Shalom All,  Welcome to this week's study on what may well be the most important appointed time of God; Yom Kippur.

“Lev 23:27  Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Lev 23:28  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. Lev 23:29  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. Lev 23:30  And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Lev 23:31  Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Lev 23:32  It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.  

Ten days ago, we celebrated the festival of Rosh Hashanah (New Year), which is also called Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets).  This began the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe), a 10-day period of repentance and seeking forgiveness.  It is traditionally believed that God’s judgment is pronounced yearly on Rosh Hashanah, and that this judgment is sealed on Yom Kippur יוֹם כִּפּוּר (or Yom HaKippurim) The Day of Atonement.  During this period, we can influence that judgment through sincere repentance. Yom Kippur, the climax of these Ten Days of Repentance, is so important that it is traditionally considered the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.  Why is this day so holy?  Because only on this one day in the entire year the Jewish High Priest (the Kohen HaGadol) was allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies (Kadosh HaKadoshim) to make atonement for the sins of the nation of Israel. 

Although there is no Temple today, this annual “clean up” day is still an important spiritual discipline. The apostles teach that believers constitute a collective Temple of the Holy Spirit. The concentrated day of fasting, confession, repentance and petition for forgiveness is like an annual spiritual clean-up. This does not mean that we do not regularly confess our sins and repent. Nor does it mean that our sins are not forgiven by the blood of Messiah. It simply means that, once a year, it is a good idea to take inventory, straighten things up and scrub down the soul. That's what the Day of Atonement is all about.

The Day of Atonement is a day for humbling one's soul. It is the day for confession, supplication, fasting and weeping. Yom Kippur is about coming near or returning to God.  The traditional synagogue Day of Atonement service lasts most of the day. Since it is a fast day, the whole day is spent in prayer, confession, study and reflection.  For disciples of Yahshua, the Day of Atonement is a special and significant day. The writer of the book of Hebrews shows us how the rituals of the Day of Atonement foreshadowed the work of Messiah not in the Temple on earth, but in the heavenly Temple. He carried His own blood into the Holy of Holies of the heavenly Temple. Thus the rituals of the Day of Atonement foreshadow the redemptive work of Messiah.  Read and compare Leviticus 11 with Hebrews chapters 8 – 10. 

Atonement and the Mercy Seat

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

The Hebrew word kippur (Yom Kippur) comes from the root kafar (כפר   k-p-r), meaning to atone, to wipe away  and to cover.  The related Hebrew words for ransom and reconcile also come from this root.  This third sense of the word, to cover, is seen in the related word kaporet.  The Kaporet today is also known as the parochet (curtain) that covers the Aron Kodesh (lit. Holy Ark, Torah Ark, an ornamental closet for Torah scrolls).  However, in the days of the Tabernacle and the Temple, the cover for the Ark of the Covenant (Aron HaBrit) was called the kaporet, sometimes referred to as the mercy seat.  God told Moses to fashion the kaporet out of pure gold, with two cherubim facing each other with their wings outstretched over the cover.  When God spoke to Moses, he would hear the voice coming from between the cherubim.  In other words, it was a place of meeting.  (Exodus 25:17–22).

“There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all My commands for the Israelites.”  (Exodus 25:22). 

Inside the ark were placed the tablets of the covenant law (Exodus 31:18).  The ark and the kaporet were placed inside the Holy of Holies. When the day came to make atonement for sin between man and God, on Yom Kippur, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of the bull offering on the kaporet.  There he would intercede for the people, seeking forgiveness on behalf of the entire nation.  That annual Yom Kippur sacrifice (korban), however, had limitations, since this could only happen once a year, and happened year after year, so that the sinner could draw near to God after being cleansed from the defilement of sin through the sacrificial blood.  In fulfillment of Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16), the blood shed by Yahshua on the Roman execution stake atoned for repented sins once and for all time.  Through this atonement, our souls have been ransomed from death and hell.  Which, under the law, is the wages of sin.  He mercifully wipes away the sin of those who repent and earnestly return to God, providing each one of us direct access to our Heavenly Father. 

HOLIEST DAY OF THE YEAR.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year. Holy means “set apart for the divine.” All of God’s appointed times are set apart to YHWH, but the Day of Atonement is the holiest of all. It is set apart even from the other holy days. The sanctity of the other festival days prohibit work but permit food preparation.  On the Day of Atonement, no work at all is allowed, and anyone doing so will be destroyed (Leviticus 23:30). No other annual holiday comes with such a dire warning.  All other Sabbaths and holidays are times of feasting and celebration. The Day of Atonement calls for self-affliction through fasting and abstinence. Yahweh says, “If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people” (Leviticus 23:29). He sets Yom Kippur in a category by itself, making it the holiest day of the year. 

