Leviticus 16 DAY OF ATONEMENT Yom Kippur still holds a great attraction to Jews today who do not accept the fact that Messiah has come, and the value of the shadows is past. For those living under the Old Testament before Christ came, this was the greatest day of the year for them. The tenth day of the seventh month would be a time of fasting and solemn consideration as to whether God was willing to accept the offering made on behalf of the people or not. Nadab and Abihu had died because they sinned in doing things their way instead of the way God had instructed. Death for sin was the backdrop to this holy day. We should never consider the service of God to be something we can add to or take away from. Whether we are "inside the veil" in holy worship, or "outside the camp" in public identification with Christ serving Him in a way separate from what is common to the world, there should be a reverence and holy respect for that in which we are engaged. The children of Israel would approach this day wondering if they would be accepted for another year. We have been accepted in Christ forever. With how much more reverence should our approach be into the holy presence of God with heartfelt gratitude and thanksgiving with appreciation for what has been done for us. We are able to enter into the Holiest through this new and living way.
Aaron would have spent careful hours in the preparation of himself to go into the presence of God on behalf of the people. He had washed himself so he would be personally clean, before putting on the white linen garments he wore that day. They would indicate the necessity of being pure in character before going into the presence of God as well as personally clean. These are shadows of the perfections of Christ in Himself and in the purity of His life before God as a man among men. The two aspects of the atonement that was typified that day was to maintain God's glory and meet man's need. To maintain God's glory, there was that which reflected on God's nature of absolute purity, righteousness, authority and everything else that is uniquely God's. His character of holiness, grace, compassion, mercy and all other ways He is revealed to us, was shadowed in the atonement. The holy throne of God and all that is involved in His legal justice and righteous demands were typified on that day of atonement. That was not a day of casual carelessness like some holidays but was a day of reverential fear. The needs of man had to be met because of sin and guilt that could not be excused or overlooked for any reason. As a nation, their need had to be faced. They needed to be right with God, and they needed that assurance.
After Aaron had carefully washed and dressed himself in white linen garments, he brought a bullock for himself and his family, and two goats for the people along with the ram for the burnt offering. As a spiritual house, we who are in the Church need the perfections of Christ to make us acceptable to offer spiritual sacrifices. The Church is a kingdom of priest who are only able to worship and serve God because of the sacrifice Christ made for us. A people for His name is not something to be taken lightly nor can it be compared to some worldly nationality. This place we have been put into by God is to be a "holy priesthood, a peculiar people." It is extremely important that we do not carelessly engage in the holy things or ever consider what are and what we do is of little account. God's people are important because God says so, and He expects our representation of Him to "be holy, for I am holy."
The bull that was offered was the sin offering for the priests, and the ram was for the burnt offering for God alone. The way to God is open for us today through the Lord Jesus Christ. Because we have constant access to God now, does not make it any less holy nor should we ever take a casual view of the place we have been brought into by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. The two goats that were brought to the door of the Tabernacle were both presented to the Lord. The one was for the Lord who could forgive the sins of the people by virtue of the shed blood, even as Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. The scapegoat was for the people to bear away the sins that had been confessed by Aaron on behalf of the people when he put his hands on the head of the goat.
After the bullock had been killed as a sin offering for Aaron and his family, he took the smoking incense in a censer behind the veil to make a cloud of sweet-smelling smoke to hide the mercy seat from his eyes. The glory of God was more than a man could survive without the covering of the smoking incense. Aaron could then come out and take blood from the slain bull and carry it behind the veil and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and seven times in front of the mercy seat on the east side. After coming out from behind the veil, he would then kill the goat on which the lot fell.
The blood of the goat that was chosen for the sin offering for the people was taken by Aaron and sprinkled on the mercy seat and in front of it the same as the blood of the bull. Our Lord offered Himself in His spotless perfection and God was pleased with Him. He also was sacrificed for us and in the same way God was satisfied with Him, now we are accepted by God. The blood of the bull and the goat were put in the same place and in the same way. God was pleased with Christ because of who He is, and is satisfied with us because of what Christ did in our place when He bare our sins in His own body on the tree. "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God." Some of the blood of both the bull and goat were put on the altar and around the altar. Atonement had been made.
When that reconciling work was completed for the children of Israel, for the Tabernacle, and for the altar, then Aaron could make confession for the sins of the people with his hands on the head of the live goat that had been brought forward. The order that was followed on the Day of Atonement was for God first in the Holiest of all. Then it came to the holy place, then to the brazen altar and then confession of the sins of the people on the head of the living goat. From there, the goat was taken by a fit man into the wilderness and released. The one goat was to satisfy the holiness and the character of God. The other was to meet the need of sinners by making atonement for sins. Everything begins with God and then moves out to us for our blessing. "Behold the Lamb of God which beareth away the sins of the world." "Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more forever." "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us."
Finally, Aaron had to put off the white linen garments, wash himself thoroughly and put on the garments of his priestly office and offer the burnt offerings on the altar with the fat of the sin offerings. Communion and fellowship with God were able to continue for another year and the people were assured of their acceptance by God for another year. The sin offerings were taken and burned outside the camp. The man who led away the scapegoat and the one who burned the sin offerings both had to wash before they could come back and resume their lives as before they were designated for that special work. We should never underestimate the value of the past, present and future work of our Lord. He was "made sin for us, He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." We in turn are "sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." "By His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Now we are able to serve the living God without fear. We are able to "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith."
The Day of Atonement came once a year for Israel and then had to be repeated each year. The shadow and type is now past. Now we live in the reality of the finished work of Christ. His sacrifice was accepted once for all and never has to be repeated. We live in the good of the great accomplishment of our Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that it is not to be repeated, in no way diminishes its value. Rather, the value of such a sacrificial work is enhanced. That is one of the reasons we approach God in reverence and in godly fear. A holy God and a holy priesthood share in common our appreciation of the One who brought satisfaction to both. It is our privilege to enter into the "Holiest by the blood of Jesus." We have experienced the sprinkling on our hearts, and the washing of regeneration in our lives.