The Day of Atonement in Scripture – The Lord’s Instructions
Let's begin from our starting point in Leviticus 23 to see what we can learn about this fascinating Appointed Time from the Lord. Verses 26 to 28 tell us, "The Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'On exactly the 10th day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord. You shall not do any work on this same day for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God.'"
The Day of Atonement in the Bible is observed in the fall, on the 10th day of Tishri, soon after the Day of Trumpets. You can see from the Lord's instructions that it is a very holy day, a day when people were to humble themselves. The Hebrew word for humble yourselves can be interpreted as afflict yourselves, which some Jewish scholars interpret as a command to fast, a mandatory fast.
A High Sabbath with a Special Ceremony
The words "You shall not do any work on this same day" also implies that this day is one of the high Sabbath days of the Appointed Times. There's something austere and ominous about the Day of Atonement. The Lord gave stern warnings to those who refused to humble themselves. Those who will not will be cut off from their people, and He will destroy those who do any work on this day. It is a Sabbath of complete rest.
The holy convocation on the Jewish Day of Atonement centers around a ceremony that is conducted by the High Priest in the Tabernacle. Every Israelite attends this ceremony, gathered around the tent of meeting. They're participants through their attendance, humility, and obedience. The High Priest carefully follows a ceremonial ritual that was defined by the Lord. Through the ceremony, the High Priest makes atonement for Himself, his household, and all the people of Israel.
Atone, Atonement, Propitiate, and Propitiation
One of the first items we should address are the meanings of atone and atonement, which will then allow us to determine the meaning of The Day of Atonement. Atone is a verb that describes the act of making things right with an offended party for an offense or crime that was committed.
In order to atone for an offense, a person must make amends or reparations that will satisfy or appease the offended party. For example, a judge might tell a person that he must atone for a crime that he committed and his atonement might involve spending time in jail, paying a fine, or making reparations to the party that was hurt by the crime. Atonement is the actual reparation, or the price that was paid to appease an offended party. For example, a person might say that his atonement was to pay a fine for the offense that he committed. The Hebrew word that is translated as atonement is Kippur. Thus, Yom Kippur is the Hebrew term for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur is The Day of Atonement).
The New Testament uses a different word to express this concept, which is propitiation. Propitiation is generally understood to be synonymous with atonement. For example, John the Apostle tells us, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins." John is saying that the life of God's Son is the price that was paid, the propitiation, so that we could live.
The Most Solemn Day
The Day of Atonement is the most solemn day of the year for Israel. It is not a feast day or a day of rejoicing. It is a day of solemn reflection about their guilt before the Lord. On this day, there was no place for pride or boasting, since all iniquities, transgressions, and sins were confessed before the Lord in a ceremony that would make atonement for their sins. Even the High Priest wore plain linen garments instead of his normal ornate, High Priestly garments. He is the primary actor in the ceremony that God designed, as He entered the most holy place and literally stood face to face with the Lord.
We've seen how the Bible makes it very clear that every person has sinned. Even though an offense might be against another individual, the fact is that all offenses are ultimately against God. We have offended the holy God, and amends must be made. The very idea that we need atonement is truly sobering. Even though we might believe that we are good people who have never committed any heinous crimes, we are nonetheless guilty in the eyes of the Judge. It is not a matter of simply feeling guilty, we truly have guilt. We are guilty.
Atonement
As we read Moses' writings about the Day of Atonement, it appears that the ceremony only benefited the nation of Israel. But as the revelation of the scriptures unfolded throughout the centuries, it became very clear that the Day of Atonement casts a shadow of a much greater event, which is the Messiah, making atonement or propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but also for those of the whole world.[1] Therefore, the Day of Atonement is a highly significant day that has relevance to everyone, including you and me.
The Tabernacle
In order to fully appreciate the ceremony of the Day of Atonement, it is first necessary to explain its setting and describe the objects that are involved. I would love to provide a full explanation of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, but that is somewhat beyond the scope of our study. But we are going to take a brief look at the Tabernacle's items that relate to the Day of Atonement in order to set the stage for you. We will briefly look at the Tabernacle, the veil, the Ark of the Covenant, the mercy seat, and the significance of the cherubim on the mercy seat. With this as our backdrop, we'll follow the steps of the High Priest as he performs a ceremony as it was described by the Lord in the 16th chapter of Leviticus.
Soon after the Lord met Israel at Mount Sinai, He directed Moses to raise a contribution from the people to construct a tabernacle, or "a sanctuary for Me that I may dwell among them." One of the most important aspects about the design of the Tabernacle is that it is a copy and shadow of the things of heaven.