The Day of Atonement is the day for drawing near to God, for seeking a personal, one-on-one encounter with God, for confession and contrition. Leviticus 16 describes the Sanctuary ceremony for Yom Kippur, a ceremony that involves the intersection of three spheres of holiness. On the holiest day of the year (the Day of Atonement), the holiest man in the world (the high priest of Israel) went into the holiest place in the world (the holy of holies).

According to the writer of the book of Hebrews, Messiah has become our high priest. He entered into the Holy of Holies in heaven—the actual throne room of God—and applied His own blood for atonement. He entered into the presence of God for us so that He might usher us in as well (Hebrews 9:11-12). Messiah is "a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the LORD pitched, not man" (Hebrews 8:2).  Therein He applied the merit of His suffering, symbolized in His atoning blood.  In these ways, the ceremony of the Day of Atonement uniquely patterns the work of Messiah: His death, His sacrifice and the atonement of his blood. We boldly enter the presence of God because the blood of Messiah covers us of repented sins. Today He stands interceding on our behalf before the throne of God, just like a high priest. 

WHAT IS ATONEMENT?

It does not simply mean forgiveness of sins. The high priest carried the blood of the sin offerings into the holy of holies and splashed it seven times on the ark of the covenant, then seven times on the curtain that divided the holy of holies from the rest of the Tabernacle, and finally seven times on the altar of incense that stood before the curtain.  The high priest had to enter the holy of holies in order to make atonement for Israel, atonement for the holy of holies, atonement for the Sanctuary and atonement for the altar. Because these things remained continually in the presence of God, they needed expiation. He atoned for Israel and the Tabernacle through a complex series of blood rituals.  These rituals provided the purgation necessary for Yahweh’s presence to remain within the Sanctuary and among His people for another year. 

The Hebrew word kafar (כפר), which our English translations render as “atonement,” can imply the forgiveness of sin and removal of guilt, but the Levitical sense of the word carries a broader meaning. It is helpful to think of kafar as purgation of spiritual contamination. In that sense, atonement involves the purgation of elements that offend the deity: sin, ritual impurity, and any other ceremonial or moral defilement that repel the presence of God. Without purgation, a human being cannot draw near to God, and without purgation of the Sanctuary and the holy things, the presence of God could not remain within the Tabernacle or Temple. 

In the ritual context of Israel’s worship system, the worshipers, the priesthood, and even the Tabernacle and its furnishings all require atonement in order to stand in the presence of God. Without such covering, they would not survive the encounter with the consuming presence of God. God is dangerous. If common, mortal, finite and sinful man enters the presence of the holy, immortal, infinite and righteous God, the man must have some form of atonement. Typically, the Torah prescribes sacrifices or the application of blood as a protective covering; i.e., atonement. 

The word kafar has a second, not unrelated implication. It can also be rendered as “ransom: for one’s life. In the Torah, a kofer can mean a monetary payment made in exchange for a blood-debt.  The suffering and the death of the righteous Messiah also accomplished atonement, not in the Sanctuary on earth but in the heavenly Sanctuary. Yahshua serves as “a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the LORD pitched, not man” (Hebrews 8:2). He has entered into the holy of holies in heaven—the throne room of God—and applied the merit of His own sacrifice to accomplish atonement. He entered into the presence of God for us so that He might usher us in as well:

But when Messiah appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered [the holy of holies] 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. (Hebrews 9:11–12). 

This indicates that the ceremony of the Day of Atonement foreshadows the work of Messiah: His death, His sacrifice, and the atoning merit of His blood. We boldly enter the presence of God because the blood of Messiah covers us. Today He intercedes on His people’s behalf before the throne of God as a high priest. 

FACE TO FACE WITH GOD.

On the day of Yom Kippur, the high priest came face to face with God. That is why he first brought incense into the Holy of Holies. The purpose of the incense was to create a cloud of smoke so he would not see the ark of the covenant and die.  In this world, even our closest encounters with God are veiled and obscured. Paul says that "now we see in a mirror dimly" (1 Corinthians 13:12). He was referring to a brass mirror. Though it provided a reflection, it was not a sharp, clear reflection like modern mirrors provide. If the brass was not freshly polished, the reflection in the mirror became more dim. 

