Today, we will be looking at the Day of Atonement and how it is a preview of the saving work of Christ. The Jews today continue to celebrate the Day of Atonement. It is called Yom Kippur and is the holiest day of the Jewish year. However, the Day of Atonement as described in the Bible is very different from the present celebration of Yom Kippur because the Day of Atonement in the Bible involved a number of blood sacrifices, which are no longer made due to the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. and the inability of the High Priest to continue the sacrifices required to be made in the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Day of Atonement as Described in Leviticus-an Overview
In Leviticus 23:26-32, Moses sets forth an annual observation of the Day of Atonement which was to be a day of rest and denial. It was to be a day of fasting; no lotions or ointments were to be used and sexual relations were prohibited as part of the observance. The particulars of the sacrifices and observations are spelled out in detail in Leviticus 16.
Leviticus 16 instructed Aaron that he could only enter into the Holy of Holies one day per year. He was to sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering. The bull offering of blood was to be for the High Priest and his family. He was then to take hot coals and place them in a censer along with two handfuls of incense and take them behind the curtain of the Holy of Holies so that the incense might prevent the High Priest from dying. The High Priest then would spread the blood of the bull seven times on the Atonement Cover.
There were also two goats. Their roles in the ceremony were determined by lot. One would be sacrificed and one would be the “scapegoat” and bear the sins of the people out to the wilderness. The goat for the sin offering for the people would be sacrificed and its blood would be taken by the High Priest into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled seven times on the Atonement Cover of the Ark of the Covenant just as he had done with the blood of the bull.
Then the High Priest would take some of the bull blood and goat blood and go to the brazen altar outside the Holy of Holies and put it seven times on the horns of the brazen altar.
In this manner, there had been a blood sacrifice for the High Priest and his family, blood had covered the Atonement Cover in the Holy of Holies and blood had covered the horns of the Brazen Altar in the Holy Place where normal sacrifices and offerings were made.
Next, the High Priest laid his hands on the scapegoat and confessed the sins and rebellion of the Nation and people of Israel. The scapegoat was then taken into the wilderness bearing the sins of the people.
The High Priest next would bathe and change from his simple white garments which he wore on the Day of Atonement to his ornate High Priest robes. He would then return to the Brazen Altar in the Holy Place and make a burnt offering of a ram for himself, his family and for the people of Israel.
Finally the remains of the bull and the goat sacrificed were taken outside of the camp and burned.
Below I discuss the meaning of these sacrifices and how they relate to our faith and the work of Jesus.
The specifics of the sacrifices were taken seriously. Aaron had lost two of his sons who had decided earlier to do sacrifices their own ways as opposed to God’s way (Lev. 10:1-3). Therefore prohibitions such as not going into the Holy of Holies except by the High Priest and then only once a year were taken very seriously.
The High Priest and His Robes
Normally, the High Priest had ornate robes. Among other things, the High Priests carried the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on his shoulders (with six tribes being inscribed upon each of the two onyx shoulder stones) and also the names of the twelve tribes were inscribed upon twelve jewels which were imbedded on the Ephod worn by the High Priest. However, for the Day of Atonement these vestments were removed during the initial part of the ceremony and the High Priest was dressed simply in white. I believe that there are several spiritual reasons for this. First, we all come to God for atonement of sins with a humble heart knowing that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Someone once wrote that the ground at the foot of the cross was level meaning that we all come with sin and we come for help based upon the grace of God and not on our own merits. The High Priest, like all of us, needs the forgiveness of sins. Second, when Christ came to be our advocate and priest, he laid aside the beautiful garments of divinity and put on the simple and humble garments of the flesh. Later after the initial sacrifice was made, the High Priest put back on his normal High Priestly vestments including those items which represented that he was interceding for the Jewish people. Once again, he had the names of Israel upon his shoulders and the names of the Twelve Tribes upon his Ephod making intercession for them.
Christ did the atoning work. However, he did it simply. After the sacrifice was made, Christ lived to intercede for mankind (Heb. 7:25).
The Sacrifice of the Bull
The bull was sacrificed and its blood covered the sins of the High Priest and his family. Aaron had lost two sons who had tried to do sacrifices their ways and in their own efforts. The blood of the bull was placed not only on the Atonement Cover but upon the brazen altar. The Atonement Cover covered the Ark of the Covenant. Inside the Ark was the law which condemned men and women. It is interesting to me that the bull shows up in pagan religions. In fact when Moses was on the mountain getting the Ten Commandments, Aaron was making at the request of the people a false god in the form of a bull. Also the bull shows up as foreign gods such as Moloch. Each of us encounters alternatives to God. We can worship these alternatives or we can permit them to be sacrificed to God. Aaron and Moses sacrificed the blood of bulls, lambs and goats to God. In fact, the Book of Hebrews says that nothing was made holy without blood (Heb. 9:22). Sacrificial blood is inexorably connected with salvation. The covering of blood made things holy. In addition blood covered the effects of sin which is death.
