BEIN HAMETZARIM 2026 July 2 – July 23, 2026/17 Tammuz – 9 Av, 5786
“All her pursuers overtook her between the straits. …Let us return to the Lord … Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.” (Lamentations 1:3, 3:22,40.)
Today, July 2, the fast of the 17th of Tammuz opens one of the most solemn seasons in the Jewish calendar, Bein Hametzarim (Between the Straits, sometimes called Narrow Straits or Dire Straits). For three weeks, culminating in Tisha B’Av on July 22-23, observant Jews enter a season of communal mourning, fasting, and prayerful reflection. These are the days that frame the historic breaching of the walls of Jerusalem and destruction of both the First and Second Temples. Through history, various other catastrophes and calamities have befallen the Jewish people on Tammuz 17 and throughout the following three weeks.
According to tradition, it was on the 17th of Tammuz that Moses smashed the Ten Commandments when he saw the Israelites worshiping a golden calf. It is believed that on Tisha b’Av, the Israelites refused, out of distrust in YHVH, to enter the promised land. If the rabbinic traditions are correct, perhaps a “time gate” for judgment was established through those events.
In any case, Bein Hametzarim arrives this year amid extraordinary circumstances. Israel is very much, again, between narrow and dire straits. The country is so politically and religiously divided that voices across the spectrum warn of civil war, potentially murderous lawlessness, or both. Israelis are exhausted from nearly three years of war and international excoriation. Our nation has become a pariah state and the global hate is hard to bear.
Only God knows what could, and will, take place during the next three weeks.
DISCIPLINE AND DISCIPLESHIP OF A LOVING FATHER
Perhaps you know that Israel had planned, with government sponsorship, an LGBTQ festival called Prideland, to be held at the Dead Sea the first week of June. The gathering was postponed to this week during Bein HaMetzarim. It was touted as an international highlight for all those who “celebrate” sexuality in expressions the Bible describes as perverse.
In view of the upcoming gathering, Israeli and international believers fasted and prayed. We repented on behalf of our people and petitioned heaven for a divine cancellation of the event. Days ago, we learned the festival has been postponed again, apparently indefinitely. Thanks be to God! Prayer makes a difference!
Meanwhile, Israelis and Israel supporters around the world have expressed grievous concern over the recent US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding. Many believers are repenting, fasting and praying in the wake of an agreement that appears little more than an American surrender to jihadi Islam. Rather audaciously, the MOU threatens to bind Israel to terms the Jewish state never negotiated or acceded to. Israelis, along with many Iranians, feel betrayed by both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
We think, or at least we hope, there could be more to the story. As the past week has shown, Iran is bound to break the terms of any MOU with the US, as well as any future peace treaty. We think, or at least we hope, that President Trump foresaw as much.
In light of the possibilities, perhaps the MOU will serve, in God’s sovereignty, as a divine pause.
Matters are far more complex and nuanced than media platforms portray or convey. Could it be that it was not Mr. Trump as much as an American public that would have refused to tolerate rising oil prices and economic uncertainty if the war continued? Surveys indicated that most Americans no longer supported the war, most denied that Iran posed any actual threat to them, and most blamed the whole military quagmire on Israel and the Jews.
Loss of American support for the war soon translated to loss of American support for Mr. Trump and the American Republican Party. Loss of support for the Republican Party could easily result in a mid-term election that votes in a Congress controlled by the leftist and anti-Israel Democratic Party, and possibly, a Democratic next president. Because the Democratic Party has veered away from traditional Judeo-Christian values, a Democratic administration could prove disastrous for the US, Israel, and other nations.
Was President Trump simply (and perhaps wisely) unwilling to sacrifice losing the Congress to a Democratic majority in the upcoming election for the sake of continuing an unpopular war that he could resume after the elections (if not before)?
Did he strategically present Iran with an offer it couldn’t refuse, knowing that before long, Iran would render the offer, and any subsequent peace treaty void by its own deceptive, hudna-based actions? Bear in mind that legally, an MOU is little more than an offer to negotiate a deal or treaty. It merely states what the parties understand or intend to do.
