JANUARY 1st IS THE 'TENTH OF TEVET',
THE FAST OF THE TENTH MONTH.
"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" (II Kings 25:1).
This year, the day on which most of the world celebrates the beginning of a new calendar year,
happens to also be a day in which many in Israel will humble themselves to commemorate and
remember before God a very sobering occasion in her history. It was on the 10th day of the
tenth Hebrew month (Tevet) in 588 BCE, during the reign of the Israeli king Zedekiah, that the
Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. This marked the beginning of
the end of the ruling presence of God's people Israel in the Promised Land.
They had arrived under Joshua eight-and-a-half centuries before. After four hundred years
under the Judges had come the Kings, beginning with Saul, David and Solomon. But then that
united kingdom had split. Over the next three-and-a-half centuries both good and evil kings had
reigned over Judah and Benyamin in the south; among the ten tribes making up the northern
kingdom there had been no good kings. Yet in His love and faithfulness to the promises made to
the Fathers, God had watched over both kingdoms, sending them prophets with life-words to
protect, instruct and warn them-to guide them in a direction of wholeness and prosperity. The
northern kingdom had not heeded these holy messages. In 722 BCE the Assyrians came,
uprooted them and carried them away. Now, 134 years later, Judah had herself continued to
slip away; and Babylon and judgment were at the door.
On the 10th of the Tenth month (Tevet) 588 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar arrived and built a siege wall
round the city of Jerusalem (II Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 39:1; 52:4). One and one half years later the
food was gone, the city was wasted and weak from famine, and during the Fourth month
(Tammuz) the Babylonian army finally succeeded in breaking through the wall (Jeremiah 52:67). Three weeks later, during the Fifth month (Av) the holy Temple built by Solomon was
destroyed. The fleeing leaders were captured and judged, and the great majority of the oncegreat southern Kingdom of Judah was "led away into exile from its land" (II Kings 25:21)-back
into the land out of which their father Abraham had been called some 1400 years before. Of
the remnant left behind, Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah, a godly man who had followed
close after the instructions of the prophet Jeremiah, to be their governor. But in the Seventh
month (Tishrei), he and those allied with him were struck down in a subterfuge, after which,
many who had remained in the land fled away to Egypt (II Kings 25:22-25).
Each of these four dark occurrences surrounding the final uprooting of Israel's rule in her land
has from ancient times been commemorated among the Jews annually by a day of fasting.
Some of these fasts were already in effect during the 70 years of captivity in Babylon (Zechariah
7:3-5). Yet even then, their observance had already become often a legalistic and selfish thing,
not done for the LORD. Through Zechariah God had to instruct them, as He had on another
occasion through a different prophet (Isaiah 58:3-8), how to be effective a fast to Him must be
accompanied with holy obedience to His Word- "to execute true justice; to show kindness and
mercy to each other; to remember and guard from oppression widows, orphans, wayfarers in
the land, and the poor; to guard one's heart against evil towards his brother" (Zechariah 7:310).
Zechariah 8
With this chapter, we have moved far into the future and are entering into the Last Days. Israel
has been scattered, and is now being re-gathered. Her LORD has renewed His zeal for
Jerusalem, whose streets are again filled with His covenant people, old men, women and
children who are turning to walk in His ways. And these same four fasts, "The fast of the fourth
month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth", which are
evidently still being observed, are about to be transformed into "joy, gladness and goodly
feasts for the house of Judah!" In anticipation of this, the remnant of His people is called to
"love truth and peace" (Zech. 8:19).
Today many Jews continue each year to observe these four fast-days, and on this coming
Thursday (January 1st) will honor the Tenth of Tevet by abstaining from food from dawn til dusk.
During the next Biblical year (which begins March 21st), these four fasts will be observed on the
following days:
July 5-Fast of the Fourth Month, Tamuz
July 26-Fast of the Fifth Month, Av
September 16-Fast of the Seventh Month, Tishrei (Gedaliah)
December 22-Fast of the Tenth Month, Tevet
PLEASE NOTE: By bringing these dates to your attention, we are not in any way implying that
we consider our brothers and sisters in the Nations under obligation to observe them as days
of fasting. However, since they represent seasons during which the Biblical writers (under the
influence of the Holy Spirit) imply that Israel will continue taking sober account of herself, we
feel that an awareness of these dates serves to align us in our intercession with that which God
is himself attending over His people. And in that aligning, some may choose to go further[p and
actually join in the fasts themselves.
As Israel this week (January 1st) arrives at the last of these four annual fast days of
remembrance,
PLEASE PRAY:
*That those truly being called to fast, be granted grace to do so in truth and holiness to God,
rather than for selfish motives or mere religious tradition (Zechariah 7:3-10 above).
*That any from the Nations who feel led to join in the fast, will be granted illumination as
how best to intercede in integrity and truth for God's purposes in His people Israel at this
time.
*As mentioned, God will one day turn these fasts into "joy, gladness and goodly feasts".but
Israel is called first to come to a place of loving "truth and peace" (Zech. 8:19). Pray that those
who are seeking will receive grace for deep revelation into what it means to "love truth and
peace". Pray that Israel will recognize the One "whom she pierced" (Zech. 12:10)-and in doing
so come to love Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life-the Prince of Peace.