Remembering that we do not see God clearly should help keep us humble.  As we study His word we aim to see the whole picture regarding His instructions and life for us.  In this world, the whole picture is not available. Yahshua told the theologians of His day, "You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form" (John 5:37). That is why a true appreciation for the greatness of God excludes religious arrogance. The Apostle Paul exclaimed, "Now I know [only] in part, but then I will know fully" (1 Corinthians 13:12). Nobody on this side of the veil has apprehended absolute truth.

"No one has seen God at any time" (John 1:18), the Apostle John said. Nevertheless, John goes on to say that the only begotten Son of God has revealed Him. Yahshua says, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).  By clinging to Yahshua of Nazareth, we are spiritually carried with Him into the Holy of Holies.  In Him we have a hope of sharing in the resurrection from the dead that He experienced. Paul reminds us that after the resurrection from the dead, we will see "face to face." In that day, we will step into the Holy of Holies of the true sanctuary, and there will be no cloud of smoke obscuring our view. We will see face to face.

"We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Yahshua, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh" (Hebrews 10:19-20). This powerful truth, however, leaves us in the hazardous position of trivializing the awesome holiness and terror of almighty God. We must not allow this spiritual privilege of direct access to the Father to diminish our reverence for Him.  He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, otherwise he will die. (Leviticus 16:13). 

GOD AND SIN.

The Bible teaches that God cannot abide sin.  All, if not almost all (Luke 1:6), men are sinners, and therefore, all men are forced out of the presence of God. Just like Adam and Eve, who were forced out of the Garden of Eden, we are all separated from God.   The high priest’s sacrificed made restitution for the nation’s sins. “He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities. (Leviticus 16:16)”. 

Our sin is as filth before the Almighty. Shame and disgrace ought to cover us every time we open our Bibles. We have sullied the very parchment of Torah with our sins and trodden on the shed blood of Messiah. Our worthy deeds are utterly eclipsed by our transgressions and sins. Yom Kippur reminds us that this is a real problem.  Salvation and relationship with God depend on a person acknowledging that he/she did not achieve perfection, did not make the distance and so needs atonement. He needs a sacrifice for purification. 

On Yom Kippur, the high priest set out to cross the distance between us and God by entering the Holy of Holies. The book of Hebrews teaches that, in the heavenly Temple, the death and resurrection of Messiah was the equivalent of the high priest’s entrance into the Holy of Holies on earth. 

For Messiah 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. … He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Hebrews 9:24–26). 

God has made a way of redemption for us through the death and resurrection of His righteous Son. For everyone who places faith in Him, there is redemption, salvation, and the forgiveness of sins. This is the hope of our faith: the forgiveness of sins through faith in Yahshua. To experience this forgiveness, we need to have a saving relationship with God through Yahshua, His Son. 

THE HOLY ONE OF GOD.

The commandment “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2) has no upper limit, but the holiness of the Messiah exceeds that of any person. The holiness of the Messiah exceeds even that of Moses and the Levite priests.  In this way, the words “you shall be holy” apply uniquely to the Messiah who achieved it.  He directly shares in the holiness of God. This explains why the New Testament refers to the Messiah as “the Holy One of God.” The disciples applied that title to Yahshua. Even the demons recognized Him as the Holy One of God.

Many people claim we cannot do certain things today because the Levite priests are not around.  They forget the Levites were inferior to the real High Priest, the Messiah.  In regard to His concealed, divine person, Yahshua is called the Holy One of God because His holiness originates with God. He is holy by virtue of His divine nature as the eternal Word of God. In regard to His physical person, the holiness of Yahshua results from His conception and birth. No other man has been born of a virgin. In regard to His spiritual power, His holiness flows from the anointing of the Holy Spirit that rests upon Him without measure. In regard to His ethical conduct, the Master derived His holiness from His imitation of the Father and obedience to the commandments. Inasmuch as the commandments are the definitions of holiness, Messiah is likewise defined by the commandments because He kept them. Therefore, He is uniquely able to fulfill the commandment “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).

The commandments of God define holy conduct. All of the commandments of Torah, in some aspect or another, reveal Messiah. They each reveal some essential element of His person or character. The commandments are the will and wisdom of God.   Yahshua says, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42), and He says, “I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me” (John 8:28). Again, “I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:10).

These passages emphasize a direct relationship between the commandments and the person of Messiah, because the commandments are a direct revelation from God. They reveal godliness, as Yahshua said, “He who has seen me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

The Master compared himself to a son apprenticed by his father: “The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19). A son who learns by apprenticeship acquires the skills of the trade by watching his father’s work and carefully imitating it. He learns the tricks of his father’s craftsmanship and is one day able to do the same work that he has learned from his father. Likewise, Yahshua learned His trade from observation of the Father. In that way, He attained holiness from imitation of the Father, as it is written, “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”

A CONTRITE HEART.

