HoHum:
What or who was a common scapegoat in your family?
I have always loved to see the spring come each year, with all that it brings, with one notable exception—spring cleaning. Israel’s annual Day of Atonement was something like a spiritual spring cleaning. In one sense, Israel did not look forward to the coming of this day any more than I look forward to spring cleaning. Unlike the other Jewish holidays, the Day of Atonement was no festive event. It was a day of national mourning and repentance.
WBTU:
As we come to Leviticus 16 we have to remember this: Leviticus 10:1-2
To approach God one must approach Him in the right way or there will be disaster. These two young men had chosen to do things their own way. This was all the more serious in that they had just gone through the ceremony of being made priests. This was a time for sticking closely to what God had commanded, and they did not. These men had a high position, and those in the priestly ministry must above all people be obedient to the commands of the Lord.
Does this mean that no one could approach the Lord. No, but the approach must be made in the right way. Therefore, there is this warning in vs. 2. Not even the high priest could enter the Lord’s presence any way and any time he wanted.
One specific day, one specific man, and one specific way was the only acceptable approach. This approach also was done in connection with the putting away of the nation’s sins. This added to the importance of this occasion.
This was a day of fasting. It must be noted that there were several feasts days for the Jews but just one great fasting day, the Day of Atonement. One this occasion the nation remembered their sins. Now, they had a regular sacrificial system in which animals were offered on the altar every day. However, these were not adequate, there was more, always more to atone for.
On the tenth day of the seventh month (called Yom Kippur today, this year it is Saturday September 14), there was this solemn time of fasting and repentance.
Thesis: Let’s briefly go over the ceremonies on the Day of Atonement and then talk about the Day of Atonement in the NT
For instances:
The Ceremonies of the Day of Atonement
He had to be alone (vv. 1-2, especially 16:17 )- No Levite could assist in this important ritual. The high priest had to officiate alone.
He got the animals for the sacrifices (vs. 3, 5). For himself and his household he took a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering; for the whole nation he took two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a bunt offering.
He laid aside his glorious garments (v. 4)
He washed (v. 4)- For the priest, this meant getting rid of any ceremonial defilement. Several washings throughout the day.
He offered a sin offering (vv. 6-11)
He entered holy of holies (vv. 12-13)- High priest actually entered the holy of holies three times: first, with incense, which pictures the glory of God; then, with blood from the sacrifice for himself and his household; and finally, with the blood shed for the people. All of this was preparation for main task of the Day of Atonement, the giving of the sin offering for nation.
The Presentation of the Goats (16:15-34)- Note that the two goats were considered one sin offering (v. 5 ). They illustrate two aspects of atonement:
1. After the high priest returned from sprinkling the blood of his sin offering, he took the goat that was designated to die and killed it as a sin offering for the entire nation. He then entered the holy of holies for the third time, this time with the blood of the goat. He sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat and before it, and thus covered the sins of the nation (vs. 15-19).
Having applied the blood, the high priest then took the live goat, laid his hands on its head, and confessed the sins of the people, thus symbolically transferring their guilt to the innocent animal. The word “scapegoat” comes from a Hebrew word which means “to remove.” This goat was then sent away into the wilderness, never to be seen again, and this illustrated the removal of the nation’s sins (vs. 20- 22). Some might asked what happened to this scapegoat? In the time of the NT before the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, the scapegoat was lead out of the city to a steep cliff. The man leading the goat tied one piece of the scarlet cord to a rock and the other to the goat’s horns. Then from behind he pushed the goat over the cliff. It rolled over and over and was broken in pieces before it had gone half way down. Having thus made quite sure that the animal would not come back, the man returned to Jerusalem.
This was the great, central activity of the day. The nation’s sins had been solemnly confessed and dealt with in accordance with God’s command.
Clean up and final observances (Vs. 23-28). The high priest put on his glorious robes and offered burnt offering for himself and the people (the rams of vs. 3, 5). It was at this point that the high priest burnt the fat of the sin offering. The carcasses of both the bull and the goat were taken outside the camp and burnt up in their entirety (vs. 27).
Observed as a special Sabbath (on a normal Sabbath able to eat as long as food prepared the day before, fasting on this day) (vs. 29- 31)
Summary of the whole day (vs. 32- 34). This gives us a brief outline of the day. Many “gaps” not covered here that the Jews filled in but we don’t need to know every detail, just the procedure as outline in the Bible.
One question has to be asked of this: Did this really remove sin?
The Mishnah says this, “If a man said, ‘I will sin and repent, and sin again and repent,’ he will be given no chance to repent. (If he said,) ‘I will sin and the Day of Atonement will effect atonement’, then the Day of Atonement effects no atonement... (Yoma 8:9)
Day of Atonement is regarded as important, but only if there is the right attitude and if the person has done what he can to undo effects of his sin. Some suggested that in fact it was the attitude that was all important and that rites were no more than a series of dramatic symbols.
