The Atonement
Yom Kippur 2023
CCCAG 9-24-23
Scripture- Lev 16:29-31
Last Sunday was a high holy day in the Jewish world called Yom Kippur. In English, it’s the Day of Atonement, when the high priest would enter the part of the tabernacle or the temple where the Shekinah Glory of God resided on the Mercy seat, which covered the ark of the covenant.
There is so much redemptive theology in that one paragraph that I just said that it could be a sermon series in itself. Maybe someday we will get to it, but for today we are going to talk about why this Jewish Holiday is something we should study for today.
I begin by sharing an article, I think in the Wall Street Journal, that talked about the challenges facing today’s generation- those who have been born within the last ten years.
They will have the most information at their fingertips, yet struggle to find truth.
They will be blasted day and night with ideas, yet never have true understanding
They will have a thousand friends, yet struggle with true intimacy
They will be the most connected generation, yet feel the most alone.
Why does this matter.
Because we are the most distracted generation of people to ever exist on this planet.
And it is intentional.
It’s really the original sin on steroids- the enemy doing everything in his power to take our focus off of what is important- spiritual issues and keep us focused on the things of earth that so easily distract us.
In essence, we have all become ADHD when it comes to spiritual matters.
But it’s not a new thing- people throughout history have had the same problems we have today, just in different ways, and that is true for the people of the Old Testament.
That’s why events like Yom Kippur existed for the Hebrew people. It was to force them to slow down for a few hours and reset their spiritual walk with God.
Yom Kippur is one of 5 high holy days in the Hebrew calendar, and was considered the most important because this was the day that the entire nation came before God in personal and national repentance.
We are going to study this in depth today, and end in a time of prayer for ourselves, and our nation.
Lev 16:29-31
29 "This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work — whether native-born or an alien living among you — 30 because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.
Prayer- renew in us a passion for the spiritual discipline of repentance, and create in us a desire to continue to pray for our country.
There are several things within the Day of Atonement that have deep meaning, even for us living in 2023 that I’d like to point out this morning.
We are going to organize this teaching into looking at the meaning of the symbols, the sacrifice, and the affliction.
Let’s begin with the symbols
I. The Symbols
At the beginning of Leviticus, God gives Moses some instruction regarding the proper way to conduct themselves on this day, and this includes the function of the high priest, Aaron.
This was very important because back in Leviticus 10 Aaron’s two sons had a few too many sips of wine, and then went to try to minister before the altar of God in the Most Holy Place, and fell dead as they approached the glory (shekinah) of God unprepared.
So God is giving instructions on how to conduct themselves as to how and when to approach the Most Holy Place.
Lev 16:2
The Lord said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
The first symbol I would like to cover this morning is the atonement cover, but let’s just take a moment and discuss the area where this is taking place.
The Hebrew people of Moses’ time conducted their worship inside a very fancy tent called the Tabernacle. Inside this tabernacle was two sections- the Holy Place, and Most Holy Place, aka the Holiest of Holies.
The most holy place was the backmost section of the tabernacle, and was hidden from view by a curtain that hung from ceiling to floor- fastened on all sides. In front of that curtain was the altar of incense- a symbol of prayers rising before God. As you would face the curtain, on the right side the table of shewbread indicating the future Messiah and the bread of life he represented. On the left side there was the Golden Lampstand, which was a 7 point candlestick representing the 7 spirits of God. This area was the Holy Place.
If you think of it in our church, the platform would be the Most Holy Place, while where you are sitting is the Holy Place.
Okay, a few important symbols for us regarding the Day of Atonement-
1. The curtain- the curtain represented sin that separated us from the presence of God. This symbol also carried over into the temple, and you remember what happened when Jesus died- that curtain was torn from top to bottom- the sin was paid for and there is no longer any separation from God.
However, in the Old Testament that curtain was protective in that it kept the priest from approaching God except on this day, and then only the high priest was allowed inside.