We may never know the answers to these questions. Personally, we gained two major takeaways from the 2025 Israel-Iran war. First, we cannot expect to know all the complexities and nuances behind the news and all the reasons for decisions that our political leaders make, as God usually does not reveal them all to us. Second, He is in control, forever faithful to His character and prophetic Word.
Please understand that we defend neither the MOU nor the steps taken by the US in follow-up to it. We do, however, encourage you to pray with fervent focus during the next three weeks. Meanwhile, we are not to curse President Trump by condemning him with slanderous words and critical heart attitudes. We are to appeal to heaven and bless him with grace to surrender to godly counsel, and mainly, to the leadership and wisdom of Holy Spirit.
There’s still more. To the extent the MOU (and any follow-up treaty) disappoints or disfavors Israel, could it be that God might be mercifully disciplining Israel? Could He be graciously beckoning us to turn to Him in repentance, that we might receive His full blessing? Bear in mind that His godly discipline is for the sake of godly discipleship.
The biblical prophets were unflinching: Israel’s covenant with God carries both blessing and discipline. Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 make clear that national suffering can be the loving hand of a covenant-keeping God calling His people back to Him. The book of Lamentations, traditionally read during Bein HaMetzarim and chanted on Tisha B’Av, is not merely a dirge over ruins — it is a theological reckoning. “The Lord is righteous, for I rebelled against His commandment.” (Lamentations 1:18). “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” (Lamentations 3:25).
To say that Israel’s suffering contains an element of divine discipline is not to justify her enemies’ attacks, or minimize her pain! The God Who disciplines is the God Who loves (Hebrews 12:6). His hand in Israel’s history is never the hand of abandonment. It is the hand of a Father who has pledged, repeatedly and unconditionally, that He will not cast off His people (Romans 11:1-2). He disciplines toward repentance, and repentance toward restoration.
NATIONS STAND BEFORE GOD’S JUDGMENT
If Israel’s suffering speaks of God’s loving discipline toward His ancient covenant people, the world’s response to that suffering speaks of something else: the sin of the nations.
Anti-Israelism and antisemitism have exploded across the globe. Protests following the US – Israeli military operation against Iran have featured open support for terrorist organizations and calls for the annihilation of the Jewish state. “Death to Israel” echoes through the streets of cities that once prided themselves on pluralism and tolerance.
Scripture is explicit: How the nations treat Israel matters to God. Genesis 12:3 remains in force. In Joel 3:2, God declares He will judge the nations for scattering Israel and dividing up His land. In Matthew 25, the nations are judged for how they treated His “brethren.” The nations are not exempt from discipline by the God of Israel simply because they do not acknowledge Him. The moral corruption of using Israel as a scapegoat for the world’s anxieties is not only a failure of justice; it is a sin that invites divine reckoning. A reckoning that we hope and pray turns the hearts of nations to their Creator, who so loved the world that He gave it His only Son.
Bein Hametzarim is a season not only for Israel to search her heart, but for the nations – and for the Church within the nations – to search theirs. God is calling us all back to Him.
We invite you to enter these Three Weeks with intentionality. If possible, please join us in prayer this Saturday for our First Shabbat Prayer Watch.
BEIN HAMETZARIM 2026 PRAYER POINTS
Intercede for Israel’s repentance and spiritual awakening. Pray that Israelis would encounter Yeshua as their Messiah. Pray that the wounds of war and losses experienced would open doors that were previously closed. Ask God to pour out His Spirit on the house of Israel (Joel 2:28-29).
Pray for exposure of the sin of antisemitism. Ask God to expose and dismantle the demonic roots of Jew-hatred in your nation, university campuses, media, governments, and churches. Pray for the protection of Jewish communities worldwide.
Pray for Israeli and American leaders. Pray for wisdom, integrity, and the fear of God for those navigating the most complex military and diplomatic landscape in Israel’s modern history. Pray for unity within Israel’s fractured society.
Christian Antisemitism. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any remnant of replacement theology, indifference to Jewish suffering, or silence in the face of antisemitism in your congregation and community. The Church is called to be a house of prayer for all nations – including Israel.