The Tabernacle itself was rather small considering that it was an earthly sanctuary for the God of the universe. It was a rectangular shape, approximately nine feet by 30 feet, or 2.7 meters by 9.1 meters. It was covered with multi-layered curtains, which formed a tent over the top to protect it from the elements. The Tabernacle was situated within a courtyard that was called the Outer Court, which was bounded by a wall of large linen curtains and pillars that were connected to form a rectangular courtyard that served as an area for the priests to fulfill their duties.
The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies
The inside of the Tabernacle was divided into two distinct sections that were separated by a thick veil that had two cherubim woven into it. If you walked into the Tabernacle through the outer door, you would find yourself in the section that is called the Holy Place. The smaller section, on the other side of the veil, is called the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place. The Holy Place consumes about two-thirds of the Tabernacle's floor space, and the Holy of Holies is the remaining one-third.
The furnishings of the Holy Place included three sacred items. The first was an ornate golden table that displayed the Bread of the Presence before the Lord. The second furnishing was a pure gold, ornate lampstand that had seven oil lamps that were continually burning. And the third, was a small, golden altar that was used for burning incense, which was positioned in front of the veil that concealed the Holy of Holies.
The Holy of Holies is the most sacred place of all. It housed only one sacred object, which was the Ark of the Covenant. The holy of Holies was so sacred that no one was allowed to enter it, not even the priests, not even the High Priest. But there was one special day of the year when the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies, taking the blood of a bull and a goat to make atonement for the nation. And, this solemn day is the Day of Atonement.
The Ark of the Covenant
It is interesting that the Ark of the Covenant was the first item that the Lord mentioned as He conveyed the design for the Tabernacle, which is probably an indication of its central place In Jewish worship. The Ark might be compared to a golden box or chest. It was designed with four golden rings in the sides. Long poles that were covered with gold were inserted through the rings so the Ark could be carried by the priests on their shoulders.
Three sacred items were kept in the Ark, which were significant reminders of the covenant between God and Israel. The items were the stone tablets that contained the 10 Commandments, Aaron's rod that budded, and the jar that contained manna, which was a symbol of the Lord's provision.
The Mercy Seat
Now, there's an extremely important aspect of the Ark that we need to address. It is the cover, which is also called the mercy seat. The mercy seat was made out of pure gold and formed with two golden cherubim molded into it. The two cherubim were to be on each end of the cover facing toward each other. Their wings were to be spread upward covering the mercy seat, and the faces of the cherubim were to be facing downward, perhaps to convey reverence, fear, or adoration of the Lord.
The reason for having cherubim on top of the mercy seat is profound and of the greatest importance for understanding the Day of Atonement. So, I would like to take some time to explain it. The design of the mercy seat probably raises some questions in your mind. For example, "Why is it called a seat? It doesn't look like a seat. Do these images of angelic beings accurately depict real cherubim? Did the Israelites worship the Ark of the Covenant in a similar way that other nations worshiped idols?"
Cherubim
These are excellent questions, and the answers become clear in the Scriptures with a little more searching. Let's begin by gaining an accurate understanding of cherubim. Cherubim is the plural form of cherub. We could say that our image on the Ark shows two cherubim with one cherub on the right and another cherub on the left.
Are the cherubim on our Ark accurate depictions? My answer is an emphatic no! They are grossly inaccurate likenesses of the cherubim. Moses did not describe the cherubim who were to grace the mercy seat. The Lord simply told him to make them of hammered gold and form them as one piece with the mercy seat. Throughout the ages, people have confused cherubim with angels and produced distorted artistic renderings that looked like little babies with wings or beautiful women or strong men with wings.
The Bible does, however, provide a very detailed description of cherubim, but to my dismay, I could hardly visualize them in my mind or draw them on paper. So, I resorted to using angelic beings of classic style in our rendering of cherubim on the mercy seat. So, we will use these inadequate images to describe the reason the cherubim are part of the mercy seat.
A Vision of Cherubim
Cherubim are heavenly beings. They seem to be of a different specie than angels, or perhaps a different class of angels. The prophet Ezekiel was given a glimpse into the heavenly realm, where he saw a fantastic vision in which cherubim were in the forefront. In the first chapter of his prophecy, he explains that the heavens were opened and he saw visions of God. In his vision, he saw an enormous storm cloud approaching from the north. The cloud was flashing with fire and glowing with bright light. In the midst of it, was something like glowing metal and figures that resembled four living beings. And, he continues to describe the cherubim.
Now, for the sake of time, I'm not able to relate all of Ezekiel's vision of the cherubim to you, but I have included his description in The Messiah book, and, you can also read about them in your Bible in the first chapter of Ezekiel. But, I will give you a glimpse of just a small part of his description.
