Oil of Gladness Instead of Mourning

Throughout God’s Word, He promises to bring the Jewish people back to the land He promised them, to bless them, and give them a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). However, the history of the Jewish people has seen times of devastation and mourning.

Zech. 7:2-3 tells a story about the town of Bethel sending 2 of their men “to seek the favor of the Lord” and these men asked the priests and prophets in Jerusalem, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?” Zech. 7:5 and 8:19 also refer to a fast in the 5th month.

The fast of the fifth month:  What is this fast in the fifth month that is referenced in these verses, and why is it important? Since the time of Zechariah, the Jewish people have fasted on the 9th day of the Jewish month of Av. The name of this day is Tisha B’Av, which simply means the Ninth of Av, and it has come to be a day of fasting and mourning due to events occurring in Jewish history on this day. This year (2026), this fast begins on July 22nd and continues through July 23rd. This article will briefly identify the horrific events happening on this day in Jewish history and then focus on the prophecies of restoration, fulfillment, blessings, and hope.

The sin of the spies and Israel’s rebellion:  In Num. 14:1, after the 10 spies gave their report, the Israelites rebelled against God’s promise concerning the land and wept all night. The Talmud connects this event with the Ninth of Av, and this is the traditional origin of Tisha B’Av.

Destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE):  Jer. 52:12-13 says that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem on the 10th day of the 5th month, and he burned the temple. Rabbinic tradition explains that the destruction began on the Ninth and continued into the Tenth of Av.

Destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE):  The Romans under Titus destroyed the Second Temple. The day of the burning of the temple was the Tenth of Av in the year 70 AD. The Jewish people have traditionally reckoned the Ninth of Av as the day of its destruction.

Other Tragedies Associated with the Ninth of Av:
• The fall of the fortress city of Betar and the crushing of the Bar Kokhba Revolt by the Romans.
• The expulsion of the Jews in England and Spain.
• On July 31, 1941, on the Seventh of Av, Hermann Göring signed the directive authorizing the preparation of the plan for the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question”. Within months, the machinery of the Holocaust was being coordinated on an unprecedented scale.

Rabbi Akiva: There is a famous story found in the Talmud about Rabbi Akiva, who lived about 1900 years ago and was well beloved by the Jewish people. The Talmud recounts that Rabbi Akiva and several other leading sages traveled to Jerusalem after the destruction of the Second Temple. While his fellow sages wept bitterly, mourning the sight of the ruins and a fox roaming the Holy of Holies, Rabbi Akiva laughed.

The sages asked why he was laughing. He explained that because the literal fulfillment of the tragic prophecy of destruction was fulfilled exactly as foretold, it was a guarantee that the joyous prophecies of rebuilding and redemption found throughout God’s Word would also undoubtedly come to pass.

We live in a very special time. We have had the privilege to witness God’s faithfulness to fulfill many prophecies, including gathering His people back to the land, Israel, rebuilding Israel’s cities, and restoring the land like the garden of Eden. And like Rabbi Akiva, we can rejoice that there are still prophecies to be fulfilled, such as bringing peace, security, and ending the insults from the nations. We know from God’s Word that He will provide for Israel “a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11). I want to share some of these scriptural promises:

Ezek. 34:28-30:  “They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid. I will raise up for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will not endure the insults of the nations anymore. Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord God.

Ezek. 36:35-36:  “And they will say, ‘This desolated land has become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste, desolated and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations around you that are left will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolated; I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.”

Isa. 61:3-4: “To grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

Ps. 105:9-11: The covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance,”

Ezek. 28:25-26: “Thus says the Lord God, ‘When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live on their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. They will live on it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute judgments upon all around them who despise them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.'”

Isa, 41:8-14: “…I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God…”

Isa. 66:8-13: The Lord will extend peace to Jerusalem and as a mother comforts, so He will comfort her.

Isa. 2:1-3:  “For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

Zech. 8:1-8:  The Lord will bring His people back from the east and the west, He will live in the midst of Jerusalem, they shall be His people, and He will be their God in truth and righteousness.

Rom. 11:26-27:  “…All Israel will be saved…”

Deut. 30:4-9:  Moses prophesied that Israel will be taken into captivity, but then God will bring them back into the land which their fathers possessed, and He will prosper them.

Amos 9:14-15:  God will restore His people, they will rebuild the ruined cities, and they will not again be rooted out from their land.

Ezek. 36:15:  “I will not let you hear insults from the nations anymore, nor will you bear disgrace from the peoples any longer…”

Ezek. 39:25-29:  They will live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid and He will be sanctified through them in the sight of many nations.

Isa. 35:10: With everlasting joy upon their heads, they will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Comfort My people:  Why are these verses important to Christians? In Isa. 40:1-2, the Lord says to “comfort My people… Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her, that her warfare has ended…”. Isa. 62:6-7 says that we should remind the Lord of what He has promised: “until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth”. Ps. 122:6-9 says we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem and seek her good. There is increasing antisemitism in the world today, but the scriptures are clear that as Christians we should pray for Jerusalem and seek her good, and comfort, love, and be kind to the Jewish people who still today have their eternal covenant with God.