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”  (Leviticus 17:11).

Although the Scriptures tell us that blood carries life and, thus, makes atonement for our sins, the Holy Temple is no longer in existence today in order to offer up the required sacrifices and burnt offerings. In the absence of the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple), Rabbinic Judaism has ordained three substitutionary sacrifices of sorts:  tefillah (prayer), teshuvah(repentance) and tzedakah (giving of charity).  However, we know from the Haftarah (prophetic reading) for this day that God does not accept just any kind of prayer and repentance.  He longs to “revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite [daka / bruised, crushed].”  (Isaiah 57:15). 

Repentance (teshuvah) is turning from sin and living a holy life.  This contrition begins with the act of confession.  There is a saying that confession is good for the soul and indeed the Word of God confirms this truth in the proverbs of King Solomon: “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”  (Proverbs 28:13). 

The Brit Chadashah (New Testament) also confirms the power of such humility: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  (James 5:16). 

We should be continually confessing our sins to God and to our High Priest Yashua HaMashiach (who intercedes on our behalf), while walking in humility and holiness.  Still, Yom Kippur gives us a special opportunity to stop all the busyness of life and seriously attend to this important matter. 

THE FAST HE HAS CHOSEN.

“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny [afflict] yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you—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.”  (Leviticus 16:29–30). The central themes of Yom Kippur are atonement and repentance.  These are the focus of intensive prayers, both corporate and personal, throughout the whole day in the synagogue. 

It is common practice to observe a total fast on Yom Kippur lasting 25 hours.  The Hebrew word for fast is tzom (צום), but that is not the word that appears in the commandments regarding Yom Kippur; rather, we are commanded to “afflict our souls.” According to halakhah (Jewish law), there are five afflictions on Yom Kippur.  Traditionally, we abstain from the following five pleasures:

1. Eating and drinking;
2. Washing and bathing;
3. Anointing the body;
4. Wearing leather shoes; and
5. Marital relations.

It is thought that when we afflict our bodies in this way, we also afflict our souls.  Of course, it is possible to observe these traditions in hypocrisy, without accompanying them with sincere repentance.  The Haftarah for Yom Kippur seems to address this issue.  In it the people of Israel complain to God, saying they had sought Him, worshipped Him, fasted, and prayed and yet they saw no results.

“‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it?  Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’”  (Isaiah 58:3).

God answers, making it clear the type of fast that is pleasing to Him:

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”  (Isaiah 58:6–7). 

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”  (James 1:27).  A person who truly follows God reaches out in compassion to others.  We can become so occupied with our own personal cares and concerns that our religious observance becomes more of a ritual than an engagement of the heart.  It is all too easy to focus on providing for our own needs and forget to aid the oppressed and provide food, shelter and clothing to the needy.   God does not forget them, and He wants us to partner with Him in this important work.

The New Covenant also tells us that this is what God considers “true religion.”  It is not reading our Bibles every morning and going to church each week; it is helping widows and orphans, and the poor of God. 

MINISTERING TO GOD.

So vitally important is our attitude and conduct, especially toward the helpless and oppressed, that the Son of Man, Yahshua the Messiah, takes it personally.  When we give food, shelter and clothing; and visit those who are sick or imprisoned, then the Lord said we are actually ministering to Him.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”  (Matthew 25:34–36)

And even though this kind of generosity is a fast, it carries with it the great rewards of healing, guidance and divine protection:

“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.”  (Isaiah 58:8–9) . 

We must always keep in mind, however, that good works cannot save us from sin; though god recognises such works in obedience to His commandments as worthy of His mercy (Exodus 20:6).  The blood sacrifices of bulls and goats in the Temple could only cover; but never completely take away our sins.

“It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”  (Hebrews 10:4). 

Only the blood of Yahshua, the Lamb of God, can make perfect atonement (kaparah) for our sins.  

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Messiah, a lamb without blemish or defect.”  (1 Peter 1:18–19).  So even though good works will not save us, they are evidence of a transformed life.  We show that we are a true disciple of Yahshua and obedient child of God by living in righteousness and caring for what He cares for.  

As I have taken up my allotted article length with the Day of Atonement, I shall leave you to read and deliberate on the other scriptures for this week’s reading. 

Shalom