The 4th Month - the Month of Tammuz

The Hebrew Months continued

I just want to note a small [disclaimer] before beginning this post. I know that Tammuz was the name given to the 4th month during the Israelites captivity and that Tammuz was a Babylonian deity - possibly a fertility god. When Liz and I first released the It's Time Calendar I received many emails about the Babylonian names of the months and admonishing me for including these names. This is my standpoint on using the names of the Hillel calendar - it is all about context. If we do not create context we will a) not know where we are currently standing and b) we will also have no idea into what direction we should be heading.

We have to remember that the reality was that the Jews were in captivity for many years and that in order for them to understand where they were at in their own calendar with Adonai, they too needed to create context as we do today with the Gregorian calendar. It is all about reference points - it is most certainly not about turning a blind eye to idolatry. On the contrary, the name of Tammuz reminded them of the idolatry committed starting with the golden calf and leading generations later to the destruction of the temple. A sober and real reminder that we are all fallible and have the propensity to fall and fall hard.

Now that that has been said let's take a look at the 4th Month of the Biblical calendar - the month also known as Tammuz.

What happening in Biblical history?

• 3 Tammuz (circa 1272 BCE) – Joshua stops the sun (Joshua, 10:1–15)
• 5 Tammuz (circa 592 BCE) – Ezekiel receives his "Chariot" vision (Ezekiel, 1:4–26)
• 9 Tammuz (circa 586 BCE) – Jerusalem walls breached by Nebuchadnezzar II, a date observed as a fast day until the second breaching of Jerusalem's walls by the Roman Empire on the 17th of Tammuz (70 CE)
• 17 Tammuz (circa 1312 BCE) – golden calf offered by the Jewish people, 40 days after the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai. This is the first of the 5 national tragedies mourned on this day.
• 17 Tammuz (circa 1312 BCE) – Smashing of the first Tablets by Moses.
• 17 Tammuz (circa 586 BCE) – The korban in Solomon's Temple were discontinued.
• 17 Tammuz (70) – Walls of Jerusalem breached by the Roman army.

It is clear by looking at the events of Tammuz how this fourth month can be a month of either spiritual sight or blindness, extreme victory or vicious failure - the difference between blessings and curse, life or death. We will regularly stand at these crossroads and the decisions we make can either lead to abundance and a good harvest or completely the opposite.

The Torah portions we read at this time are filled with these types of choices - Shelach, with the story of the 12 spies who left just before the fourth month began were in the land of Canaan generations ago right now and instead of being filled with awe and joy they were filled with dread and doubt. They saw the size of the giants in the land and forgot the greatness of their Adonai Elohim, whose miracles they themselves had witnessed and whose daily provisions they had benefited from was now an 'elohim' unable to protect them from these giants. Korach, is another sad example of a man of great stature chewing on doubt and distrust causing him and those who looked up to him, to lose sight of their Awesome, All-Knowing Elohim and instead focused on himself and many were swallowed alive by the earth for this rebellion.

We may come across many giants this month, we may need to fight extreme thoughts of doubt and fear and we may also need to make many decisions, some big and some small but all leading to consequence of some sort - let us do so with our focus on the Great El Elyon - Y H V H Nissi - our Banner - our Miracle and make decisions according to His Word and His Way that we may know the abundance of His love and His glorious covering.

" May it be for Your will, Adonai Elohim and Elohim of our fathers, that you renew for us a good month in our Yeshua Messiah, Amein."