My friend Anne Askey has had a spurt of creativity and shared with me a couple of thoughts about Yom Kippur. Here is the first of them:By now you may know me well enough to know that I love Leviticus. Did you know that this book so sadly neglected by many Christians is the first book of the Bible that is taught to Jewish children? Why this book? The Sages answer is that young children should begin their Bible literacy with the holiest of books.[i] Leviticus has become foundational to my understanding of and gratitude for the Messiah’s work. And I pray that in a small way, what I have learned will encourage and equip you in your faith as well. Today I’d like to lead us in a study of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
So let’s turn to Leviticus 16 to see what happens on the Day of Atonement. The chapter begins in verse 1 by alluding to the deaths of Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu. Do you remember the story of these two who brought strange fire into the sanctuary? (Lev 10) The Hebraic thinker asks “why does the Torah mention Nadab and Abihu again, after 5 chapters of other teaching?” [ii] One answer is that these two have polluted the sanctuary doubly, in their life (by their sin) and in their death (by their corpses).[iii]This context introduces us to the need for Yom Kippur. People have sinned. The sanctuary has been polluted by sin. Sin is a pollution that needs to be purged.
Verses 2 -5 identify some precautions and provisions relating to the ceremony.[iv] Note that these instructions come from the LORD. Aaron is not to come at just any old time and any old way into the Holy of Holies. When he does come in, he is to come with sin offerings: a bull for himself, and two goats for the community, and burnt offerings for himself and the community. He is also to wear special clothing of linen, which he dons after bathing in water. Why is the special linen clothing specified? Early Jewish sources suggest three answers[v]. 1) According to Biblical references such as Ezek 9:2,3, 11, Dan 10:6 and Mal 2:7 the angels were dressed in linen. So it would seem that entry into the Holy of Holies is likened to entry into the heavenly council. 2) simple white clothing indicated that the high priest is humble and stripped of all pretence, and 3) it would not be fitting to wear his high priestly vestments which were adorned with gold threads to officiate at this service. For gold was used in the greatest sin Israel had committed, that of the golden calf (Ex 32:4)
Verses 6-19 describe the ritual for atonement. (The Hebrew word kaphar[vi], means covering and by extension cleansing or purging.) The bull serves as the atonement of unintentional sin, chattah [vii]committed by Aaron and his household. Unintentional sin refers to that sin in which the worshipper, who acknowledges God’s reign and rule over his life, has missed the mark of God’s teaching through ignorance or carelessness. Such sin is understood as a failure or a mistake, rather than outright rebellion or wickedness.[viii] Once Aaron has offered the bull, he draws lots between two goats. One is marked for the Lord and one is marked for Azazel .The Hebrew word Azazel comes from two words meaning gone or used up and goat.[ix] In your English Bible, azazel has been translated as scapegoat. There are three main views concerning the meaning of azazel. [x] 1) scapegoat or the one carrying away impurity 2) it could mean a rough and difficult place, which refers to the goat’s destination or 3) it could be referring to the name of a demon. The latter is supported by the parallel construction in v8, one ‘for the Lord’ and the other, ‘for Azazel’. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the goat is dispatched to the wilderness, which is seen biblically as the habitation of demons, (Isa 13:21, Luke 11:24) It is important to note that the goat is not a sacrifice to the demon, nor is it to be understood as a substitute for Israel because there is no indication that it is slaughtered or put to death. [xi] The goat is simply understood to be the vehicle used to dispatch Israel’s impurities and sins to the wilderness or netherworld.
I think a note regarding lots is in order here. We often think of the drawing of lots as winning the luck of the draw. Biblically, the drawing of lots leaves the selection in the Lord’s hands. God will determine which goat will live to take the impurities from the sanctuary a place of no return (p 1022). God will determine which goat will become the offering which will atone, purge, the unintentional sin of the community. But verse 17 tells us that the community is not present in this ritual. In fact the only person in the tabernacle is the high priest. Normally, the one offering a sacrifice brings his animal to the tabernacle himself. In the case of Yom Kippur, the priest alone takes the offering in on behalf of the people. The priest mediates for the whole community.
