YOM KIPPUR

Introduction:

Expectant: Israel’s Celebrations!

Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah & Pesach

Please don’t check out! YHWH gave Israel these celebrations to remember His goodness… & EXPECT something better!

Set up my message today; where in Isr. history talking ‘bout??

After Exodus from E., Isr. came to Sinai (where Mo’ prev. met YH in burning bush).

Scroll Exod: detailed instruct’ns about building space for God’s to rest. Tabernacle!

Ends w/ God’s power resting in Tab; but Mo’ & ppl can’t go near - look at…

Enter: Lev— instruc’n manual on how to live holy so that Isr. can live w/ YH!

Yahweh makes a plan for Israel to live close to His powerful presence: keep it clean (Leviticus)!

Lots of laws about ‘purity’. Making ATONEMENT for sins; how Aaron & Levites perform

A family lineage devoted to sacr.

Smack dab in middle of Lev. (dir. center of Torah) find these instruc’s

TODAY: Yom Kippur—OR, as you might better know it: >>

“The Day of Atonement"

To “atone for” means: to “cover over” [sin & impurity].

VIDEO: tBP, “Atonement” Part A

DoA was the ONE day of yr. that only ONE man could enter the holiest place; hotspot of God’s pres. - HIGH priest.

Other priests assisted, but primarily 1 guy who did the legwork.

He put his life on line (entering most powerful spot) on behalf of all Isr! (myth: bells)

Sent on a mission to initiate the purif'g of whole camp

Many conditions for impurity; not always evil, but always keep away from YH

God willing to overlook or cover for those sins SO THAT we can be in His presence.

Requires true repentance in heart & a blameless substitute…

Leviticus 17:11 “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.”

says: YH gave us the sacr. sys. as a means to purify, be NEAR us (near HIM).

Hw’vr: many sins ignored, hidden, forgotten—builds up; YH’s perf. pres. can’t live with that!!

YH not afraid: holy power consume anyone living in sin (thereby negating dwell’g)

The DoA repr’ts a solution to that stray sin-pollution!

Did God HAVE to create a system to deal with the dirt & sin of humanity??

Was cosmic rule saying had to be with humans??

No. He wanted to. God loves YOU. As track record illum’d, Isr. [Expected] >>

Expecting Grace

Examine two (tech. 3) elements of the DoA that stand out as clear signposts to the work of grace we now celebrate daily.

Denial of Self

While humility is always associated with the concept of a sacrifice or offering, the DoA offering differs from normal patt’n

In Numbers 29, the whole congregation of Israel is commanded:

Numbers 29:7 ““ ‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work.”

NIV “deny yourself” is more lit. “afflict your soul”; which was later adhered-to by fasting for the day.

There are other ways this could have been practiced…

Together, as one, Isr. mourned for their infidelity to YHWH. Took stock of their waywardness…

Most offerings were directly tied to the impurity that had occurred; the DoA, however, covered bases for ‘everything else’!

Repentance was a key idea for DoA ALSO…

Priests were instructed to remove their priestly garments and instead walk humbly into the presence of Almighty God: Lev 16:4

Unique to DoA: Normally, priests wore clothes that reminded ppl of their holy representative task:

Lit. carried the 12 tribes on their chest, w/ Eden jewels & gold accessories

Angelic wardrobe for entering divine space - remind ppl.

DoA, instructed to remove them & basically go in their undies: HOLY ones, nonetheless

Leviticus 16:4 “[The High Priest] is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body… he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.”

S'thing very humbling & stripped down about this most holy day. left nothing to imag.

As they humbly served God, they anticipated God’s awesome grace over whole cong.

Deal w/ sin for which they were mourning and fasting.

While humility taken to new lvl, the event that was central to the DoA was: >>

The Purification Offering

While other festivals had sacrifices & offerings tied in, THIS off’g was THE central thing on which ev’hing else depended.

Leviticus 16:5 “From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering…”

Unlike most offerings, two animals are part of one ritual.

The first goat chosen was >>

The Goat for Yahweh

Leviticus 16:9 “Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering.”

Again, the blood (life) of an innocent substitute (no defect, blemish) covered over the death that a person had accrued

Offering purified holy space; ONLY time most holy space purified/cleaned…

Kill animal, take blood, spray it on the item being cleaned.

Note: rarely applied to people! Only temple/Tab.

YH’s house (personal space) made clean so He could keep living near Isr.

It cleaned all of the sin that Isr. had committed, as though it was stained: “spiritual graffiti”

Anyt’g that had been forgotten or dismissed, ignored atoned for by this goat

But this wasn’t the whole ritmmual — half! They also gave up >>

The Goat for Azazel

2nd part different from any other sacrif. People’s sins WERE dealt with…

Leviticus 16:10 “But the goat [for Azazel] shall be presented alive before [Yahweh] to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness.…”

Ppl debate transl. for Azazel. 2 Main poss:

Escaping goat / goat removed. (Scapegoat) — two big probs: 1. uses Arab. cognate; not dir. related to Heb | 2. grammar of txt doesn’t make sense: a goat “for scapegoat?” for itself?!

Azazel is the name of a demon from the desert

This actually makes more sense, grammatically & historically! Watch what happens with the goat for Azazel:

Leviticus 16:21–22 “He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins… He shall send the goat away into the wilderness… The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place… in the wilderness.”

Doesn’t make sense outside of ‘cosmic geography (God’s space crossed over with sections of earth)

The sins of the people are sent away—back into the place where evil is— outside the safe encampment of YHWH!

The goat for Azazel permanently carries Israel’s sin back to a place of evil.

Here’s the thing: this system of taking care of impurity is only temporary.

Hebrews 7:18–19 “The former [system] is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.”

NT authors & Jesus himself draw upon this whole ceremony (all sacrifices) to make a comp’son btwn Jesus & the Moses cov’nt

VIDEO: tBP “Atonement” part B

The sacrifices that Isr. made were just a pointer to something coming… some ONE. >>

Trust the Perfect Sacrifice

The apostles, Jesus himself, and author of Hebrews call his death on the cross a substitutionary atonement

That is, Jesus died so that we wouldn’t have to taste death. He covers over sin!

Jesus’ Death: a Better Atonement!

Jesus denied himself more than any human could.

As part of the triune God, he relegated himself to flesh for a time - even life as a servant!

Philippians 2:5–8 “[Christ Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

Jesus’ death also does more than just cover over our sin, he completely removes them.

Hebrews 7:25–26 “[Christ] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”

Jesus embodies the hopes of every prophet who prophesied a mighty and powerful God who steps in to save completely!

His sacrifice doesn’t need to be made every year, week, day — it’s is Once FOR ALL.

And so we can part. in that same grace every day.

Accept Christ’s Free Gift!

COMMUNION.

Salvation. Removes sin. Outside camp; back where death belongs.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”