2. The Ark of the Covenant- inside the Holies of Holies was the ark of the covenant, containing the tablets listing the 10 commandments, and later a sample of manna and Aaron’s staff.
3. The Mercy Seat, called the Atonement cover here in Leviticus- this was a covering over the top of the ark that God’s manifest presence- called the Shekinah Glory, dwelt. (Picture on screen- Exodus 25)
Why does this matter to us today?
I want to point that out- between the law of God in the ark, and God’s Presence over the ark, was the mercy seat.
That’s a very important point here because sometimes we have a tendency to wander between two extremes in our lives- we either get hyperlegalistic or hypergrace. Legalism decreases the wonder of the mercy shown to us by God through Jesus Christ and instead shifts our attention to our performance as the way we can get closer to God.
Hypergrace, or lasciviousness, shifts our attention away from God’s word and to what we want to do and that cheapens what Christ did for us to win us back to God.
That’s why the Mercy seat is to me the most important symbol here- it is because God is so rich in mercy that we can be forgiven for our sin so that the penalty imposed by the law isn’t applied to us.
It was here that the blood of the sacrifice was applied on the Day of Atonement, so that there would be forgiveness of sin.
Heb 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
The function and symbolism of the mercy seat saw it’s final fulfillment in the cross of Christ where Jesus bled and died for our sins, that whoever believes in HIM will not perish but have everlasting life.
Let’s continue our journey through the Day of Atonement by looking at the-
II. The sacrifices
Throughout the Levitical law, we see that anything brought to be sacrificed to the LORD had to be without spot, blemish, or imperfection. This was especially true during this most holy day of the year.
There are four animals involved in the Day of Atonement-
A. The bull and the ram
The bull and the ram were for the high priest to sacrifice for his sin, and the sin of his household.
The high priest was to take some of the blood from that sacrifice and apply it to the mercy seat to atone for his own sin, and the sin of his household.
It's very instructive to us that God has the high priest deal with his own sin before he addresses the sin of others.
This is keeping with the teaching of Jesus- remove the plank in your own eye, before removing the speck in your brothers.
This is where many spiritual leaders stumble.
These leaders felt so righteous in their adherence to the ceremonial law that they failed to understand the meaning behind that law- that all have sinned and felt short of the Glory of God.
When I was in confirmation classes, I was often confused about what God’s requirements were to get to heaven. Quite honestly, in my rebellious teenage mind, I was looking for the to-do list. If I had to go to these classes, I might as well get my eternal fire insurance taken care of so I could get back to living how I wanted to live.
I was sitting down with the associate pastor, and was doing my version of the rich young ruler- “What do I have to do to go to heaven? I mean, you’re a pastor and have your ticket to heaven, what do I have to do?”
He told me, “I have no different access to heaven because I’m a pastor than you do. If anything, my way is much harder because the bible says I will be judged more strictly.
My only hope is the same as yours- the mercy of God seen through the cross of Jesus Christ.”
For me, that lesson didn’t really click at that time, but eventually I came to see the truth of what Pastor Miesner was trying to teach me.
It’s only through Jesus that we are saved.
“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus name
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand!”
That’s a valuable lesson for all of us- none of us are getting into paradise based off our performance, but only through faith in what Jesus has already done for us.
I do want to make one points when it comes to spiritual leadership-
All of us are in a position of spiritual leadership.
You might be a husband or wife, a parent, an aunt or an uncle, or a big brother or sister, or simply the only Christian in your workplace. If that is you, you are the pastor to those people, and it falls on us to make sure that like the high priest in the Old Testament, we take care of the sin in our lives first before confronting the sin in others.
Let’s look at the next animal involved-
The next thing we see is-
B. The sacrificial goat
The sacrificial goat is the first of two goats we see in the Old Testament.
Lev 16:8-9
8 He is to cast lots for the two goats — one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering.
Let me again remind you of everything associated with what we read about the ceremonial law- it all is to point us to Jesus.
