert until God had time to teach them to learn how to listen properly. The lesson took 40 years. How sad.
Could this happen to us today?
Are we listening to the voice of God in all that we do in our nations?
Perhaps most of the people today are listening to the evil ways of the world. Could they be thinking like Simeon and like the original Israelites who were not brave enough to listen to God? Why would they (or us) miss the instructions to begin to walk in His promises? We must come out of the voices of the world and hear the voice of God.
YOU CAN’T FAKE IT
We can read in Zechariah 7:5-6 about what God says regarding such actions.
“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?”
It seems that God rewards sincerity. He desires pure obedience. God punishes those who lack it with exile. Exile is a pretty frightening word for most of us today. We can look around and see possibilities happening as our country is undergoing so many radical changes.
Will our actions of repentance and turning be sincere enough to meet God’s standards? Isn’t it about time that Christians joined in with Jewish believers of God? Can’t we too begin to mourn and repent for national sins of the past?
There have been movements which have swept the country over the last few years which seem to be going in this direction. They seem to be moving closer to God; but are they really sincere? Is the movement of Christianity today any stronger than the movement of the Jews of the past? We should be drawing our strength from Messiah; but are we sincerely doing this daily?
Av is a month for prayer and examination. This will help us as we enter into a known time of testing.
A TIME OF TESTING
Can Christianity today pass this test?
The Jews of the past did not experience a positive outcome when they were tested.
Their past attitude and all the tragedy it brought is what Israel mourns in the month of Av. They regret that the nation did not have the focus on God which they were famous for before. The devout want to change this forever. They attempt to do so by repenting. In this time of mourning, they are asking God to help them to keep a better focus on His will from this point forward. The looking back helps us know how to move ahead.
A TIME FOR TRANSITION
After all of this mourning that starts out the month of Av, there finally comes a time of transition. This time begins after all of the mourning and fasting are done on the eve of the 9th of Av.
After sunset on the 9th, the people pick up the broken pieces of their lives. Once more they begin to move forward. They do not stay stuck in their past. There is grieving, releasing and moving on. They try to move forward and leave the tragedies that happened to them behind. The remembering with God, the times of repentance, and the vows for turning away from sins, brings them closer to God. Healing begins. This short pause to remember brings them to a place of deep healing.
Because of God’s healing the mourning now turns to dancing.
HOPE FOR A BETTER TOMORROW
On the Sabbath following Tish B’Av, the traditional reading comes from Isaiah 40:1-26. This passage speaks of how God’s people are always comforted by God after suffering has occurred. This passage is long, but very important to hear. It should reassure the people of God with hope. This passage speaks of a future with God in charge of everything:
A GOD WHO COMFORTS US
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF GOD
A voice says, “Cry out.” and I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The Grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” See the sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
HE TENDS HIS FLOCK LIKE A SHEPHERD
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple. Do you not know? Have you not heard?
HAVE YOU NOT BEEN TOLD FROM THE BEGINNING?
Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothings.
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
TU B’AV
Then later in the month of Av, when the moon is full, we come to Tu B’Av.
This is the time when the people begin to rejoice.
Once again the ancient tribes of Israel begin to mingle. We see the reversal of history on this day. It was a time in which the last of the rebellious generation had died, and the new generation was beginning to lead. We see the daughters of Zelophehad. Now it is known that they were granted their inheritance, just the same as the sons of Israel for the other tribes.
This was a day in which the sons of Benjamin returned home again to Israel. During one year the restrictions on pilgrimages to Jerusalem were dropped during this time. Also, it was the date in which the Jews were allowed by the Romans to bury their dead after the battle of Betar.
All of this negative history was turned around. The healing of the land began again. This pattern has played out over-and-over on these dates of the Hebraic calendar.
DESTRUCTION, JUDGMENT AND RENEWAL
Av gives us the pattern of destruction, judgment and renewal.
After the 9th of Av, marriages which had been postponed during the times of mourning were once again scheduled and celebrated. Tu B’Av became known as the month of love, beginning with the 15th of Av. The people returned to feasting and having festivals. Mourning had turned to joy!
TuB’Av becomes such a good contrast to Tish B’Av.
So how should Christians observe and celebrate this month?
REFLECTING, OBSERVING AND CELEBRATING
From the beginning of Av till the 9th of Av should be a time of reflection, meditation, repenting, especially for corporate sins of nations, and turning back to the ways of God that have been forgotten or neglected. Fasting and prayers are very important during this time.
Confessions should be given in accordance with the spirit given in Daniel Chapter 9. Readings from the Book of Lamentations are appropriate.
After sunset on the 9th of Av, the people should begin to realize the transition from mourning to joy. They should be encouraged and praised for moving on into the better things of life. All move on to enjoying the blessings that God has granted to the people who follow His ways on this earth.
It is time to learn from mistakes of the past by never repeating them again. Marriages can be performed and feasts and festivals may resume. This is the time to begin listening more carefully; perhaps we will soon be hearing the sound of the shofar that heralds God’s Fall Feast Day of The Feast of Trumpets.
Then, we will begin to prepare. We will get ready to enter into the sacred feasts of the Fall together.
May your month of Av be reflective and productive in seeking God’s mercy and grace. I pray that God brings us through and into a more joyful celebration in the fall. It can happen if we listen to the voice of God and follow Him with trust through this mysterious month called Av.