Now this did not mean to say that the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement did not matter. There was great care to do everything in the right way and the right order on the Day of Atonement. After all, the life of the high priest was on the line. What a bad omen from God if the high priest did not survive the Day of Atonement! However, most thought that repentance was rated very highly and its absence made the rite void.
Properly observed, the Rabbis held, the Day of Atonement availed for all the sins of the people. However, in the back of their minds, there was some doubt about this.
The Day of Atonement in the New Testament
Turn to Hebrews 9:7-14. We see here the emphasis on blood. We see here the theme of access to the Presence of God again. The high priest entered the sacred place Vs. 7. It was an adventure for the high priest to enter the Holy of Holies and one whose outcome could not be foreseen. Thus every precaution was taken, and the most important was the presentation of the blood of the sacrifice. Only with the blood could the people’s representative be cleansed from his sin and be accepted as fit to approach the presence of God.
The author of Hebrews points out that Christ entered the heavenly Holy Place not “by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption (vs. 12).
The contrast between the blood of Christ and the blood of animals is important, for Hebrews 10:4. Just as it was impossible for animal blood to take away sin, so it was impossible for it to secure access. Christ’s blood is different. It really opens up the way into presence of God.
Hebrews contrasts the limited nature of the access secured by the high priest with that secured by Christ in 2 ways:
Concerns the High priest- He dealt only with an earthly tabernacle or temple, but Christ (vs. 11 and then vs. 24) . The access with which the high priest concerned himself was the small Holy of Holies which was a symbol of the presence of God. The access with which Christ was concerned was access into the very presence of God in heaven.
This concerns people. High priest only one day and one way. The rest of the people by a substitute, their high priest. Christ secured access into the very presence of God in heaven and access not for himself only but for all his people as well. Hebrews 10:19-22. Another way to say this is at the moment of Jesus’ death the curtain in the temple was torn in two.
The Day of Atonement ceremonies bring home to Christians the fact that because of what Christ has done they find the way into the very presence of God open before them.
The author of Hebrews says clearly that the ceremonies on the Day of Atonement do not take away sin. Hebrews 10:3-4.
The very fact that they continue to be offered year after year shows us that they cannot perfect the worshippers who make use of them. If they could, would they not have done their job and then cease to have been offered (Hebrews 10:2)?
What these sacrifices could not do, Jesus accomplished. There can be no improvement on Jesus’ sacrifice. Repeatedly, the author of Hebrews stresses the fact that Jesus offered himself once for all. The finality of his sacrifice is impressive over against the annual repetition of the high priest’s work on the Day of Atonement.
There is also a contrast between the high priest and Jesus. The former must offer for his own sins (Hebrews 9:7). But Jesus (see Hebrews 7:26), such a high priest does not need to offer sacrifice for himself. His sinlessness is an important part of the perfection of his offering.
The Day of Atonement has its place in the NT picture of Christ’s saving work. Two thoughts:
Access- “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2, NIV. We have no way to remedy this situation. But Christ has opened for his people the way into the very presence of God. Christians live day by day in the assurance that the way into the presence of God is wide open. We need the ministry of no earthly priest. This is a most important truth for the average Christian. The average person is just that- average. This is one of life’s great frustrations. When an injustice is done we have no access to the great ones who might put things right. This is part of life. But we have access where it really counts. Christ’s fulfillment on the Day of Atonement ceremonies has opened up the way into the very presence of God for the most average of us. Nothing on earth can take away what this means in terms of prayer and of companionship. One of the descriptions of the Christian faith is “The Way.” “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16, NIV.
Forgiveness- the imagery of the scapegoat, fulfilled in Christ’s perfect bearing of sins, means that sins are really forgiven. The blood of animal sacrifices could never cope with the problems of man. But the blood of Christ can and does. Our Day of Atonement was the day of the cross. Jesus’ suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Hebrews 13:12
Conclusion and invitation:
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. What does this have to do with Valentine’s Day?
“Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13, NIV.
Today as we come to our time of commitment, I asked you are you washed in the blood of the Lamb. True, Jesus has through His death conquered sin, BUT this doesn’t automatically save anyone. We, like the Israelites have to come humbly, we have to deny ourselves and be obedient to the gospel commands to receive (plan of salvation) that teaches to be forgiven of our sins, to have the Atoning blood of Jesus applied to our lives we MUST Repent and be baptized (Immersed)
Jesus’s atoning blood will only save those who have humbly obeyed his Gospel.