After the slaughter of the bull, Aaron takes a censor of coals and incense inside the Holy of Holies. The recipe for incense is given in Exodus 30:34: stacte, onycha and galbanum and pure frankincense. Stacte in Greek and Latin sources refers to oil of myrrh. [xii]We also know that the mercy seat in the holy of holies was covered in gold (Exodus 25:27) Is it just a coincidence that the gifts given to the Messiah were gold, frankincense and myrrh? (Matt 2:11) Could these be clues that the incense connects us in some way to the work of Messiah?
Aaron then sprinkles the blood of the bullock on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat seven times. Then he slaughters the goat that was selected by God to be the purification or sin offering for the community. Aaron dispenses the blood of the goat in the same way as he did the blood of the bull and so in this way, according to verses 16-19 Aaron makes atonement, covers, purges, cleanses the Holy Place and the altar from the pollution of sin. As well, he makes atonement for himself and all the community of Israel of sin . This ends the ceremony of atonement.
V20-22 Outline the Scapegoat ritual. When the high priest has finished purging the Holy of Holies, the tabernacle and the altar, he brings forward the live goat. He leans his hands on the goat and confesses over it all of the iniquities, and transgressions and sins of the children of Israel. In this confession we find the three most commonly used words for sin in Hebrew: avon, pesha and chataah.[xiii] The three speak of the motive of the sin as seen by God who looks on the heart. As I’ve already mentioned, chataah refers to unintentional sin. The worshipper’s heart is directed toward God but he has failed in his obedience, through ignorance or carelessness and missed the mark of the torah. Avon is usually translated as iniquity or wickedness and refers to intentional sin in which man acts wilfully against God. Pesha has been translated as transgressions in verse 21 and describes sin committed with the intention of angering God. Unintentional sin is covered in the atonement ceremony, but the pollution of chataah still needs to be removed from the tabernacle.
Not every person in the community has a heart turned toward God. So we know that intentional sin or wilful iniquity and rebellion do exist in the Israelite camp. The pollution of avon and pesha also needs to be removed. Note that wilful or intentional sin was not dealt with in the atonement ritual. Atonement is provided so the worshipper can draw near to God. One in active rebellion does not want to draw near to God. Forgiveness for avon and pesha is only available when the sinner repents.[xiv] But even if the sinful person does not repent, the pollution of wilful sin must be removed from the sanctuary. The removal of the pollution however does not provide atonement or forgiveness of the person guilty of wilful rebellion against God. Those guilty of avon or pesha first need to repent. As Scott Brown so insightfully showed us a few weeks ago, to repent is have heart sorrow for rebellion, a change of mind, and a turning back to the Living God. Then these too can experience the heart comfort of forgiveness.
In summary the scapegoat is the vehicle that carries the sins (chataah, avon and pesha) from the camp and into the wilderness away from human habitation. Once the goat has been let loose in the wilderness, Aaron is able to make burnt offerings at the altar.
Verses 23-25 describe the procedures for the Burnt Offerings. Aaron now removes the special linen clothing that he wore in the Holy of Holies, then he washes and puts on the usual Priestly regalia. Next he offers burnt offerings for himself and for the community. The Hebrew word for burnt offering, sometimes translated elevation offering, is olah and literally means that which ascends.[xv] The purpose of the Olah offerings is multifaceted but it often relates to prayer and intercession and covers a range of reasons for which one might come to God in prayer. Given the context of Yom Kippur it would certainly include joyful thanksgiving that sin has been removed and that the tabernacle has been purified so that the Lord God can continue to dwell in the midst of his people.
