|
|
|
Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement |
The Jewish festival of Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, was instituted by God to restore fellowship between Himself and the nation of Israel whom He had called to be a “holy nation” by dealing with their sin. The sacrificial system was instituted to teach man his sinfulness and reveal the holiness of God. In the New Testament we see that the sacrificial system was unable to fully deal with the guilt of sin.
Paul teaches that the “Law was put in charge to lead us to Messiah” (Galatians 3:24). So what was God teaching the children of Israel through Yom Kippur and its special rituals? Most importantly, He was preparing them for the Messiah who “entered the Most Holy Place once and for all by His own Blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).
The High Priest only entered the Holy of Holies once a year, on Yom Kippur. But before he could make atonement for the people he had first to deal with his own sin and that of the priesthood by first offering sacrifices for himself. Jesus our Great High Priest did what he could not do for He “offered himself unblemished to God to cleanse our consciences” and He eternally lives to intercede. The sacrifices offered in the Temple dealt with sins wilfully committed against God. But Yeshua deals with the root of our sin, our sinful nature (Hebrews 7:25; 9:14).
Looking back we see how the High Priest then took two goats and cast lots for them. One was “For the Lord” and was sacrificed as a sin offering. Its blood was sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant (The Mercy Seat) and later when the ark was lost, on a foundation stone in the Holy of Holies. Then he took the bull’s blood with which he had made atonement for himself and the priesthood and together with the goat’s sprinkled the curtain, the altar of incense and finally the altar of burnt offerings.
He had now cleansed the Sanctuary from its defilement by the priesthood, and the people. Holiness was restored to the Temple and its priesthood and the sacrificial system could continue to function for another year.
This done, the High Priest took the second goat, the Scapegoat, whose lot identified it as “For Azazel,” the High Priest laid his hands on its head as it faced the people and confessed over it the sins of the children of Israel.
It became a “sin bearer” and the terrible burden of the people's sin was transferred to it. Then it was led out into the wilderness and pushed over a cliff. The goat had taken Israel's place and it was sent away from the Presence of God. It carried away their sins. Yeshua also endured this burden and separation when He bore our sins in His body.
Yeshua is our Yom Kippur and our lives mirror this atonement process of confession, repentance and blood sacrifice. But Yeshua is both the High Priest and the Sacrifice, dealing with our sin and reconciling us to God. So that we who were once far away “are brought near through the blood of Messiah” (Ephesians 2:13).
At Yom Kippur we are confronted with God’s Holiness. The High Priest spent the week prior to Yom Kippur in preparation because Leviticus 4:3 tells us that the sin of the High Priest brought guilt upon the people. He even served as an ordinary priest. He had to be ready to minister as a mediator before the Presence of God. As I write, I wonder how we face up to the fact that our God is a Holy God and does not tolerate sin. Yom Kippur serves as a stark reminder that not only has God dealt with our sin on the cross through the sacrifice of Yeshua but that He expects us to be honest with ourselves and Him. Jewish People will have spent the preceding 10 days preparing their hearts to ask God for forgiveness, a serious business. Yom Kippur teaches us not to be casual about our sin.
Each year as he drew near to minister he feared that he might be struck dead for he had entered that Most Holy Place where God dwelt. Before the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies with blood he brought burning coals and fragrant incense. The incense smoke hid the Ark from his sinful gaze so that He would not be destroyed. The incense also symbolised prayer and its smoke the Presence and Glory of God, demonstrating that when he offered up prayer, God drew near with His manifest Presence. Now in Yeshua we have an open invitation to enter the Most Holy Place and draw near to God (Hebrews 10:19-21).
The Temple gone, there are no sacrifices, so today what remains are Prayer and Repentance. The Rabbi’s believe that prayer replaces the sacrifices.
As I have already said Jewish People spend 10 days in preparation; called the “Days of Awe,” beginning on Rosh Ha Shannah, the Jewish New Year, with the blowing of the Shofar. It is time spent in self reflection and Jews believe that God draws especially near to them at this time. The Kol Nidre service begins the acts of repentance and Jewish people repent of their failure to keep their word, their promises and commitments. As in Temple times, the services last all day and repentance is accompanied by fasting.
Maimonides, the great Jewish Rabbi and teacher, said there is “no atonement without confession of sin as the act of repentance,” and Philo added that our repentance must be sincere and come with conviction of soul. And Paul said, “godly sorrow brings repentance which leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
May that be our prayer for them that their repentance would lead them to Yeshua and to Life.
|
|
|