On Friday, Israeli judoka Ori Sasson was snubbed by his Egyptian opponent after defeating him in a judo match.   Later in the day, he captured Israel’s second medal of the Olympics by taking bronze in the 100+ kilo class of the judo competition in Rio.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin called Sasson on Saturday night after the Sabbath ended in Israel to congratulate him personally on his win. “Every boy and girl [in Israel] saw not only a great athlete but a man with values,” said Netanyahu during the call, referring to Sasson’s sportsmanlike conduct after the earlier incident on Friday. “You showed the true face of Israel, its beautiful face,” he said, telling Sasson that he had made “an entire nation happy.”
(Breaking Israel News)

In a very strange convergence of details, Israel commemorated Tisha B’Av, beginning at sundown on Saturday.  It is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar as Jews remember the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, as well as other disheartening events on that particular day.  One of the means of commemoration for observant Jews is to read the book of Lamentations.

This year, careful readers took note of verse 6 of chapter 5: “We have given our hand to Egypt (Mitzrayim).”  Breaking Israel News says:

Considering the timing, the significance of the verse is undeniable. The snubbing took place on Friday night; the very next night, virtually the entire Jewish population read the text, making it impossible to miss.

Let’s celebrate and rejoice with Israel over their medal victories, and let’s praise God for the sportsmanship and honor brought to his country by the actions of Ori Sasson!  But most importantly, let’s pray that the eyes of Jews everywhere will be open to the revelation of Jesus the Messiah as they read Scripture.