Verse 26-28 outline the procedure for purification of the High Priest’s assistants. Although the High priest was alone responsible for the ritual of Yom Kippur, he had two assistants. One lead the goat into the wilderness and the other removed the hides, flesh and dung of the goat and bull which served as the sin offerings and burnt them outside the camp. These two assistants need to be ritually cleansed of the pollution caused by sin.
Verses 29-34 serve as an appendix to the teaching of the chapter. It summarizes the priest’s role, identifies the date of Yom Kippur, outlines how the members of the community are to be involved (not in the ceremony per se, but by afflicting themselves) and draws attention to the fact that the regulation is for the native born and the alien among them. I like the final statement of verse 34 which highlights again that these were God’s instructions, and that relationship with God is expressed through obedience. Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.
Paul wrote to Timothy saying that ‘all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness’ (2 Tim 3:16).At the time that was written, the only scripture that existed was the Tanach. So we should expect then, that Leviticus, the book that sits in the centre of the Torah has some instruction for us. Chapter 16 teaches us about sin. We have seen that:
- Sin is a pollution that needs to be dealt with
- God has identified a way to deal with sin
- One man is responsible for purging the tabernacle and altar of sin
- That same man through the donning of special vestments, and going behind the veil, is understood to have entered the heavenly council
- That same man is responsible for following God’s procedure for bringing atonement for the whole community
- Atonement is possible through obedience to God’s revealed procedure
- Sin is taken away carried off to a place of no return
- Once sin is dealt with the worshipper has access to draw near to God
Have you noticed that what we learn about sin in Leviticus 16 is not a lot different from what we learn about sin after the life, death and resurrection of Messiah? Sin is a pollution that needs to be dealt with. God identifies the way to deal with it. One man, Yeshua, who entered the heavenlies brings atonement for the world and removes the impurity of sin, making the way for the worshipper to draw near to God.
The author of Hebrews offers a valuable interpretive key to understanding the Day of Atonement. We are all familiar with a reading of Hebrews through a dispensational lens: where the law is relegated to an age in the past for Israel, and grace in Jesus marks the present age, that of the church. A dispensational reading forces the reader to focus on difference in God’s revelation. Too often such a reading leads to a triumphalistic denigration of the earthly Tabernacle. Hebrews has much treasure to yield and opens our eyes to continuity in God’s revelation and draws us into a deeper understanding of God’s immutability. For whoever wrote the book of Hebrews, and no one is quite agreed who that was, whoever wrote this book had a deep understanding of Torah. The author of Hebrews understood the Day of Atonement was a procedure that was both necessary and efficacious in keeping the temple purified so that God could dwell among his people. He understood that a relationship exists between the temple/Levitical system and Yeshua. He teaches us that the tabernacle /Levitical system serve as a copy and shadow of heavenly things. (Heb 8:5) He enriches this teaching through the skilful use of kal v’ chomer.
Kal v’chomer is an interpretative method used by the sages, and often seen in the Jesus’ teaching.[xvi] The phrase refers to the concept of teaching from the ‘light’ to the ‘heavy’. If something is true in the ‘light’ sense, it will be so much MORE true in the ‘heavy’ sense. So the truth of the heavier or weightier statement is assured given the fact that the lighter or less weighty statement is itself true. The method is often characterized by the phrase, “How much more.” For example, Jesus says, “ If you then, being wrongdoers know how to give good gifts to your children, HOW MUCH MORE will your father in Heaven give good things to those who ask him.”(Matt 7:11) Jesus’s first listeners and indeed we here today all understand the truth of the lighter statement: Yes, even ‘bad fathers’ know how to give good gifts to their children. Because this is true, we are assured that the weightier statement about God is emphatically, true. Our father in Heaven gives good things to those who ask him.
