Day of Atonement Study Scripture: Leviticus 16: 11 19 Background Scripture: Leviticus 16:1 19 Lesson 10 February 20, 2016 Key Verse And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. Leviticus 16:16 INTRODUCTION God had appointed seven appointed times, times which were appointed memorials for Israel so that they would see the outline of their history and be constantly reminded that the Lord was their God. For three of these Feasts, Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Tabernacles a unique Hebrew Word is used to describe them, but the sixth, which refers to the Day of Atonements is nevertheless considered to be the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Note that this therefore was not one of the pilgrimage festivals where all males of Israel were required to attend at the Tabernacle. The people of Israel were to stay at home, observing this as the only required day of fasting. This was a solemn day of contrition (Verses 29-31). The priests were enjoined to carry out the ritual and make special sacrifices. This was the day of Israel s national cleansing. It is called the Day of Expiation, or simply the day in Israel. It evokes the future day of Israel s future reconciliation, while stressing the present temporary and recurring reconciliation with God, an act necessary for the continuance of the nation as acceptable in the sight of God. This greatest of the appointed times in the Jewish New Year is called Yom Kippur from the Leviticus 23 reference to it in the plural as yom bag purim, for it stresses that the day rests upon the expiation or atonements of Israel s sin. As the holiest day in Israel, it was spent in prayer, fasting, and strictly observing the rituals which were instructed to bring about reconciliation with God. This Day of course refers ultimately to the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary which will bring about the eventual reconciliation of the remnant of the nation to God. The nation currently does not see that but are experiencing blindness, something like Hagar did in the Genesis 21 story where God
Holy Days had to illumine her eyes to see the well of water that was there all along to save her life and the life of her son Ishmael. One writer notes: Calvary has been here ever since our Lord came and suffered upon it but Israel does not see. Israel s eyes are blind just as Hagar s were to the well but the day is coming when the Lord is going to open the eyes of Israel. They shall look at him whom they have pierced. They shall see him as the Messiah whom they have crucified and in the 13 th chapter of the Book of Zechariah after that it is said a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for impurity. In other words the fulfillment of the promises of Israel s national reconciliation shall take place then but the fountain that is opened then is really or has really been opened in the past at Calvary. It is then that Israel comes to understand. Note the unusual position of Israel nowadays in how they do expiation on the Day of Atonement since they rejected their Messiah and did not come to Him in repentance and faith. They do not keep the Scriptures. We should be warned that we had better obey God if we want to survive. One writer comments: Today Israel has no temple. They have no priests. They have no sacrifices. What do they do on the Day of Atonement? Well, they the rabbis lay a great deal of stress on substituting repentance and prayer and charity for sacrifices and then it is almost amusing to read that they sacrifice a rooster for every male and a hen for every female. They have no sacrifices. They have no place to offer them... They are unable to do it and the only thing they have are these ineffectual substitutes, which ought to, it seems to me, prey upon their consciences and bring them to the conviction that there must be something wrong if their great sovereign God is unable to allow them to offer the sacrifices that he himself has required. The experiences of Israel stand as a warning to us. We must however also note the importance of holiness when dealing with God and entering His sanctuary. This becomes clearer when we examine what happened to trigger serious rules about what was required to enter the presence of God. On the Day of Atonement which apparently was observed near the end of the stay at Sinai Aaron s sons Nadab and Abihu sought to offer strange fire. So God spoke to Moses and told him to tell his brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the Holy place inside the veil before the Mercy seat which is there lest he die for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. Chapter 10:3-4 stated of this sad and frightening event: And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. The Chapter and Leviticus 16:1-2 makes it clear that even Aaron could not enter the holy place any time he wanted. Obviously fallen man was too unfit to approach God. Man therefore was seen to need atonement desperately and so, God understanding the intimate and secret details of every man s life, came to man in holy light that man could not normally approach without first atoning for his sins. There were strict rules in clothing to be worn in the presence of God on the day, for the High Priest Aaron had to take off his exceptionally glorious garments of glory and beauty (Exodus 28:2-38) and dress himself in simple white linen holy garments to carry out his duties. He had to be meticulous in his behaviour for that was required of the Priest on the day as he ministered in the