We sometimes use the word “propitiation.” This is a long word which in effect means averting the wrath (or judgment) of God through a gift. It is also a fancy word for atonement which is the making of peace with God. The blood was placed on the Cover of the Ark. This Cover was also known as the Atonement Seat which covers the penalty for sin. Interestingly, the Atonement Cover is also called “the mercy seat” because it is there where we find the presence of God and it is there where we also find the mercy of God. Each of us has a choice. The place of the presence of God can bring wrath and judgment or it can bring mercy. There is no half-way or middle ground. The amazing thing is that God allows us to choose freely which we will embrace-judgment or mercy. It seems almost unimaginable to me that people would not choose mercy over judgment.
The Incense
Prior to going into the Holy of Holies, the High Priest would get some hot coals and two handfuls of incense and place it into a censer where the incense would rise to protect the High Priest (Lev. 16:12-13; Heb. 9:8). Incense is often considered to represent the prayers of the people. Incense also has another use. In one sense it is like perfume or deodorant. It covers the foul odor of our sins. It not only obfuscates the smell of the sin but it also makes things more opaque so that they are not so clearly seen. In one sense, prayer may well do the same thing. At any rate, to the observant Jew, incense definitely reduced the likelihood of God’s immediate judgment upon sin.
As believers in Christ, we pray to God asking forgiveness for our own sins and for the sins of others. God hears our prayers and shows mercy to others because of our prayers. James 5:16 reminds us “that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective.”
The Two Goats
One of the most fascinating offerings involved the use of two goats on the Day of Atonement. Both goats were taken to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Lots were cast. One goat was chosen by lot to be a sacrifice and the other goat was chosen to be a “scapegoat.” The goat chosen to be the sacrifice was slaughtered and the High Priest placed its blood on the Atonement Cover in the Holy of Holies and on the Brazen Altar where regular sacrifices were made. The High Priest would put his hands on the scapegoat and confess the sins of the people of Israel and then the goat would be taken into the wilderness and released. The Hebrew is unclear regarding the scapegoat and some think that the Hebrew says that the scapegoat was to be a goat “for Ariel” which is an evil spirit. However, most Hebrews and scholars believe that the better translation is just that the goat is for “the wilderness” and it is this translation which was utilized in the translation of the Hebrew into Greek utilized by the Septuagint in the Second Century B.C.
In short, one goat dies and its blood is used to cover the demands of the law for death to those who sin. The other goat takes the sin of the people which is confessed upon it and takes the sin out into the wilderness. Obviously, it was impossible for one goat to do both functions so two goats were utilized. However, in a theological sense, the Lamb of God fulfilled both roles. Christ suffered and died and his blood covered the demands of the law for death to those who sin. At the same time, Christ ever lives to intercede for us and to carry our sins. Through the resurrection, Christ fulfilled both roles utilized by the two goats. “He ever lives to intercede for us.” (Heb. 7:25).
Jewish lore says that the High Priest attached a red thread to the horns of the scapegoat. Further, it was believed that once the sacrifice was approved by God, the thread would turn white. Some believe that this is in effect the meaning of Isaiah 1:18 which says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” The scapegoat would be taken a long way from the camp and pushed down into a ravine or down a steep mountain so that it could not return. At any rate, the important fact is that the sins of the people were taken far away.
The Ram Burnt Offering
After the sins were confessed and “laid upon” the scapegoat, it was time for the burnt offering. The High Priest bathed and changed his clothes into the vestments of the High Priest. It was then time for the ram to be sacrificed as a burnt offering. Included in the clothing of the High Priest was the vestments containing the names of the tribes of Israel both inscribed on the shoulders on onyx stones (Ex. 28:9-12; 39:6-7) and on the twelve jewels embedded in the ephod of the High Priest (Ex. 28:15-28). The High Priest then offered the ram as the atonement offering both for himself, his household and for the people of God. The sacrifice was of a ram just as a ram was used for the sacrifice in place of Isaac, the son of Abraham. The ram (a male sheep) is an image of the blood sacrifice of Jesus for our sins.
Conclusion
The important thing to remember is that God was preparing the Jews and all mankind for the event of Christ. Instead of lambs, bulls and goats, God would use the blood of Jesus Christ, the very son of God, to cover the sins of the world and to provide a means for saving people from death and enabling them to return to God. God pictured in the Day of Atonement the reconciliation of the world to God through the life and death of Jesus Christ. We who were far away from God are brought close to God. God has made a way for us where there was no way. Further, in that sacrifice is portrayed not only the shedding of blood to cover our sins but the resurrection of the Son of God who like the scapegoat carries our sins out to the wilderness. The Bible says so far has he removed our sins from us as far as the east from the west. (Ps. 103:12).
