The Moedim – Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement
Scriptures
Lev. 23:26-31 the 10th day of the seventh month (Tishrei);
Num. 29:7-11 the offerings
Lev. 16 the full procedure
Heb. 9:1-7 New Testament commentary
Heb. 9:11-14, 23-26 New Covenant fulfilment.
We move on to the greatest, most solemn, day of the year, Yom Kippur, described in outline in Lev. 23:26-32 and in detail in Lev. 16 – the only day of the year when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies to present the blood of the sacrifices before and on the Mercy Seat (Atonement cover) to make atonement firstly for his sins and then for the sins of the people (Heb. 9:7)
- Biblical names/connections
- Yom HaKippurim – the day of Covering
NB the word translated atonement kippur is also translated pitch, covering Noah’s Ark – which is a picture of salvation. Found in Lev. 16: atonement, ‘cover’, Heb. kaphar (H3722) mentioned 16 times in the chapter
- Face to face (with the Shekinah)
- The Fast
- Jewish Traditions
- Neilah – The closing of the gates (of heaven; the gates were said to be opened in Yom Teruah as we saw last week)
- The day, or the Great day – final chance to get in the book of life
- The Great Shofar (connected with Isa. 27:13)
By Second Temple times, the whole procedure was wrapped around with much ceremony and layers of ritual (there are 8 chapters on it in the Talmud – not edifying reading! ‘Talmud Yoma’ can be read at https://www.sefaria.org/Yoma?tab=contents .). Following the destruction of the Temple in AD70, it all had to be changed and modern Judaism has more layers of ritual, which we don’t want to go into! But what is interesting is that some of the added elements of the Temple ritual, indicating God’s acceptance of the offering, didn’t ‘work’ for 40 years before the Temple’s destruction, as recorded in the Talmud.
So we want to get back to what God had ordained as that is what the New Testament focuses on and which contains instruction for us. The key thought: is expressed in Lev. 16:30 “because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.” But it followed them having to humble themselves, i.e. confess and repent (Lev. 23:32; Isa. 57:15; 66:2)
Compare 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Under the Mosaic covenant, forgiveness (making it possible for God to dwell among them) was provided by the daily sacrifices. More complete cleansing was only provided by the Day of Atonement. In Yeshua, all is provided by His one sacrifice for sins for ever (Heb. 10:12, 14).
These wonderful truths around the Day of Atonement are but a shadow of the full salvation purchased by our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
F. B. Meyer: “Our one aim should be to maintain such a walk with God that the union with God may be unimpaired. If there are still sins of ignorance, the blood of Jesus will continue to remove them. Sin differs from sins, as the root from the fruit. God does not only forgive, He cleanses. He is faithful to His promises, and just to His Son.”
The Timing
NB As we’ll see, God required one day of ‘afflicting their souls’ – Jewish tradition multiplied that by 10! And then added another 30 before it (the whole month of Elul).
Procedure
Read Lev. 23:26-31
On the 9th day of the 7th month (Tishrei) at evening, they were to afflict their souls – understood to be fasting and repentance, a Sabbath of complete rest until the evening of the 10th. (Lev. 23:32)
The full procedure is given in Lev. 16. We note the restriction on access (vv.1-2) which was in response to Nadab and Abihu’s presumption on the day they began their ministry!
- Preparation and Choosing of the goats Lev. 16:3-10
The sacrificial animals were brought to the Tabernacle – a young bull, a ram and 2 goats
Aaron had to bathe his whole body (not just hands and feet as usual) and put on white linen garments – not his garments of beauty and glory (no flesh shall boast in His presence!) NB Biblically, there was no rope! Only one reference to that, in the Zohar 13th century Jewish book
They would cast lots over which goat to sacrifice for the Lord and which would be for Azazel or escape-goat – the goat of departing.
The goat for Azazel would be placed before the people and wait until all their sins were laid upon him
- Sacrifice of the bull for Aaron and the priesthood Lev. 16:11
The priest then offers the sacrifice of a bullock for his own sin, and of his house, and only then could the high priest enter the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies.
- Aaron enters the holy of Holies three times Lev. 16:12-17
The priest entered into the Most Holy Place the first time to burn incense
He then enters a second time with the blood of the bullock.
The goat for the Lord is then sacrificed and its blood collected
The third time the priest enters the Holy of Holies is to sprinkle the blood of the goat on the mercy seat. He also sprinkles it toward (but not on) the veil, and on the altar of incense
- Sin confessed over the live goat Lev. 16:18-21a
The high priest comes out and then lays the personal sins and guilt of all the people on the scapegoat
- Live goat taken and released in the wilderness Lev. 16:21b-22
The goat is led away to a place not inhabited (Jewish tradition – pushed over a precipice to ensure its death – not what God required though?)
- Remaining offerings Lev. 16:23-25
He returns into the Holy Place to wash and change into his normal garments
He then burns the burnt offerings and the fat of the sin offerings on the Altar of Burnt Offering
- The bodies of the bull and goat burned outside the camp Lev. 16:26-28
The bodies of the young bull and goat of sin offering are then burnt outside the camp
All involved then have to wash their clothes and their bodies
If it was the 50th year, then the shofar was sounded to announce the Jubilee year (Lev. 25:9). (120 Jubilees from Adam to Messiah?)
Fulfilment in Christ
Heb. 9 – 10
Heb. 9:4 the golden censer – the only time in the year when this was in the Holy of Holies was on the Day of Atonement. Some translations render it golden altar of incense, but that was outside the Holy of Holies. The altar is missing from this description of the Tabernacle, but its purpose was fulfilled in the golden censer of incense taken into the Holy of Holies on this day.
Contrasts
| Yom Kippur | Yeshua |
| Once a year | Once for all |
| Man-made Tabernacle | The True Tabernacle |
| Material sacrifices | Spiritual sacrifice |
| Holy of Holies closed | Access to the Presence of God open |
| Blood of bulls and goat | His own blood |
| Reminder of sins each year | Sins removed for ever |
| Could not make the offerers perfect | Perfect for ever |
| No seat for the Priests | Sat down for ever at the right hand of God |
Talmud Yoma 39b: (During the tenure of Shimon HaTzaddik [c. 300BC], the lot for God always arose in the High Priest’s right hand; after his death, it occurred only occasionally; but) during the forty years prior to the destruction of the Second Temple, the lot for God did not arise in the High Priest’s right hand at all. So too, the strip of crimson wool that was tied to the head of the goat that was sent to Azazel did not turn white, and the westernmost lamp of the candelabrum did not burn continually.
Josephus reports also that the doors of the Temple would not stay closed but opened up of themselves.