sanctuary. This is where God dwelt. Approaching God had to be done with a holy attitude and a clear conscience. With un-atoned sin sinful man could not stand before God. The problem for Israel was how a sinful priesthood and a sinful congregation could approach God who was willing to be their God despite His infinite holiness! The answer to this question came on this one day in the year and it had to be repeated year after year until the greater Aaron, the greater High Priest could come and enter the Holy of Holiest with His own blood and bring about eternal redemption. We must consider therefore that though we believers are now because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ free to approach God without the work of a priest we cannot approach Him in any way that we desire. Are we meeting the test of Verse 3, sanctifying and glorifying God? So that we understand the importance of the Day of Atonement and what was required to approach God one writer comments: For I will appear in the cloud above the capporeth. The cloud in which Jehovah appeared above the capporeth, between the cherubim (Exodus 25:22)... was the cloud of the divine glory, in which Jehovah manifested His essential presence in the most holy place above the ark of the covenant. Because Jehovah appeared in this cloud, not only could no unclean and sinful man go before the capporeth, i.e. approach the holiness of the all-holy God, but even the anointed and sanctified high priest, if he went before it at his own pleasure, or without the expiatory blood of sacrifice, would expose himself to certain death. The reason for this prohibition is to be found in the fact, that the holiness communicated to the priest did not cancel the sin of his nature, but covered it over for the performance of his official duties, and as long as the law, which produced only the knowledge of sin and not its forgiveness and removal, was not abolished by the complete atonement, the holy God was and remained to mortal and sinful man a consuming fire, before which no man could stand. Let us with this in mind look at the precision of the commands to be met on the Day of Atonement. Let us keep in our minds that we are privileged to approach a holy God in prayer and supplication and He observes everything that we do. He remains holy and does not deal with uncleanness in any form. So let us remember that when we come before God let us come with the sweet smell of Christ, and not our own smell, for God the Father delights only in those that have come to believe in Christ and so have the sweetness of Christ in them. Let the Father see Christ in you. THE TEXT Verse 11: We start our analysis of this most holy yearly observance with the priest killing the bullock. The killing of the bullock by the High Priest with his own hands was for a sin offering for himself and his house. Note that it was God who established the priesthood and it was God who laid down the conditions that would govern access into the presence of God
Holy Days There is always the theme that due to sin, the only way to atone oneself is through the shredding of blood. The priest must first make reconciliation for his sins before he could make reconciliation for the sins of the people. In making the sacrifice for himself, it also included his family that being his house, and all the priests who are called the house of Aaron. This charity first was extended to himself and his family, then unto the people whom he served, that is Israel. There are many aspects to the sacrifice made that is crucial to have God accept the offering. All the assembly of priests supported the one who would go into the Holy of holies. As the bullock was killed, another priest was assigned the task of stirring the blood so that it might not thicken, because then it would not be acceptable for use in the offering. All of the details of the sacrifice related to Christ and the mission of redemption. The bullock can be thought of as a type of Christ. The creature itself being strong for labour and patient in bearing the yoke, reminds us of Christ s laborious service to perform the work of man s redemption, and he was strong for it, able to go through it, and did not only readily take upon Himself the yoke of the law and became obedient to every command of His divine Father, but even to death itself, the death of the cross. The kind of sacrifice was a sin offering, and such Christ in soul and body was made for His people; in order to which, as this sacrifice, He was put to death. The purpose of His death was to atone for all the sins of His mystical self, His body the church; for all His family, His children, who are called the priests of the Lord, called to offer spiritual sacrifices. The duties of the High priest and that of Christ as our High Priest are similar. The real difference between the work of the priests and Christ is that Christ did not have to offer a sacrifice for Himself in order for Him to complete His duty. Christ was both the perfect Priest and the perfect sacrifice. Verses 12 & 13 These verses give us a clear description of the next part of the events in this observance. Aaron took a censer; a container with a covering, of burning coals such that it would not smoke. This in one hand and incense in the other, only that priest was now permitted to enter into the Holy of holies through the veil. Standing before the ark, the High Priest deposited the censer of coals on the floor, emptied the plate of incense into his hand, poured it on the burning coals; which caused the room to start to fill with the fragrant smoke, intended, according to Jewish writers, to prevent any presumptuous gazer prying too curiously into the form of the mercy seat, which was the Lord s throne. Exodus 30:34-38 has told us how this fragrance incense was to be made. It was especially holy and was not burnt on the altar of incense in the Holy Place, but here we are told it was to be burnt in the censer that Aaron the High Priest carried into the Holiest on this day. The incense on the coals was said to denote the fervour and ardency of Christ s intercession, and that His sufferings are the foundation of it, on which it proceeds, and are what give it a grateful odour, or make it acceptable to the Lord. One can just imagine how this cloud of incense spreading and covering the Mercy Seat must have brought dread to the heart of the High Priest as he stood in this dimly lit or even dark Holy of Holiest, knowing that he was in the very presence of an awesome God.
