Day of Atonement: Part 1
The Day of Atonement ritual illustrated the final resolution of the sin problem, the consummation of the salvation as experienced through the daily services. The whole tabernacle was to be cleansed, the Holy and Most Holy places. They needed cleansing because of the “uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been” (Lev. 16:16, NIV). These sins had been transferred to the divine dwelling through the sacrifices brought by repentant sinners. During the Day of Atonement the tabernacle was restored to its original pristine cleanliness and holiness. On that day, once a year, there was a fragment of space that, like the Garden of Eden, was free from the presence of sin and impurity. This “return” to Eden, celebrated at the end of the year, provided a fresh beginning for the people of Israel. It pointed to a new beginning of cosmic pro-portions (compare Dan. 8:14).
Read specifically Leviticus 16:16, 17, 21, 30, 33, 34. What specific emphasis can you find there? Whose sins are being dealt with on that day, in contrast to the daily ritual? Lev. 1:1-4.
The texts indicate the all-encompassing nature of the cleansing, because all the sins of all the people were dealt with. It was a corporate act, dealing with Israel as a whole. This was God’s final disposition of the sin problem in Israel for that year, and it prefigured the final disposition of sin at the end of time (Heb. 9:28).
What did God expect from His people during that day? Lev. 23:26–31.
However much the Day of Atonement was a corporate event, involving the whole nation, each individual had a role to play in giving himself or herself over to the Lord completely. Those who were not found resting in the Lord and humbling themselves before Him were to be “cut off from his people” (Lev. 23:29, NIV). However harsh that sounds, the point is to emphasize how solemn the work of salvation was. The passage is, among other things, promoting perseverance in one’s walk with the Lord.
| How, in a sense, are we to “afflict” our souls on a daily basis? What does that mean? See Matt. 16:24, 25; Rom. 6:1–13; Heb. 12:4. |
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