Between the Straits
This month’s theme of independence is refreshing, isn’t it? It’s time to wave flags and declare our liberty. Yet for the earliest believers in Jesus, this midsummer month had a different theme. It was a month of fasting!
This month, called "Tammuz" in Hebrew, is remembered for an event that lasted three weeks. On the 17th day of Tammuz the Roman army, led by emperor Titus, breached the walls of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Three weeks later, the city and the Temple of God (the Second Temple) fell. The final demise came at the end of three weeks on the 9th of Av.
Jesus foretold the invasion of the Romans (Matthew 24:2) and gave instructions to his followers to flee to the mountains (v16). Many escaped the wreckage and went on to spread the good news of the Gospel. It was a defining moment from despair to hope.
Jeremiah called these three weeks “between the straits” (Lamentations 1:3) meaning “in a very bad or difficult situation.” In his day, inhabitants of Jerusalem were caught in a similar predicament. Cornered by their enemy, the Israelites had no way out.
On the 9th of Av, 586 B.C., the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians and the Jewish people were exiled. Since then, many of Israel’s enemies have strategically attacked during these weeks.
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The famous wall relief on the Arch of Titus in Rome depicting the Menorah (Lampstand) taken from the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD
