The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur as it called in Hebrew, is one of the seven yearly times that God has appointed for His people and laid out for us in Leviticus chapter 23.
This day is the second of the fall appointed times and is solemn day of affliction, humility, repentance, and remembrance of the cost of sin. It's placement between the day of trumpets and feast of tabernacles, and it solemn and holy nature, lead many to believe that it prophetically points to the day of judgment. Which scripturally comes after the final trumpet has sounded and the dead are raised, but before Christ's millennial kingdom.
Though celebrated for generations by God fearing Israelite and religious jews alike, God makes it clear when he gave them to Moses that they are His and not theirs.
Leviticus 23:1-2 (ESV)
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the LORD that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.
As for observance of these days this too was not only for the Jew or Israelite. In Leviticus 16 we see that the Lord commands that both the native born Israelite and the gentile or sojourner afflict them selves.
Leviticus 16:29-31 (ESV)
29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.
30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins.
31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever.
We also know from scripture that in Christ we have been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel, and of two he made one.
Ephesians 2:11-16 One in Christ
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
Just as Ruth a Moabite by blood, was also grafted in to Israel.
We'll start by reading Leviticus 26 starting at verse 26
Leviticus 23:26-32 (ESV)
26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD.
28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.
29 For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people.
30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.”
So from scripture we know:
- It's on the tenth day of the seventh month
- It is to be a holy, or set apart time
- We are to afflict ourselves and not do any work, and that it is very serious to the Lord.
- It's a statute forever and is to be done regardless of where we live
- It's to be a solemn day of rest
- It's a full day, from evening to evening.
For most of us growing up in modern times, this verse may give us questions like "Why are people saying the Day of Atonement is today, when today's not the July 10th?" or "Why does it start at evening and go till the next evening?"
These reasons why the days don't line up is because of the differences in the calendars we use. For most of us today, the Gregorian is what we use which is based off the sun while the ancient Jewish calendar was based of both the sun and moon.
Most of the world uses the Gregorian calendar, which is based on the solar year. The Jewish calendar is called lunisolar, meaning it is a combination of the lunar and solar cycles. The lunar cycle is the time it takes the moon to orbit the Earth, which happens monthly. The solar calendar is based on the time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun, which is one year. As a lunisolar calendar, Jewish months are based on the lunar cycle while the Jewish year follows the solar cycle - "The Jewish Calendar" Article
As for "evening to evening" this way of measuring a day is found throughout the Bible, but is originally found in the Genesis account of the creation of world.
Genesis 1:3-5
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Unlike how we modernly think of a day, with the day beginning with light and fading to darkness, the Father made days to start in the darkness (evening), and then become light (morning). So the day in Biblical times began at sunset or sundown and ended on the next sunset/sundown.
This has some beautiful symbolism as it reminds us of God's creating power at the creation of the world, which was dark before he made light and can also reminds us of the redemption of those lost in darkness who come to the light.
Fasting is one of the traditional ways people afflict themselves, though it is not directly found scripture. But the greater point is that we humble ourselves, deny the lusts of our flesh, not just food, and focus our attention on repentance.
It's okay to follow this tradition, and may very well help you to humble yourself and put down the flesh. But like many things we have to make sure not to miss the "why" behind it like our brothers and sisters of Israel did in the time of Isiah.
Isaiah 58:1-7 (ESV)
1 “Cry aloud; do not hold back;
lift up your voice like a trumpet;
declare to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that did righteousness
and did not forsake the judgment of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
they delight to draw near to God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,
and oppress all your workers.
4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
will not make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Key points
- They're seeking God through fasting and by humbling themselves with ashes and sackcloth, and yet at the same time they are seeking their own pleasures, oppressing their workers, and walking in strife with one another.
- And the Lords asking, do you think I just want you to fast in sackcloth and ashes and religiously bow down to humble yourself? That I just want a show?
- He's not saying he doesn't want us to be humble or even to show outwardly what's in our heart. But he's making it clear that He desires obedience, and goodness, not just outward displays of piety.
And we see this echoed in God's words to King Saul through Samuel in 1st Samuel chapter 15:
1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV)
22 And Samuel said,
“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
he has also rejected you from being king.”
Another passage that gives us information about this day and its focus is Leviticus 16
Leviticus 16 (ESV) The Day of Atonement
1 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died,
2 and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on.
5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house.
7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.
9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering,
10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.
11 “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself.
12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil
13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.
14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.
16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.
18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around.
19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.
20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat.
21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.
22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.
23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there.
24 And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people.
25 And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar.
26 And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.
27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire.
28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.
29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.
30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins.
31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever.
32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments.
33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Key points:
- The tenth day of the seventh month was only time the high priest was able to enter into the holy of holys in the tabernacle and offer atonement for the people every year through the shedding of blood.
This is sometimes called the "life-for-life principle". The blood of an unblemished animal was shed in exchange for the blood of the person who committed the sin because as Hebrews 9:22 explains, the cost of forgiveness for sin was blood.
Hebrews 9:22 (ESV)
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
These sacrifices also symbolically showed how the life of an innocent was given for the life of the guilty.
As followers of Christ, we now see how the sacrificial system, the blood atonement and the life-for-life principle, were all foreshadowing His ultimate once for all sacrifice. As Hebrews 9:11-28 explains.
Hebrews 9:11-28 (ESV)
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.
17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.
19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”
21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,
26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Key points:
- Christ is our Great high priest and He offered his blood as an atoning sacrifice and unlike the sacrifice made by the priest yearly (which as we read was done on the tenth day of the seventh month or The Day of Atonement) he offered his blood in the heavenlys once for all, to atone for our sin.
And so as followers of Christ, this day of solemn rest and affliction is also a perfect time for us to remember the atoning blood sacrifice of our saviour and to soberly think about the terrible cost for our sin. Which in turn will help us to be grateful for what He has done, and give us more gravity regarding what we have done and how we need to walk in this world.
Hebrews 10:26-31
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.