The cloud of incense had to cover the Testimony which was the tablets of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 25:16).This cover of the smoke of the incense had to happen to spare Aaron from death. Even on this Day of Atonement Aaron could not see much, or live or stay in God s presence without some specific protection from the risk of death. Tradition has it that at some point in Jewish history, the practise was that the High Priest had a rope tied around his ankle when he went in to minister before the Mercy seat, and if he did not come out after an expected time, probably because some uncleanness had been found in him, the rope was used to pull his body out of the Holiest, for no one could go into that place to investigate what had happened. Part of the incense covering the Mercy seat was to be in reference to the Shekinah, or glorious majesty of God, and which was not to be seen, and therefore to be covered after this manner; which shows, that there is no access to God but as upon a seat of mercy and a throne of grace; and even that there is no coming to Him upon that, but through the mediation and intercession of Christ. There is no approaching to God lightly for He is an infinite and absolute God, and He lives in the light that no man can approach, but can only do so through Christ the Mediator, and His intercession. We sometimes like to think of God the Father as a sort of kindly old man with a long white beard, a kind of Santa Claus, who will put up with anything that we want to do or will do. But the reality is very different. We are warned that our God is a consuming fire, and that it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of God. But despite knowing that, nowadays we are casual about our behaviour to God. We think He will take anything we have to offer, no matter how defiled it is. Verse 14 The High priest having done this perfuming of the sanctuary, returned to the door, took the blood of the slain bullock, and, carrying it into the Holy of holies, sprinkled it with his finger once upon the mercy seat eastward that is, on the side next to himself, and seven times before the mercy seat that is, on the front of the ark. In this act he in symbolic fashion made reference to the substitutionary atonement. Leaving the coals and the incense burning, he went out a second time to carry on the sacrifice with the goat. Verse 15 In this next part of the observance, the priest was to come out from the sprinkling of the bullock before the Mercy seat. He would then move to the next ritual, that is, the sacrifice of the goat which is to represent the sin offering for the people. Now this is the third time that the Priest will be entering into the Holy of holies with each entry having a particular purpose. The Priest which had now been cleansed and his sins atoned for could now sacrifice the goat and he would now be the representative carrying the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the nation. For Israel this was their great Yom Kippur, their atonement. He would now enter and sprinkle the blood as he had done before for himself and his family.
