POSTED 29 JULY, 2009

A Dilemma for the Israel of God

by Mark Huey
mark@outreachisrael.net

reproduced from the McHuey Blog

One of the great joys for non-Jewish Believers like me, who discovers and embraces the Hebraic and Jewish Roots of our faith, is knowing how, via our faith in Israel’s Messiah, we have been grafted into the olive tree of Israel (Romans 11), and gain full citizenship in the Commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12) or Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). Being adopted, as a son into the family of the Most High, is more fully understood as passages like Ephesians 1:3-12 give me confidence that our Heavenly Father has predestined not only my adoption at a predetermined time, but also the circumstances of life prior to what led up to this adoption.

With an adoption such as mine secured, because of belief in the atoning work of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua, how should I be conducting myself as part of the redeemed Israel of God? Should I follow the traditions and customs of many religious Jews, who undeniably represent physical Israel? Is it appropriate to join with them when it comes to commemorating tragic events from the lengthy history of Israel? These questions become extremely pertinent and timely this week, as the three weeks of remembrance or retribution from the 17th of Tammuz, culminate with the fast of the Ninth of Av (sundown Wednesday July 29 to sundown Thursday July 30).

Historically speaking, the same sovereign God who predestined my adoption has also providentially allowed some ancient tragedies to (re)occur on similar dates, in order to magnify their significance. The 17th of Tammuz comes forty days after Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks, and is usually remembered for these significant incidents:

“Five events took place for our fathers on the seventeenth of Tammuz…On the seventeenth of Tammuz (1) the tablets [of the Torah] were broken, (2) the daily whole offering was cancelled, (3) the city wall was breached, (4) Apostemos burned the Torah, and (5) he set up an idol in the Temple” (m.Ta’anit 4:6).

Three weeks later after what has been labeled bein ha’mitzarim (“between the breaches”), the Ninth of Av is often remembered with a total 25 hour fast. This date remembers five horrific tragedies that befell the Jewish people:

“Five events took place for our fathers on the…ninth of Ab…On the ninth of Ab (1) the decree was made against our forefathers that they should not enter the land, (2) the first Temple and (3) the second [Temple] were destroyed, (4) Betar was taken, and (5) the city was plowed up [after the war of Hadrian]” (m.Ta’anit 4:6).

In more recent times, the Ninth of Av is also notorious for the expulsion of Jews from England (1290) and Spain (1492). Even the removal of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the concentration camps of Treblinka in 1942, is sometimes linked to this date. As you can see, both the 17th of Tammuz and the Ninth of Av are historically significant dates in the trials and tribulations of the Jewish people, from the fall of the Southern Kingdom to Babylon all the way to modern times.

So here is my dilemma. What is a non-Jewish Messianic Believer, like myself, to do when his Jewish brethren remember these days of memorial mourning—with fasts reflecting on the tragedies of the past? As a joint heir with the Messiah of Israel (Romans 8:16-17), am I to incorporate remembering the Ninth of Av into my spiritual experience with God?

What could be the benefit of remembering the Ninth of Av? Could non-Jewish Messianics like myself use this time to provoke Jews to jealousy for faith in the Jewish Messiah? Could we not take this time to fast and pray for those who presently do not believe in Him? Would the good Apostle Paul, the apostle to the nations, approve of actions that might move his Jewish people to jealousy? What would a Jewish man or woman think, witnessing or hearing about a non-Jew like myself genuinely participating in these commemorations? As Paul reminds us,

“I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:11-15).

The more I pondered my choice of what to do with these commemorations and fasts, I wondered what the Messiah would do—or rather what He did—when it came to honoring the mainline traditions of First Century Judaism. I recalled that He was in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication or Chanukah, sharing some very profound truths about Himself and His mission at the Temple complex (John 10:22-30). While Chanukah was not originally prescribed in Leviticus 23, the Lord was obviously involved in honoring the sacrifice of the Maccabees in preserving the Jewish people. Chanukah is something worthy of remembrance, that our ministry certainly encourages every Messianic household to observe.

Considering this led me to Yeshua’s parable of the talents, and some of the concluding remarks He makes contrasting the wicked and the righteous (Matthew 25:30-46). The Messiah’s comment about how one treats the least of His brethren (Matthew 25:40)—meaning my Jewish brothers and sisters who worship HaShem just as I do—struck a serious chord.

Do you benefit from a special, Jewish spiritual heritage? I know I do. By my trust in Israel’s Messiah, I have been adopted into the Israel of God—and what the Jewish people have experienced in history, I can learn important lessons from. I can only speak for myself, but I think that fasting on the Ninth of Av will be a significant exercise that I can learn from this year, and in future years.

Perhaps a fast on the Ninth of Av may also have some significance in your life and walk with the Messiah Yeshua. When you fast on the Ninth of Av, do so with the intent to pray for not only the peace of Jerusalem, but also for the salvation of those who do not know Yeshua as Savior. Pray for all the Jewish hearts who are dealing with the tragedies and traumas of the past, recognizing the precarious nature of current affairs, and ask that the Holy One softens their hearts to be open to His gospel.

Finally, remember that Believers have some very specific instructions from the Messiah, when it comes to taking the time to fast, whether on designated days, or times of our own choosing. Recall that fasting was, and still is, considered a normal activity for those pursuing a closer relationship with our Father—yet it is to be something that only the person fasting and the Lord often know about:

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18).

Whether you are a Jewish Believer following the traditions of your people, or a non-Jewish Believer who sees great benefits in remembering the Ninth of Av—do so in order to please the Lord and intercede for others. Whatever you choose to do, remember that your choice should remain between you and our Heavenly Father, and you should not accept any outside pressure from anyone who may criticize you. It is His favor that you should seek, and not that of those who fail to recognize Messiah Yeshua—and most especially those who are insensitive to what the Ninth of Av commemorates!

It is my hope that prayer that the Ninth of Av can serve as a special time of introspection and intercession for you. May we each learn something that can reflect on who we all are as members of the Israel of God—those who compose the community of Israel redeemed by the Messiah of Israel.

Until the restoration of all things…

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.