Day of Atonement

[Sam]

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated the first and second days of Tishri. It is a time of family gatherings, special meals and sweet tasting foods. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn day of the Jewish year and is observed on the tenth day of Tishri. It is a day of fasting, reflection and prayers. It's now that time of the year when Jewish folks will be celebrating Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

Following is an article that I copied almost 50 years ago from the Pentecostal Evangel. It is a teaching by Myer Pearlman who was a Jew who had come to faith in Jesus as his Messiah.

The Day of Atonement
Myer Pearlman
From The Pentecostal Evangel, March 23, 1958 edition

On the Day of Atonement the Israelite high priest, for the first and only time in the year, passed beyond the outer court and holy place and went into the Holy of Holies. There, in the presence of God, he offered a sacrifice that would cleanse the entire nation. The gladdest moment of the Jewish year was when the high priest once more appeared, signifying that once again the work of atonement was completed and they were purged and cleansed.

Even today Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn day in the Jewish year. A Jew will go to the synagogue on this day, even if he has not done so all the rest of the year. Orthodox Jews will go for the entire twenty-four hours without touching food or water, and some stand erect the entire time, in order to find forgiveness from God. But there is no answer from heaven.

The sacrifices offered on the Day of Atonement were the climax of the sacrifices offered during the entire year. It was a spiritual house cleaning time in Israel –when the nation and the Tabernacle were cleansed. On the Day of Atonement blood was sprinkled everywhere to cleanse the high priest himself, to cleanse the priesthood, and to cleanse the entire nation.

Now, on what was this day based, and what was the need for it? The answer is found in the word “holy.” Israel was a “holy” nation, separated from the defilements of heathendom and dedicated to the worship of God.

Everything in the life of an Israelite pointed to holiness. The purpose of the Book of Leviticus was to keep out heathenism and to keep in holiness.

The Israelite couldn’t eat the same food as other nations, for he belonged to God and must be very careful how he lived. He had to wear special garments, and to observe special days. Everywhere and in everything holiness was stamped upon his life –holy garments, holy food, a holy Tabernacle. God would stamp upon the character of His people the thought that they could not be like other nations –they must be separated, dedicated, set apart. To maintain that holiness the nation had an annual reconciliation on the Day of Atonement.

Now let us follow the high priest in his ritual on the Day of Atonement, and then see how the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled these typical ceremonies when He offered Himself as the one great Sacrifice which was the climax of all sacrifices.

The high priest, clad in garments of glory and beauty offers the morning sacrifice on behalf of the nation. Then he goes to the laver carrying a simple white garment. He takes water from the laver, enters into the holy place, doffs his beautiful garments, and washes himself in preparation for entering the presence of God. He dons a white penitential garment, signifying that the work he is about to do is concerned with the people’s purification.

Next is the preparation of the special sacrifices. The first is a bullock offered for the high priest’s sins. There are also two goats –one to be offered as a sacrifice for the nation, the other to serve as a scapegoat.

First, he must offer the sacrifice for his own sin. He goes to the bullock and lays his hand very heavily upon the animal, confessing his own sins. He kills the animal and catches its blood in a basin. With this blood he sprinkles the horns of the altar pleading that God will forgive his sins.

The priest then lifts the veil and enters the presence of God standing before His throne to make atonement. Before the Mercy Seat there is incense arising, covering the Skekinah glory so that the high priest does not look upon God. He sprinkles the blood before the mercy Seat, and upon it. Jehovah accepts him; atonement is made for his sins.

Cleansed himself, he can now offer the sacrifice to cleanse others. He leaves the Holy of Holies and comes to the gate. He approaches the goat which is to be offered as a sacrifice to bring Israel again into a condition of grace. After killing it he catches its blood in a basin. Once again he lifts the veil and stands before the Ark of the Covenant.

As the priest sprinkles the blood on the Mercy Seat the sins of the entire nation are cleansed, pardoned, cancelled. Coming out of the Holy of Holies, he mixes the blood of the bullock with that of the goat, and sprinkles the four horns of the golden altar of incense where the priests have ministered. This cleanses the priesthood so they can minister once again.

To show the people what has been done in secret, the high priest lays his hands heavily upon the scapegoat and confesses over it all the sins of the people: “O God, Thy people, the house of Israel have sinned; they have committed iniquity and transgressed against Thee. Pardon now their sins and lay the sin of the people upon this goat.”

Then the scapegoat is led out into the wilderness, and thrown over a precipice. The goat is led by a Gentile, for any Jew would be defiled and would have to be cleansed again.

Between the wilderness and the Temple are ten stations, each occupied by a man with a flag. As soon as the Gentile has pushed the goat over the precipice, the first man flashes the signal, then the next, and so on till finally the news reaches the Temple and the waiting people, that the goat has arrived in the wilderness and their sins are taken away.

The high priest now goes again into the holy place, takes off the white garments of humiliation, and puts on the others, while the people on the outside wait for the sound of the bells. As soon as the high priest puts on the robe of the ephod the bells begin to tinkle, thus indicating to those waiting that he is alive. Finally, they see him coming forth in his glorious garments to minister again for the entire year. He raises his hands and says, “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face to shine upon thee: …and give thee peace.” It is finished. They have received the blessing, and everyone rejoices.

to be continued