Believing the Promises of God in Av

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There is significance in the coinciding of last week's Torah portion and the beginning of the month of Av. Last week's reading was the first three chapters of Deuteronomy. In it Moses is giving a second generation of Israelites a history lesson in the hope that they do not repeat the same mistakes as their parents. He reminds them of their journey through the wilderness, the consequences of fear and unbelief, and the faithfulness of God. The first generation of Israelites made many mistakes, but their major one, that still has ramifications today, was their sin of unbelief and fear instead of faith in the promises of God.
 
The book of Deuteronomy is about renewing God's covenant with Israel and preparing hearts to live by His covenant. Moses reminded his charges about God's promises and faithfulness. He was teaching the second generation to trust in God's covenant instead of their military power. The tragedy of the month of Av began when the Israelites sent twelve spies into the Promised Land to investigate. When they returned, ten of the spies gave a negative report to the community. Though they acknowledged that the land flowed with milk and honey and carried back a cluster of grapes on a pole, they focused on the fortified cities and the people who lived there who were descendants of Anak. Only Caleb and Joshua declared the voice of faith. On the ninth of Av the Israelite community made a decision and partnered with fear, doubt, and unbelief. They did not remember the faithfulness of God to bring them out of Egypt with plunder, to carry them through the wilderness, to help them win battles against warring nations, and to provide for all their needs. They forgot that God made a covenant with them and promised to guide and protect them all the days of their lives.
 
Because of their negative confession the Israelites placed themselves under a curse. They made an agreement with the kingdom of darkness and set into motion a cycle of destruction that can be seen by the events that have occurred throughout the years. Their history of unbelief was reinforced when the Jews refused to accept that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus told them He is the Son of God and demonstrated His Kingdom through miracles and words of life. The book of Hebrews explains that the Israelites could not enter God's rest because of unbelief. "...The word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." (Hebrews 4:2 - NKJ) Because of their doubt in God's promises, the children of Israel were not permitted to enter the Promised Land and were condemned to wander in the desert for forty years until all the first generation died.
 
On the ninth of Av many Jews will spend the day fasting in sorrow for the way history has demonstrated the results of unbelief. If we look at a few of the events that occurred on the ninth of Av, we can feel the heaviness of the curse that has followed the Jews. Here are some of the manifestations of the curse:  Babylon destroyed the first temple (587 BC), the Romans destroyed the second temple (70 AD), thousands of Jews were killed during the Crusades launched on this day (1095 AD), Jews were expelled from England (1290 AD), Jews were expelled from Spain (1492 AD), Jews were deported to concentration camps (1942 AD), Jews were removed from their homes in Gaza (2005 AD).
 
The history of the Jews in this month should remind us to renew our faith in God and His promises to us. Remembering God's covenant with us and His faithfulness in our lives must be a priority. The truth is that every generation faces the same choice: Do we trust God when we make decisions or let fear and unbelief prevail? Our confession must be, "Doesn’t matter what I feel; doesn’t matter what I see. My hope will always be in Your promises to me.” (Song – “Your Promises” by Elevation Worship)