by Steve Ary
The Palestinian attacks on Israel last month didn’t surprise me. The media spin in favor of the Palestinians didn’t surprise me either. In fact, the same repetitive scenarios from previous years recently popped up on my Facebook memories while the news reports first came through. The timing of these attacks, it seems, is almost always the same, always beginning in the Hebrew month of Sivan.
First mentioned in the Bible in the book of Esther, the month of Sivan is when the Jews were in Babylonian exile and under severe persecution from Haman the Agagite (who was hanged on the 13th of Adar the following year). Because of the intense persecution, it was also during this month that the Babylonian king issued a decree stating that the Jews had the right to protect themselves.
Sivan is also a month associated with the Gemini (or twins) constellation, and thus also with Jacob, because Jacob and Esau were twins. Before his transformation and name change to Israel, Jacob was a deceiver, a “heal grabber” who conned his brother Esau (who did not value the blessing of God) into selling his birthright over a bowl of beans. Later, Jacob also conned his dad into giving him the blessing of the firstborn. As time passed, Jacob and Esau became enemies, and Esau sought to kill Jacob. Eventually, their relationship was restored, but not before enduring much strife.
Strife, mourning, and tragedy are all associated with the month of Sivan, and we can see this pattern throughout history. The following excerpt about Sivan is from Chabad.org:
“Over the years, several tragedies have befallen the Jewish people during the month of Sivan. In 1096, during the first days of the month, mobs of frenzied crusaders murdered Jews in Worms, Maintz, and other Rhinish cities. Following the 1171 massacre of the Jews of Blois, France, who had been falsely accused of murdering a Christian child, Rabbenu Tam declared 20 Sivan a fast day. This was reinforced after thousands of German Jews were butchered during the 1289 Rindfleisch massacre at the same time of year. In time, this day became a memorial for victims of the 1648 Cossack riots (tach vetat), many of whom met their deaths at this time of year. Today, this fast is only observed by some Chassidic communities.”
The months to follow Sivan are Tammuz and Av, with Tammuz named after a false god and the 9th of Av decidedly considered the worst day in all of Hebrew history, the early Summer months are known amongst the Jews for their catastrophe.
Despite all of this strife, mourning, and tragedy… there’s hope… God has a plan.
Consider Saul (Paul), a Pharisee, murderer of Christians… a man whose mind was set on hunting down believers, arresting them, and having them stoned to death for their blasphemies against the laws and traditions. This was happening during the same timeframe in which the Romans lined the streets with crucified “criminals”.
The suspicion against any believer, any unorthodox practitioner, quickly gave way to oppression, persecution, and execution. The days in which Jesus walked the Earth bodily were not “good days” for those who followed the leading of the Lord. And yet, God took this Saul, knocked him off his high horse, changed the way he saw reality, and transformed him into a man who would be used to change the world for thousands of years… and his words are still changing the world as you read this article.
Consider also, Oskar Schindler, who ran concentration camps for the Nazis throughout WWII, but was also secretly saving the lives of the Jews who were in his camp(s). His efforts saved the lives of more than 1,200 Jewish people, and was the only former member of the Nazi party who was honored in as much that he was buried on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem upon his death in 1974. God used Schindler as “the inside man” who would turn around a horrible situation for 1,200 Jewish people.
There is always an inside man… or woman whom God will use to bring transformation, restoration and turnaround to His people.
God always has a Noah in the midst of a flood, an Abraham who will go into a land he knows not, a Joseph who will rise to power in an enemy nation, and a Moses who will set God’s people free. God always has a Caleb who has a new and different spirit, a Joshua who can go where his predecessors couldn’t, and a Rahab who will provide God’s people entry into Jericho.
God always has a David to bring down a Goliath, a Solomon who will build what his father couldn’t, an Elijah who will stand up for God when no one else will, a Jehu who will call for a revolution against evil rulers, and an unnamed eunuch who will push Jezebel out the window. God always has a Nehemiah who will restore the walls and rebuild the gates, an Esther prepared for such a time as this, a Daniel in the lion’s den, and a fourth “man” in the fiery furnace.
No matter how bad things may seem in this world today… God has a plan… a plan which won’t make any sense to the logical mind, but a plan, nonetheless, that will glorify God… above and beyond all expectations.
The eunuchs are rising. The chamberlains have the keys. Restoration of God’s kosmos order is coming. And “the inside man” …or woman is about to help facilitate God’s great turnaround. Are you ready?
