Tisha b’ Av-Destruction of the Temple
The ultimate devastation was the destruction and plunder of the Temple.
August 14, 2025
The ultimate devastation was the destruction and plunder of the Temple.
-Israel recognizes her sin Lamentations 1:18-22 “The Lord is righteous, For I rebelled against His commandment. Hear now, all peoples, And behold my sorrow; My
The world goes from crisis to crisis; wherever you look there is pain, suffering and death. Because Israel understands what it means to be in need, she is usually the first nation to help.
The prophet mourns because Jerusalem has been devastated and has been left desolate. Even the roads grieve. Many cities have been desecrated, but none bore the name of the Holy One of Israel, subsequently the depth of shame and pain.
On this first Shabbat of the Hebrew month of Av the count down to the 9th begins with increasing mourning . This nine day count down culminates on the day when the forces of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia finally broke through the defensive walls surrounding Jerusalem, generally accepted as happening in 586 BCE — and ends with the public fast day of Tisha B’Av — when the Babylonians finally destroyed the First Temple in 597 BCE and when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.
The problem is not God’s because it’s not His fault. He repeatedly sent warnings and opportunities for the people to change. Israel’s heart was hard because the people had forgotten God.
Israel doesn’t confess and therefore won’t repent from her sin. Like so many today, she will try to blame God when He punishes her. But He reminds her that she is to blame.
Before he was born, Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet. Faithfully the prophet brought God’s warning to several of Judah’s kings, pleading with them to repent and turn away from worshipping idols. But they did not listen.
Before Israel entered the land, God warned them what would happen if they forgot Him and worshiped other Gods. But Israel didn’t listen, not to God and not to the many prophets He sent to repeat His warning.
The Temple was completely destroyed and Judah was carried away captive from its own land (verses 17-28)
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