Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then the city wall was broken through…
2 Kings 25:1-4
What is the 9th of Av?
by Laura Densmore
The Ninth of Av this year falls at sundown Saturday, August 6 through sundown Sunday, August 7.
*It was on the 9th of Av that the ten tribes came back with a negative report about the land.
*It was on the 9th of Av that the First Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s troops.
*It was on the 9th of Av that the Second Temple was destroyed by the Roman troops led by General Titus.
*It was on the 9th of Av that the Final Solution to the Jewish problem was decided upon by the Nazis.
Should Christians Observe the 9th of Av?
Christians have a bloody history with the Jewish people. Our Church Forefathers have blood on their hands:
*This hatred of the Jews has been literally cast into stone. On the outside walls of the church where Martin Luther worshipped, we see the carving of Jews suckling on the teats of the pig. When I first saw this picture, I began to cry. I could not believe my eyes. Why did I not know about this? Why is this bit of church history hidden from our view?
*Martin Luther wrote the book “On the Jews and Their Lies” in 1543. In this book, he suggests that the people of God should destroy the Jewish synagogues, burn their Torah scrolls, smash the windows of their businesses, and banish them from civic life.
*Four hundred years later, the Nazis widely circulated Luther’s book. The Nazis perfectly executed Luther’s ideas. On the night of broken glass (also known as Kristallnacht) on November 9, 1938, Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools, and businesses, and killed nearly 100 Jews. In the aftermath of Kristallnacht, some 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. This night, November 9, was strategically chosen to honor and remember Martin Luther’s birthday!
*The Catholic church instituted an Inquisition against the Jews. On the 9th of Av in 1492 (July 30), Ferdinand and Isabella proclaimed that the entire Jewish community, some 200,000 people, were expelled from Spain. The Jews’ expulsion had been the pet project of the Spanish Inquisition, headed by Father Tomas de Torquemada. Torquemada believed that as long as the Jews remained in Spain, they would influence the tens of thousands of recent Jewish converts to Christianity to continue practicing Judaism.
*In 1099, there was a cold-blooded massacre of Jerusalem’s inhabitants by the army of the First Crusade. It was a .’” What happened when the Crusaders stormed into the Holy City on July 15th after a long siege? Many chronicles graphically describe the violence as the Crusaders slaughtered Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. Raymond of Aguilera wrote,
“Some pagans were mercifully beheaded, others pierced by arrows plunged from towers, and yet others, tortured for a long time, were burned to death in searing flames.”
As the Jews perished in this murderous assault, the last thing they saw was the cross emblazoned on the Crusader’s chest.
I could go on because there are MANY other examples, but I just wanted to give you a few examples of the Christian church’s bloody history of persecution, pogroms, massacres, and hatred toward Jews. I refer you to the book, “The LIST: Persecution of Jews by Christians Throughout History.” This book will shine the light into the dark basement of church history that few know about.
So, I return to the question, “Should Christians observe the 9th of Av?”
Yes! Yes! Yes! A resounding yes! We MUST take responsibility for our bloody history. We must take action if we ever hope to dismantle the wall of hatred, misunderstanding, and mistrust. What are we to do? How do we observe the 9th of Av?
The scriptures give us the answer: we are to REPENT:
But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt—then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land. Leviticus 26:40-42
How can I get involved? How can I participate?
Learn more. Buy these two books:
The List: Persecution of Jews by Christians Throughout History and 40 Days of Repentance: A Companion Guide to The LIST
Join With Other Believers on August 6-7
Take time to pray prayers of repentance together!
Click the button below to join with others for online prayer on the 9th of Av (Aug 6-7)
Prayer Targets:
Pray into Leviticus 26:40-42
‘But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies;
If their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt—then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham. I will remember; I will remember the land.
Pray into Zechariah 8:19-23
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘The fast of the fourth month
The fast of the fifth,
The fast of the seventh,
And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
Therefore love truth and peace.’
“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
“Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD,
And seek the LORD of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
Yes, many peoples and strong nations.
Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the LORD.’
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ”
Abba, as we take time to reflect on and think about the persecutions and pogroms, the massacres and murders of the Jewish people by our Church forefathers, we are broken-hearted. Abba, we cry out to you, and we ask for your forgiveness for these horrendous things that have happened. We confess to you the iniquities of our forefathers. We ask you to forgive us and wash us clean of the blood we have on our hands.
Abba, please use us to dismantle the wall between Jews and Christians. Please use us to build bridges with our Jewish brothers and sisters. Today, we take a stand against antisemitism. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish friends.
Abba, we ask that you soon fulfill the prophecy from Zech 8:19 that this day of mourning and sorrow would become a day of joy and celebration for the Jewish people. Let it be so!
In Yeshua’s name, amen and amen!