Yom Kippur is the Jewish holiday which celebrates the Day of
Atonement. Leviticus 16 talks about the rituals of this day and the purpose.
Jewish tradition holds that the Day of Atonement was the same day that Moses
received the second set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments after the
Golden Calf debacle. On this day, the Israelites were granted atonement for
their sins and were restored to God.[1] Yom Kippur begins tonight,
the evening of September 25th, and ends tomorrow evening, September
26th. Sundown to sundown.
In Leviticus, the first Day of Atonement occurs after
Aaron’s two sons had died because they offered “strange fire” before the Lord,
in the Tent of Meeting, or Tabernacle (Leviticus 10). God then gave Moses
instructions for Aaron to perform a ritual to atone for Aaron and his household
(Leviticus 16:1-6, 11-14). After Aaron had done this, he was to take two goats
to complete the ritual of atonement for the people. One goat was a sin offering
and is to be slaughtered, the other was to be a scapegoat.
To atone for something, means to make reparations for a
wrong or an injury. So what Aaron is doing, is making repairs for himself and
his household for the sins of his sons against God. Then he is to make repairs
for the nation of Israel for their sins in the past year. In order to atone for
a sin, there must first be repentance: acknowledgment and confession of the
sin, regret for the sin, and the resolve to not commit the sin in the future. Only
then can the sin be repaired. Like my mom always told me, “Sorry means you’ll
try not to do it again.”
So Aaron is tasked with offering a sin offering for himself
and his household, as well as a sin offering for the Israelites. The blood of
these offerings is brought into the holy place and before the mercy seat, which
is the Ark of the Covenant, and was sprinkled with their fingers in front of,
and on the east side of the Ark. Thereby, the guilt of the person or nation was
transferred from their hands, to the mercy seat, and their sins were forgiven
and absolved. The blood of the animals slaughtered for the sin offering was
also sprinkled on the altar to cleanse it. The blood no longer held the guilt
of the people, but was now purified, and would thereby purify everything that
it touched.
Finally, the second goat, the scapegoat was to be brought
before Aaron. Now remember, the first goat was slaughtered and its blood was
offered before God, and God alone was witness to this. The second goat became a
representation of what happened in secret. Aaron would lay both of his hands on
the goat’s head, symbolizing the transfer of the sins of the people to the
innocent goat. Then, this goat was sent away into the wilderness, never to
return. The “wilderness” symbolized a place that was outside of God’s presence.
The entire act of sending away the goat of atonement was to show the people
that their sins had been removed from the presence of God, would not return,
and were remembered no more.
“The nation of Israel was cleansed of their sins by this
act. One goat was put to death representing that the sins of the people had
been paid for and were removed, another goat was made into the scapegoat and
sent away representing that the sins of the people had been removed from the
presence of the Lord…The day of atonement speaks of the Lord’s gracious concern
both to deal fully with his people’s sins and to make them fully aware that
they stand before him, accepted and covered in respect of all iniquity,
transgression and sin.”[2]
The Day of Atonement finds its fulfillment in Christ’s death
on the cross. He took on the sins of the world, and died for them. Not only is
Christ the Passover lamb that keeps the people of God secure from death and
separation from God, but he is the Goat of Atonement, which buys purity and
holiness for the people of God for time eternal.
Excellent reminder! I wish I had seen this on the day it was posted.
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