The most obvious usage use of kal v’chomer in Hebrews occurs in Hebrews 9:11-14
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come,[1] with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
NOTE verse 13. The Greek word for ‘flesh’ is sarx and according to Strong’s concordance refers to human nature with its physical and moral frailties.[xvii] Ask yourself: Did the blood of bulls and goats purify and sanctify human nature with its moral frailties? According to Hebrews 9:13 it did. Indeed, if we go back to Leviticus 16:16-30, it did. The ‘light statement’ the statement about the tabernacle procedure, is true: the blood of bulls and goats… sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh. Now look at the heavy statement, the statement about what Messiah did in the heavenlies. Verse 14, How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit cleanse you? The writer goes on to tell us that the blood of Christ purges not only our human nature, but our moral conscience freeing us to serve the living God. We know and are assured that the blood of Christ cleanses us from sin, and frees us to serve God, because we know that God used the blood of animals to make atonement on earth.
Note that phrase in verse 12, ‘once for all’. Messiah entered the most holy place once for all. The high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year, at a specific time. The high priest entered the Holy of Holies on behalf of a specific group of people living in the time in which he lived. Messiah entered the sanctuary once. Messiah entered for all. Who are the all? All is inclusive of all space and time. All includes Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, Ruth, Mary, Joseph. Indeed all includes all the Biblical heroes. These so called OT saints were not ‘saved by works’. They were saved by the grace of God, just as we are. All means every person who se heart is turned in repentance towards God, through all of history and from every place on the globe. Why is this true? Because the deeper reality in the heavenlies covers all space and time. The life, death and resurrection of Yeshua occur at a point in time on earth. But that does not mean that the event is only efficacious from that point forward. The reality that Yom Kipper points to is a heavenly reality. The writer of Hebrews understands that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is a cosmic event. Indeed we stand amazed that even as the Day of Atonement was efficacious in the earthly temple, HOW MUCH MORE efficacious is the work of Messiah in the heavenlies!
Let’s look at other ‘how much more’ comparisons that can be drawn from Hebrews. Although the writer doesn’t always employ the exact words, given what he knows and understands, and given the interpretative key of kal v’chomer we are able to see such comparisons throughout the book.
The high priest in the earthly tabernacle had to first offer a sin offering for himself. Then he was able to make atonement for the tabernacle, altar and the community. We know this worked. How much more then, will the high priest Yeshua, who was without sin, and who did not himself need atonement, be able to make atonement? (7:26,27)
The high priest in the earthly tabernacle was understood to have entered the heavenly council when, dressed in white linen, he went behind the veil to make atonement. We know this worked. How much more then, will the High priest Yeshua, who entered the actual heavenly place, be able make atonement?
The high priest in the earthly tabernacle had to return year by year to make atonement. We know this worked. How much more then will the High Priest Yeshua, who entered once and for all and then sat down at the right hand of his Father in the heavenlies, be able to make atonement?
The high priest cleansed the earthly tabernacle, which was the dwelling place of God on earth. We know this worked. How much more will the action of the High Priest Yeshua, cleanse the heavenly dwelling place of God? Let’s look at Heb 9:22-25 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these,(ie the blood of the animals) but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
Did you catch what the author is saying? The heavenly things are purified with better sacrifices; that better sacrifice is the blood of Messiah. Why do the heavenly things need purifying? Sin is an action with catastrophic, and it appears from this verse, cosmic consequences. The teaching in Leviticus shows us it pollutes the physical place on earth where God dwells with man. The teaching in Hebrews shows us sin even pollutes the heavenly holy place. Messiah provides the only cleansing that is possible in the heavens. The cleansing of the earthly tabernacle was with the blood of animals. We know this worked. How much more is the cleansing of the heavenlies by the blood of Messiah?
We saw in the scapegoat ritual of Leviticus 16 that the goat was the vehicle which removed the sin from the earthly tabernacle. It was understood to have taken the sin out into the wilderness: the place where demons dwell. The removal of sin from the tabernacle was not a permanent removal. The sins of the next year built up and needed to be removed once again. Paul tells us that Messiah descended into the lower parts of the earth (Eph 4:9). In the Apostles Creed we say of Jesus that, “he descended into Hades”. Do you think that Messiah’s descent into Hades might help to explain how he removed the sin from the most holy place? The scapegoat removed sin to the wilderness, how much more then is Christ’s removal of sin to the netherworld?