The cherubim were living beings with human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight, and their feet were like calves' hooves, and they gleamed like glowing bronze. Their faces did not turn when they moved. Each went straight forward. Each had the face of a man, a lion, a bull, and an eagle.
Their wings were spread out above, which is just like the description for the mercy seat. Each had two wings touching another being and two wings covering their bodies. In the midst of the living beings was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among them. The fire was bright and lightning was flashing from the fire. The living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning.
An expanse, like an awesome gleaming crystal, was spread out over the heads of the cherubim. Under the expanse, their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other. The sound of their wings was like a roar, like the sound of waves of the sea, like the sound of an army, like the sound of the Almighty."
Can you picture a cherub in your mind? I recommend that you read the description and try to imagine what it looked like.
The Lord Enthroned Above the Cherubim
As we continue to read Ezekiel's vision, I want to focus on a very important aspect that could easily be overlooked. It is the awesome, gleaming crystal expanse over the heads of the cherubim. Ezekiel continues, saying that,
"Above the expanse that was over the cherubim's heads was something resembling a throne, like a sky-blue gemstone in appearance. And on that throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. From His loins upward, appeared like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it. From His loins downward, was something like fire. And there, was a radiance around Him like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. Such was the likeness of the glory of the Lord, and when I saw it, I fell on my face."
The prophet Isaiah proclaimed the same idea, that the Lord is actually enthroned above the cherubim. He says, "Oh, Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth." The psalmist also exclaimed, "The Lord reigns. Let the people tremble. He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake."
The Lord Above the Mercy Seat
Now, let's make the connection between these visions and the mercy seat and to the Day of Atonement. When the Lord conveyed the details of the Day of Atonement ceremony to Moses, He said, "Tell your brother Aaron," who is the High Priest, "that he shall not enter any time into the Holy Place inside the veil before the mercy seat, which is on the Ark, or he will die, for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat."
During the course of the Day of Atonement ceremony, the High Priest stands face to face with the Lord, who appeared in the cloud of smoke above the cherubim on the mercy seat. And, the High Priest is protected only by the atoning blood.
Now, I'll explain the cloud in a moment. But it becomes very clear that the cherubim on the mercy seat symbolize the real cherubim that are underneath the throne of God. It also becomes clear how the cover of the Ark of the Covenant can be called a seat since the throne of the Lord is above the cherubim. Even more so, it is called the mercy seat because the atonement that was provided by the Lord is the greatest act of mercy that has ever been demonstrated, fulfilled by His Messiah.
The Ark of the Covenant was certainly not an idol that the Israelites worshiped. It was a sacred reminder that God, the Lord, is enthroned above the mighty cherubim in the heavenly realm and could never be reduced to an idol that was fashioned by man.
Are You Bothered by the Blood?
Now, let me ask a question. Are you bothered by the blood? Is it truly necessary for blood to be shed in order to appease God? Surely, He would not expect or demand a blood sacrifice in order to forgive the sins of 21st century humankind. Would He? Wouldn't it please Him if we engage in loving deeds? Perhaps if we champion the cause of the needy and help them by giving alms or leave groceries at the door?
Now, don't misunderstand. Giving alms and caring for the needy are of immense importance to God. But the fact is, that good deeds cannot and do not atone for offenses and cleanse guilt. Let me repeat that. Good deeds cannot and do not atone for offenses and cleanse guilt. The only thing that can appease God is if the worshipper brings the sacrifice that He stipulates, a sacrifice that is pleasing and acceptable to Him. Our own efforts and ideas about appeasing Him fall far short of His holy demands.
The Lord gives us some insight about the reason that the blood sacrifice is a mandatory part of the atonement. It is an integral component of God's holy character. It's not simply an object lesson to convince us of the gravity of our sin. The Lord told Moses that, "The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls. For it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement."
So you see, if we seek atonement from God, it must be on His terms, and His terms require the shedding of blood. According to the law, one may almost say, "Without shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." We may squirm inside and even be somewhat repulsed and uncomfortable as we think about it, but we must face and embrace the harsh reality that the shedding of blood is absolutely required for our atonement before God. And, we thank Him that He provided His Messiah to be our atonement rather than requiring the payment from our own hands.
Please Join Us for Part 2 of this Lesson
Now at this point, you have enough background information to understand the Day of Atonement ceremony, and especially to understand how the Messiah fulfilled its shadow. So, I invite you to join me for Part 2 of this lesson, which you will find in the next video. In it, you'll learn some profound truths about the Day of Atonement, the Messiah, and how He was the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. I'll see you there.
[1] “…and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for [those of] the whole world.” 1 John 2:2 [NASB]
