Class 07 The day of Atonement

The Study of Leviticus

Class 7

The day of Atonement

Leviticus - Chapter 16The day of Atonement

The feast of the day of atonement was the day of national pardon.

What is atonement? The atonement of sin does not mean its removal. The

atonement was merely the covering for sin and not the removal of it.


In the New Testament the word that is used is propitiation (Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2, 4:10). The word propitiation means to take away God’s wrath.

“Propitiation” comes from “mercy-seat”, which formed the top or the lid of the Ark of the covenant.

It was the place where God spoke with his people (Exodus 25:22).


The Ark contained the tablets of the 10 Commandments, which show the pattern for those who draw near to God.

On the lid of the Ark, stood two cherubs with their wings touching one another looking upon the ark.

The cherubs represent God’s glory. Those who draw near to God, had the 10 Commandments to condemn them and the glory of God observing them.


However, after the lid is placed over the Ark to cover the 10 Commandments, the cherubs could only see the lid, and not the 10 Commandments, that exposed sin.

Afterward the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat (the lid) and the two cherubs of glory saw the blood and were satisfied with the blood of redemption.


Now we can meet with God on the mercy seat sprinkled with blood. By way of the lid of the Ark with the blood sprinkled upon it, the sinner’s has been completely absolved.

Upon this lid which is the mercy seat, God could meet with the people that broke his righteous law, without contradicting his righteousness.


Propitiation and atonement The atonement of the Old Testament, did not take away

sins, but covered them. In the New Testament however God removes sin.

This is the basic difference between the atonement of the Old Testament and the propitiation of the New Testament. (John 1:29, Hebrews 10:1-4).


If in the Old Testament, the atonement freed the people from their sins, there would be no need for the worshipers to repeat the same sacrifice year after year.

This repetition indicates that the sins were not removed. Today, through Christ, we have a full and complete redemption and not merely a covering. He delivered us from sin.


The day of atonement All of the offerings and sacrifices had an individual

character, but the sacrifice of the day of atonement had a collective character, it included the entire nation.

This sacrifice was offered each year. On the 10th day of Teshri, which is September, the month of the great feasts. The feast of trumpets was the first day, the day of atonement was the 10th day and on the 14th day the feast of Tabernacles began which lasted eight days.


The priestly garments On the day of atonement, the high priest would enter into

the holy of holies to make atonement for the sins of the nation.

On this day the priest was supposed to put aside the glorious garments that he normally used and put on the sacred garments of white linen and put a linen turban on his head (16:3-4).

The garments of linen represent holiness, without which no one can draw near to God.


In the typology of the day of atonment, Jesus is represented by both the priest as well as the goats that were being sacrificed.

The Lord Jesus, as our high priest had to remove his garments on the day of his death remaining only with his garments of holiness.

He was tested and in him they found no guilt.


The animals for the sacrifice A calf was required for the sin offering of the high priest

and his household. Every day of the year the priest ofered a sacrifice for his

own sin before making an offering for anyone else. On the day of atonement he first had to make an offering for himself.

This is the deficiency of the old covenant. The most holy man could not be accepted before God without first dealing with his own sin.


The priest was to bring two goats and one ram. The ram would be used for the burnt offering and the goats for the atonement of the people.

The goat represents Christ revealing the aspect of making himself sin in our place and taking his place on the cross.


The first goat was to be killed before the Lord. This goat tipifies the aspect of the cross of Christ that satisfies God’s righteousness. The animal takes the place of the sinner and satisfies God’s righteousness.

The second goat was called the scapegoat (Azazel, in hebrew). The scapegoat was not to be killed, but released in the desert. The scapegoat represents the aspect of Christ’s death which takes our sin from God’s presence (Malachi 7:19; Hebrews 9:26 and Romans 8:33,34).


The priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood on the mercy-seat seven times. This speaks of Christ presenting his own blood in heaven (Hebrews 9:11-12).

The sacrifíce of Christ was complete and perfect, thus the blood was sprinkled seven times.


The ritual After separating the offerings, the priest made atonement

for his own sins and for those of his houshold. (16:11). Afterward he took the censer full of burning coals from the altar his hands full of finely ground sweet incense and brought them inside the veil.

Next he placed the incense on the fire of the censer, so that the cloud of incense covered the mercy seat which was on the ark so that he would not die (16:12, 13).