Holy Days The High Priest can be seen as a representative type of Christ. Christ s being slain, was similar to the goats in that He was made an offering for the sins of His people, and all of man. The goat chosen was spotless as was Christ. Note however that in Hebrews 7:26 the word used to describe Jesus holiness is a word meaning He had inherent purity, inherent moral perfection, so He was holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. It was not simply being spotless in the common sense of the word. So He was holy, His offering of Himself was holy so that He was able to obtain expiation, redemption, and reconciliation for us. Let us be reminded therefore of what it took to have access into the presence of God the Father. We cannot really repent of our sins without the atoning work of Christ and then expect to be acceptable to God. Neither can good works save us from our guilt and condemnation. If we expect to have fellowship with God apart from His conditions, we will only be offering strange fire like Aaron s sons Nadab and Abihu. We will then meet a fate like theirs. We are told that in the casting of the lots for which goat was chosen, such is the providence of God, and so only Jesus blood could be used in atonement for our sins; so was the goats for Israel s sin. Verse 16 The blood was applied to the Mercy seat, but also to the Tabernacle and Altar itself. This blood cleansed the house of God itself, which was made ceremonially unclean by man s constant touch. We must understand the price of our sins and how it affects the worship we have with God. Israel s sin had provoked God to take away those tokens of His favourable presence with them and rendered even that holy place unfit to be the habitation of the holy God. Atonement was hereby made for sin, that God, being reconciled to them, might continue with them. He must then do the same for the outward part of the Tabernacle that he had done for the inner room, by sprinkling the blood of the bullock first and then that of the goat, without the veil, where the Table and Incense Altar stood, eight times each as before. The reason intimated is because the Tabernacle remained among them in the midst of their uncleanness. God would hereby show them how much their hearts needed to be purified, when even the Tabernacle, only by standing in the midst of such an impure and sinful people, needed this expiation and also that even their devotions and religious performances had much amiss in them, for which it was necessary that atonement should be made. Verse 17 During this solemnity, none of the inferior priests must come into the Tabernacle, but, by standing without, must own themselves unworthy and unfit to minister there, because their follies, and defects, and manifold impurities in their ministry, had made this expiation of the Tabernacle necessary. Only the High Priest could enter the sanctuary. The comparison to Christ is that only by Christ our High priest, was atonement for sin to be made, because only He is worthy. No other bore our sins, and He Himself purged them away, or by His sacrifice alone expiated them. His own arm wrought salvation, and of the people there were none
with Him to help and assist Him. He is the only Mediator, between God and man, both of redemption and of intercession. He is the alone Saviour, around Him are only sinners who look for salvation, and He therefore is to have all the glory. He had no partner in the work, and He will have no rival in the honour of it. Verse 18 The High Priest Aaron in his actions was to put some of the blood, both of the bullock and of the goat mixed together, upon the horns of the altar that is before the Lord. It is certain that the altar of incense had this blood put upon it, for so it is expressly ordered (Ex.30:10), but some think that this directs the High Priest to the altar of burnt offerings, for that also is here called the altar before the Lord, because he is said to go out to it, and because it may be presumed that that also had need of an expiation for to that the gifts and offerings of the children of Israel were all brought, from whose uncleanness the altar is here said to be hallowed. Verse 19 The sprinkling of blood upon the altar with his fingers was done with his right finger, or forefinger, to denote the perfect cleansing of the altar with it. Jarchi observes, that after he, the High priest, had put the puttings (of blood) upon the horns of it, he sprinkled of it seven sprinklings on the top of it: the Misnah says upon the pure place of it, that is, upon a place of it, from whence the coals and ashes were removed, and where the gold appeared: and he cleansed it, and hallowed it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel; by sprinkling the blood upon it; Jarchi s note is, and cleansed it from what was past, and hallowed it for time to come. CONCLUSION It is revealed elsewhere in Scripture that the High Priest left his family 7 days before the Day of Atonement to live in the sanctuary and prepare himself for what was to come. He had to offer three types of offerings, the daily morning and evening, the festive sacrifices, the expiatory sacrifices- the rams for the burnt offerings, the atoning sacrifice for the priest, the goats chosen for Israel. It is pointed out that there were 15 animals slain on the Day of Atonement so that the Israelites understood clearly that there had to be shedding of blood for forgiveness of sins. This was a lot of work. Compare this to the work of our Lord whose own blood was shed after tremendous suffering. He left glory to do the work of atonement for us. He was lifted up to die. And He finally said It is finished. His blood had purifying powers. It was shed once for all. When He cried It is finished there was nothing else that had to be done for our salvation. So make sure that you accept His sacrifice, for it is only that holy sacrifice that will make you acceptable to the Father. One writer tells us that:
Holy Days Our whole being, our whole body, and soul, and spirit, our whole life, is cleansed in God s sight by this sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. So do not keep listening to Satan as he tells you that you cannot be cleansed. Do not waste time arguing with him. Just accept the fact that the blood of Jesus Christ completely satisfies God about you. God welcomes you only because of the blood of the Lamb. He does not worry about your sins past. Just remind yourself of that fact as you face the struggles of life.