What the goats represent here are the two things that Jesus did for us on the cross.
The high priest would cast lots. A modern way of saying it would be he flipped a coin. Heads- the goat on right is the sacrificial goat, the one on the left the scapegoat.
The sacrificial goat was then slaughtered for the sin of the people, and it’s blood would also be applied to the mercy seat for the atonement of the nation’s sin.
This of course points us to the suffering of Jesus during his scourging, trial, and execution on the cross. All of that is pretty cut and dry.
The other goat was-
C. The scapegoat
The other goat presented before the high priest was the scapegoat. The high priest would lay his hands upon that goat and ceremonially transfer all of the sin of the nation upon the head of the goat. A man would then take the goat far into the desert and release it- carrying that sin far away from the Nation of Israel.
This, of course, points us to the other side of what Jesus did for us- His work on the cross separated our sin from us, and it is now carried away into the desert of forgetfulness.
That’s something that in the modern church has been largely forgotten.
If you have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice and made HIM the LORD and Savior of your life-
your sin is gone.
It’s power over you is gone.
It’s power to condemn you is gone
You are a new creature, and the hooks that sin had on you no longer can have any hold. It’s like Velcro, but take away the sticky side- it can’t fasten itself to you any longer.
Christ has taken that sin away, driven it to a desert, and it should no longer affect you.
Unless, you let it.
Christ drives it away, but if we were going to be painfully honest with each other, sometimes we send out a search party for the goat and bring it back into our lives.
I think we need to ask God about this in our lives today.
Are we accepting the fact that the blood of Jesus erases sin, removes it’s power over us, and gives us freedom to live for HIM?
Or are we searching the desert for what he took away?
Are we Lot’s wife- staring in sorrow at the destruction of the City of Sodom, or worshipping and thanking God for saving us from it’s fall?
That question brings us to the last part of the Day of Atonement, perhaps the most important one for us to live in victory today.
III. The affliction
Lev 16:29-30 (Reading- NKJV)
29 "This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.
As we prepare to close today, I want to focus on that word “afflict”.
That word means to have a desire to be uncomfortable for the sake of growth.
I have often used the example of military basic training to illustrate the need for hardship to mold character. They use affliction, both fair and unfair to mold character in the new soldier.
The affliction being spoken of here is a voluntary choice to be uncomfortable in your body for the sake of spiritual growth.
The Hebrew people are commanded to do so during the day of atonement.
That meant fasting- meaning the complete avoidance of eating, no marital relations, and no work.
It was a day to completely put aside everything in this world that brings you comfort for the sake of seeking God.
Is it any wonder than then why the enemy is creating a culture obsessed with comfort, ease, and instant gratification?
Easy way to judge this?
When is the last time you fasted so you could pray?
How long can you put down your phone or shut off your electronics to focus on reading the bible or praying?
Can you sit in silence before God so you can hear his voice, or are you squirming in less than 10 minutes wondering what has been posted on social media?
And we wonder why we feel we need substances to calm us down. Drug and alcohol use is up over 400% of where it was 5 years ago in our nation.
All of these are distractions. Spiritual ADHD. The medicine for that is not Adderall or Ritalin.
It is found in afflicting ourselves-turning our back on our modern conveniences.
Learn to sit quietly before HIM again.
One of the most challenging verses in the bible for me personally is found in Isaiah
Isa 30:15
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
NIV
This verse was placed in the bible for the day we are living in right now.
We are all feeling the birth pains of prophecy being fulfilled in our lifetimes. IF we were honest with one another, it’s freaking us out a little, and everything feels upside down and completely opposite of what it was even a few years ago.
This is why this example from the Day of Atonement is so powerful to learn from. Take a moment as we go to prayer to consider all of the wonderful truth found in this day. Apply its lessons. Learn to quiet yourself before God.