Two sin offerings and one scapegoat were required for the cleansing and removal of sin from the earthly tabernacle. We know that this worked. Hebrews teaches that Messiah, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever, sat down at the right hand of God. (10:12) How much more is the one sacrifice of Messiah in cleansing and removing sin forever?
The Day of Atonement was repeated year after year. Sin built up, it was remembered over the year. Yom Kipper was a day that provided a new beginning. It was also a reminder of the year’s sin. We know the offerings of this day worked. How much more is the offering of Messiah, which takes away sin so that it is remembered no longer (Heb 8:12) and perfects forever those who are sanctified? (Hebrews 10:10-14)
In the earthly tabernacle the High priest was mediator and intercessor for the people in his community. We know this worked. How much more is Jesus our High priest, who always lives making intercession for all those who come to God through him? (7:25)
The writer of Hebrews identifies Yeshua as the high priest who officiates in the Heavenly temple. He also acknowledges that Jesus could not be a high priest on earth. (Heb 7:5,14, 8:4) Why can’t Yeshua be a priest in the earthly tabernacle? Remember that the earthly system is a shadow/copy to teach us about the heavenly system. The Levitical priesthood is copy of the Melchizadek priesthood which is forever in the heavenlies. The reality and the copy are related, but they are not identical. The God-given copy is good. How much more is the God-given reality good and indeed perfect?
The author of Hebrews uses the Day of Atonement as a teaching framework to explain the eternal, infinite nature of Yeshua’s sacrifice. Jesus is the high priest. He is the sin offering. He is the scapegoat. He is the burnt offering. Through his blood, we draw near to God. (Heb 10:19-22)
Does this sacrifice which is infinitely better in comparison to the sacrificial system of the tabernacle abolish the Day of Atonement? What is God’s instruction regarding the day? Lev 16:29 "This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves [2] and not do any work-whether native-born or an alien living among you. If the Day of Atonement has meaning in the earthly temple which is no more, how much more should it have meaning given the completed work of the Messiah in the heavenlies? Jesus said he came to fulfill the law (Matt 5:17) I hope you have begun to see how much Jesus FILLS FULL[xviii] the law.
Is seeing the connections between Leviticus and Hebrews just an intellectual exercise? Why is it important that we understand the work of Messiah? The author of Hebrews declares these truths so that we “ hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,...” And holding unswervingly to this hope we are to “…spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” 10:23,24
Blessed be the Lord God King of the universe, who deepens our roots. May we go out from this Sabbath of Sabbaths spurred on toward love and good deeds.
[i] Everyman’s Talmud p 178 quoting Lev.R.VII.3
[ii] ArtScroll Chumash p 836
[iii] Leviticus 1-16: A New Translation with introduction and commentary by Jacob Milgrom p1011
[iv] I am indebted to Jacob Milgrom for clarifying the passage with helpful sub-categories
[v] Jacob Milgrom p 1016
[vi] Strong’s Concordance H3722
[vii] Strong’s Concordance H2405. See Leviticus 4 for further discussion of offerings for unintentional sin (chattah)
[viii] Global Dictionary of Theology p817
[ix] Strong’s Concordance H5799 (H5785 + H235)
[x] Jacob Milgrom p 1020
[xi] Ibid p 1021
[xii] Ibid p 1027
[xiii] Global Dictionary of Theology p817
[xiv] Everyman’s Talmud p 105 quoting Tosifta Joma v 9
[xv] Strong’s Concordance H5930
[xvi] Meet the Rabbis by Brad Young, pp 45, 168,169
[xvii] G4561
[xviii] Dwight Pryor often uses this alternative phrase, “TO FILL FULL” for ‘fulfill’ wrt to the law and Jesus
