Day of Atonement

God is Holy and cannot and will not allow sin to enter His presence. Since the moment Adam and Eve rebelled against God, sin has separated every one of their descendants from His presence. Although humanity has turned their back on God, God has not turned His back on those created in His image. God’s merciful provision found in the Day of Atonement accomplished a way for at-oneness to exist between God and Israel. Otherwise, God’s chosen people would have remained alienated from their God.

Before we dive in, we've outlined some helpful definitions, concepts, and verses to help orient our exploration.

Day of Atonement

The Day of Atonement came as a command from the LORD given to Moses after the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s two oldest sons. Their deaths came as a consequence of approaching the presence of the Lord in an unholy manner (Leviticus 10:1-2). Instead of the Lord making a permanent separation from His people, the LORD gave precise instructions through Moses to Aaron on how to approach the LORD for the people's atonement. It was to occur once a year on the tenth day of the seventh month. The highly anticipated annual occasion held detailed instructions for the high priest on how to make purification for himself, the sanctuary, and the people.

Only the High Priest

The work of atonement rested only in the obedient work of the Kohen Gadol, the high priest. In contrast, the people were commanded to do no labor. The seriousness of heeding the LORD’s command was clear.

Leviticus 23:27-32

On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD. You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath.

The Kohen Gadol’s duties were intense, precise, and of most significant consequence. Any mistake made would end his life and jeopardize the people’s atonement. He alone served as the mediator between God and Israel. God permitted the Kohen Gadol to enter the Holy of Holies only on Yom Kippur. Before atonement could be made for the people, the high priest must make it for himself by offering a bull as a sacrifice.

Next, two goats were before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of the meeting. These two animals would realize the people’s atonement. The placement in the doorway was so the people could see and understand God’s work of atonement. The Kohen Gadol would cast lots where one goat would become the sin offering on behalf of the people, and the other goat would be presented alive before the LORD and sent into the wilderness as the scapegoat (Leviticus 16:7-10).  The goat’s blood, whose lot it was to be the sin offering, would be taken inside the holy veil and sprinkled upon and in front of the mercy seat. The high priest continued to use the blood of the goat and the bull to make atonement for the holy place, tent of meeting, and the altar. The high priest would then place his hands on the head of the scapegoat, confess the people’s sins, and send it away to the wilderness. Leviticus 16:22 says, “The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.” With the commands of Leviticus 16 completed as the LORD commanded, atonement for people was fulfilled for another year. Israel could be found once again at-oneness with God.

Temporary vs. Permanent

Oh, the glory of the blood! Because of the cross of Christ, God’s atonement is no longer temporary. Leviticus 16 is a beautiful foreshadowing of the complete, perfect, and forever atonement found in Christ.

Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest

Hebrews 9:11–12

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Jesus Christ, the greatest sacrifice

Hebrews 9:13–14

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Jesus Christ, the mediator of a new covenant

Hebrews 9:15

For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Jesus Christ, once and for all Redeemer

Hebrews 9:23–25

Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

How can believers observe Yom Kippur?

Because Jesus is our great priest over the house of God, we now have confidence in drawing near to God, holding fast the confession of hope, and considering how to stir one another up to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:19-25). For the believer in Christ, the Day of Atonement is a day to remember Christ as the one who has accomplished our salvation and the at-oneness we enjoy forever.

2 Corinthians 5:21

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

In a world constantly on the move and distractions filling every space, silence is a stranger to our experience. In 2013, silence was introduced to me as a friend, not an enemy. While in Jerusalem on Yom Kippur 2013, I sat on a balcony overlooking a stilled, silent Jerusalem and journaled:

I woke up in the morning of Yom Kippur (it started at sundown yesterday and will last until sundown today). I’ve studied Yom Kippur as one of the Feast days in Leviticus 23 many times, but not until being in Jerusalem for this Feast did I understand its gravity. On this day, all of Israel (especially Jerusalem) becomes dead silent. Not one car on the road. Not one shop is open. S I L E N C E. Do you know how deafening complete silence is? I don’t know if I have ever experienced S I L E N C E until being here in the place for this feast occasion. The thoughts of your heart’s mind become known. The dross of the heart comes to the surface to be removed. The humility of Christ’s cross becomes our response, “Not I but Christ” becomes our song. The weight of God’s glory becomes our awe. The forgiveness of sin becomes our thanksgiving. Repentance becomes our only response to the One who is both the Lamb slain and the great High Priest. S I L E N C E. It is where flesh’s lips finally stop moving, and the spirit’s ears open to hear. In the silence, the beauty of Christ comes into view, and we behold Him with eyes wide open. In the absence of distractions, the Teacher invites the heart to believe (truth), and exposes all unbelief (lies) within. Multiplying joy and satisfying rest are to be found in S I L E N C E.