The altar of insense and the incense itself simbolizes the prayers of the saints. This censer was full of the coals of the fire taken from the burnt sacrifice on the altar. This indicates that the basis for our prayers is the sacrifíce of the cross.

The priest must be clothed with white fine linen, bringing the offering for his sin together with the incense before the Ark on the mercy seat.


When the priest entered the Holy of Holies he would place incense on the coals of the censer and a cloud of smoke would cover the mercy seat with the Cherubim. Then the priest would sprinkle the blood over the mercy seat seven times (16:14).


The two goats To make atonement for the sins of the nation the priest

would take the two goats for the sin offering and cast lots over them one for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.

The goat of the Lord was killed as an offering for sin and its blood was taken inside the Holy of Holies and sprinkled over the mercy seat (16:7-9, 15).


The priest was to also make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting itself. He was to sprinkle the blood seven times upon the altar and the horns of the altar.

The blood sprinkled on the mercy seat was exclusively for God, but the blood on the altar was so that all could see and have peace of heart knowing that the Lord had accepted the sacrifíce.


The first goat was sacrificed, but the second was separated and later released as the scapegoat.

The scapegoat was not sacrificed, but the priest laid his hands on its head and confessed the sins of the nation.

The laying on of hands represents identification (1 Timothy 5:22). Therefore that goat began to carry the sins of all the people. Afterward the goat was set free to wander in the desert.


A final fulfillment The high priest entered the Holy of Holies only once per

year with blood. When the Lord died on the cross, everything changed. He poured out his blood once for all to redeem us and now we can enter into the Holy of Holies with all boldness.

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh (Hebrews 10:19-20)


When the Lord was crucified the veil of the temple was ripped from top to bottom leaving free access to the Holy of Holies. Today we can contemplate the Lord and have fellowship in his presence.

Hebrews 13 also teaches that we must go outside the gate, to suffer with the Lord outside of the camp.

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. (Hebrews 13:12,13)


This suffering outside the camp is not the suffering of redemption, of which we have absolutely no part, but the suffering for the edification of the church, the Lord’s body on the earth.

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church. (Colossians 1:24)


Christ suffered alone outside the camp in order to redeem us, only he was qualified to fulfill our salvation.

But today there is a type of suffering the purpose of which is to complete the edification of the church. For this he invites us outside of the camp, to cooperate with him for the building up of a holy bride, pure and without blemish.

Leviticus - Chapter 17-22The Laws of Holiness

To begin the New Testament, the Lord Jesus gave the constitution of the kingdom of heaven. If we do what it says we will be compared to a man who builds his house on a rock. The rain may fall, the rivers may flood, and storms may blow, but the house will not fall.

Based on Galatians 2:19, some people claim, that we no longer have to keep the law, since it has passed away because the comming of the Lord Jesus. This is correct but incomplete.


The fact is that we were delivered from the law and from everything that was in the law awaiting fulfillment, such as the tabernacle, the feasts and the offerings. Everything has been fulfilled in Christ and it is true that we do not have to fulfill any part of it.

However, the aspect of the holiness of God that manifests itself through the 10 Commandments is eternal and will never pass away.

The law can be divided in three parts: The commandments, The ordinances The judgments


The commandments are eternal and constitute the decalog.

The ordanances, as we have already seen, are related to jewish worship and have been fulfilled in Christ.

The judgements have also been fulfilled in Christ, because Christ bore the curse of the law in our place. Jesus suffered the judgments of the Law, that belonged to us.


The ordenances and judgements have already been fulfilled in Christ, but what about the commandments?

Jesus said that he came to fulfill the Law, but the commandments must still be fulfilled. Yet, haven’t we been delivered from the Law? We have been delivered from fulfilling the law through our own effort and strength, we now have someone who abides within us, and who now fulfills the law for us.


The truth is that all of the commandments of the Old Testament were fulfilled and summed up in only two. Both Jesus as well as Paul emfasized that the fulfillent of the commandments could be summed up in two: Love God above all things Love your neighbor as yourself.

Upon reading these chapters in Leviticus 17 to 22, we must remember that by loving God and our neighbor we have already fulfilled all included in these chapters, because love is the fulfillment of the law.

Class 07 The day of Atonement

Spiritual

Transcript of Class 07 The day of Atonement