The 5th month of the Hebrew Covenant Calendar begins at sundown on July 17th known as “AV” which root meaning is translated “to will or to desire.” AV is literally translated as “father.” It is linked with the tribe of Simeon, whose name means “to hear and obey.” If you put all those Hebrew clues together, this month has the significance of “hearing and obeying the will/desire of the Father.”

It was during the previous Hebrew month that the twelve spies were sent out to survey the Promised land in Numbers 13,14. Ten of the twelve put their sights on the giants in the land rather than the promise of Gods word, and they returned with great fear. During the month of AV, the “congregation” of Israelites HEARD the two reports based on what the spies saw, and on the 9^th of AV, the majority agreed to listen to the negative report.

“So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, ‘If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!” (Numbers 14:1,2).

Through their unbelief, the children of Israel proceeded to make bad decisions that led to severe consequences. First, they complained and cried. Then they had the idea to dethrone Moses as their leader, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” Finally, when hearing Joshua speaking the truth about God’s promise, they came up with the idea of stoning Joshua. None of these actions were pleasing to God (Numbers 14:4-10).

If it was not for Moses and Aaron interceding for the children of Israel despite their plot to dethrone their leader, the children of Israel could have been wiped out because of God’s anger. Nevertheless, it did not stop God’s judgment. None of them were able to go into the Promised Land, and all those spies who brought the wrong report died of a plague.

The fear of the enemy, the fear of man, and the fear of the future are instrumental in creating negative reports our world bombards us with as well today. The “voice” behind most bad/fearful news arises from the “false prophet” (the enemies of God ) that are sent to even get believers to lose hope in God’s plan of redemption. Suddenly out of fear, even Christians can find themselves making choices that agree with the enemies lies that enslave them.

When God speaks, it is important we listen, and that His voice has greater authority than even a well known ministry leader, or our own voice that wars against what God has spoken. When man’s voice gains preeminence, we set ourselves up to come into bondage. It is critical we take time to hear God.

King Saul was an example of a leader who justified not listening to God’s command fully, and it led to the downfall of his kingship and peace in his soul. God had instructed King Saul to destroy the Amalekites, and their goods (livestock), not sparing anything. But Saul spared the king of Amalek, and only destroyed what he determined was despised and worthless, and spared the best. God spoke to Samuel the prophet what had been done, and said:

“I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments” (1 Sam. 15:11).

Later, God used Samuel to speak to King Saul what we need to hear today as well:

“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchraft, and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king” (1 Sam. 15:22,23).

King Saul later admitted to fearing the people over fearing the voice of the LORD, but God did not turn back from replacing King Saul as leader to King David, even after he repented. The judgment seems harsh for missing the mark of not doing everything God instructed. But the LORD had a purpose in asking King Saul to obey Him because He knew the bitter hatred of the Amalekites would eventually destroy the Israelites.

Rebelling against the Word of God, whether what He has written in His Word to us, or the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, can open us up to spiritual warfare because the compromise can lift God’s favor, protection, and peace. When you see these things happening, it is important to ask the LORD to open up your ears to hear His correction, direction, and/or resurrection. When we are aligned in obedience to God’s voice, our job next is to STAND, and expect His increase to come forth.

It is recorded in history that the 9^th of Av has continued to be a day of judgment. IN 587 BC, the armies of Babylon destroyed Solomon’s temple. In 70 AD, the Romans destroyed the 2^nd temple. In 1095 AD, the 1^st crusade was launched, killing thousands of Jews. In 1290 AD, the Jews were expelled from England. In 1492 AD, the Jews were expelled from Spain. In 2005, the Jews were removed from Gaza.

The 9^th of AV incidences are NO coincidence. This cycle of judgment started when the children of Israel responded in fear to the spies report, “The enemy is too strong of us. We will die!” Their fear led them to rebel against Gods leadership, and they put themselves under a curse.

Later in biblical history, the Jews rejected Jesus as their leader, which in doing so, “cut themselves off” from God’s Covenant according to the laws written in Leviticus 17. In addition, the Jews made a declaration of their own agreement in their desire to crucify Jesus:

“When Pilate saw he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying: ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it. And all the people answered and said, His blood be on us and on our children‘” (Matt. 27:24,25).

This declaration also set forth a curse that has yet to be atoned. Until the Jews repent and believe in the Son of God slain for their sins, their generational sin of unbelief and rebellion continues to leave a wake of cyclical destruction. The prophet Isaiah reveals the answer on how the curse can be broken: “I will give You (Jesus) as a covenant to the people”(Is. 42:6).

The tribe of Simeon is also associated with the month of AV. Simeon was one of two tribes that Jacob cursed in his final prophetic blessing to his sons because they went against God’s word and chose to murder the men of Shechem for the rape of their sister Dinah. This vengeance was evil, and Jacob called them on it:

“Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self will they hamstrung an ox; cursed be their anger for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel” (Gen. 49:5-7).

Simeon was made to be a warrior and one called as a weapon of justice in the hand of God. But when his own hand ruled Simeon, as he did so in Shechem, his passion and temper produce a work of destruction against God rather than for God. This can be true for all of us. We can think we are going to help God out by executing justice out of a “righteous anger.” But when we do that, our character is one that kills, steals, and destroys in the name of righteousness, and we appear to be sons of the enemy of God.

Although this month has a history of destruction because of the works of the flesh, it is a great reminder of how Jesus broke the curse of destruction through His obedience that required suffering for us all.

AV is a month that presents to us a choice to hear God’s word and have faith and believe in the promises of God. It is also a month to remind us to keep our passions under His command by taking the time to HEAR what God has to say about the matter. We are NOT under the curse any longer.

Jesus finished His letters to the Churches in Rev. 3:9 with an important message for us all to hold on to this month:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:22).

Today, we are seeing and hearing a lot going on in this world through social media. But what is God saying? If we know more about what the enemy is doing rather than what God is saying in the midst of all the chaos happening in the world, it is a signal to stop, and make time to listen to the Commander in Chief for ourselves.

The summer months are tied to seeing, listening, and then obeying, which makes way for Gods remnant to join in unity and fruitfulness for His kingdom cause. So in the heat of this summer, take a moment and say, “Speak LORD, for your servant hears!”