The Day of Atonement: God's Provision for Sin

Among the solemn assembly of the Jewish feasts, none holds a more profound significance than the Day of Atonement, known in Hebrew as Yom Kippur. Instituted by God Himself through Moses, this day stands as the most sacred and solemn occasion in the Israelite calendar, a time of national repentance, fasting, and a unique ritual designed to make atonement for the sins of the people and the sanctuary. It was a day of solemn affliction of soul, a stark reminder of the gravity of sin and the necessity of divine intervention for its removal.

Biblical Institution and Command

The divine mandate for the Day of Atonement is primarily found in Leviticus 16, detailing the elaborate rituals, and reiterated in Leviticus 23:26-32, which places it within the annual cycle of feasts. God commanded Israel to observe this day on the tenth day of the seventh month, Tishrei. It was to be a Sabbath of solemn rest, a time when the people were to "afflict their souls" and do no manner of work. This affliction of soul typically involved fasting, repentance, and deep introspection.

Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no servile work therein: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

Leviticus 23:27-28

The purpose was explicitly stated: "to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God." This was not merely a ceremonial cleansing but a divinely ordained means by which God would mercifully cover the sins of His chosen people, allowing His holy presence to remain among them despite their imperfections.

The High Priestly Ritual

The intricate ceremonies of Yom Kippur, as outlined in Leviticus 16, were exclusively performed by the High Priest. This was the one day of the year he was permitted to enter the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies), the innermost sanctuary where the Ark of the Covenant resided and God's glory manifested.

The ritual began with the High Priest's personal purification. He was to wash himself and put on special holy linen garments, rather than his usual elaborate robes, signifying humility and purity before God.

  • Atonement for Himself and His House: The High Priest first offered a young bull as a sin offering for himself and his household (Leviticus 16:6). He would then take coals from the altar and sweet incense into the Most Holy Place, creating a cloud of smoke to cover the mercy seat, lest he die in God's presence. Following this, he would bring some of the bull's blood into the Most Holy Place and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before it, making atonement for himself and his priestly family.
  • Atonement for the Congregation: For the congregation of Israel, two goats were selected. Lots were cast over them: one lot "for the LORD" and the other lot "for the scapegoat" (Azazel).
    • The Goat "for the LORD": This goat was sacrificed as a sin offering for the people. Its blood was then brought into the Most Holy Place by the High Priest and sprinkled on and before the mercy seat, just as he had done with the bull's blood. This act cleansed the sanctuary from the defilement of the people's sins.
    • The Scapegoat "for Azazel": This goat was presented alive before the LORD. After the High Priest had made an end of atoning for the sanctuary, the tabernacle, and the altar, he would lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, confessing over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins.

    • And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

    Leviticus 16:21-22

    This powerful visual act symbolized the complete removal of the people's sins, carried away into an uninhabited land, never to be seen again. After these rituals, the High Priest would change back into his regular garments, offer burnt offerings for himself and the people, and the carcasses of the sin offerings would be taken outside the camp and burned.

    Profound Significance and Symbolism

    The Day of Atonement held multifaceted layers of meaning for Israel, providing a yearly cleansing and renewal:

    • Atonement and Forgiveness: The primary purpose was to make atonement for sin. The blood sprinkled on the mercy seat signified God's acceptance of the substitutionary sacrifice, covering the people's sins for another year.
    • Cleansing of the Sanctuary: The rituals purified the tabernacle itself, which became defiled by the sins of the people dwelling around it. This allowed God's holy presence to continue dwelling among an unholy people.
    • Judgment and Solemnity: The affliction of soul and the strict prohibitions against work underscored the seriousness of sin and the weight of God's judgment. It was a day of national reckoning before a holy God.
    • Restoration and Reconciliation: Through the atonement, the covenant relationship between God and Israel was renewed, ensuring His continued blessing and presence.
    • A Yearly Reminder: The annual repetition served as a constant reminder that sin is a recurring problem requiring continuous divine provision, and that perfect, permanent cleansing had not yet been achieved.

    Christ, Our Ultimate Atonement

    While the Day of Atonement was foundational for Israel, the New Testament reveals its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews masterfully demonstrates how Christ is the complete and final answer to the temporary and shadow sacrifices of the Old Covenant.

    Jesus is presented as the perfect High Priest, superior to Aaron and all subsequent Levitical priests. Unlike them, He did not need to offer sacrifices for His own sins, for He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He entered, not into an earthly tabernacle made with hands, but "into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:24).

    And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

    Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 9:24-26

    Jesus is not only our High Priest but also the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice. He is the bull for the High Priest's own sins (though He had none, He identified with humanity's sin) and both of the goats for the people. His blood, shed on the cross, is the "better sacrifice" (Hebrews 9:23) that truly cleanses from all sin, not merely covers it for a year.

    The scapegoat's removal of sins finds its ultimate parallel in Christ's work on the cross. Just as the goat carried away the sins of Israel into the wilderness, Jesus bore our sins "in his own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24), removing them completely from us, as far as the east is from the west (Psalms 103:12). His death put away sin once and for all, rendering yearly sacrifices unnecessary.

    Conclusion: Atonement for the Believer Today

    For those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, the Day of Atonement is not an annual requirement but a powerful historical event that points to the finished work of our Saviour. We no longer need to afflict our souls in fear of judgment or rely on a priestly ritual, for Christ has fully atoned for our sins. Our atonement is complete, eternal, and personal through Him.

    The significance of Yom Kippur for believers today lies in its profound lessons:

    • It underscores the infinite holiness of God and the absolute seriousness of sin.
    • It highlights the necessity of substitutionary atonement, demonstrating that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.
    • It proclaims the sufficiency and finality of Christ's sacrifice, providing perfect and eternal redemption for all who believe.
    • It reminds us of the great High Priest we have in Jesus, who ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).

    While the Jewish people still observe Yom Kippur as a day of solemn reflection and prayer for national and personal forgiveness, Christians look to Christ as the ultimate fulfillment. Our "affliction of soul" is now a life of repentance and walking in the light, knowing that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). The Day of Atonement in the Old Testament is a glorious foreshadowing of the perfect, completed work of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our everlasting Atonement.