February 5 A READ LEVITICUS 16–17
The Holiest Day of the Year
OVERVIEW
Observing the great Day of Atonement each year was Israel’s most significant act of worship. On that day the nation gathered to watch expectantly as the high priest entered the Most Holy Place with the blood of atonement to cover the sins of the nation for the previous year. Because blood was the central ingredient in Israel’s national and personal forgiveness, God prohibited its use for any purpose except sacrifice to him, for “it is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible” (17:11).
MY DAILY WALK
Have you ever had to live with a gnawing uncertainty? a recurring illness? an overdue bill? a threat of legal action? The emotions of facing situations like those are intensely painful.
In Old Testament times the emotions that charged the air on every Day of Atonement must have been intense. As the high priest cautiously entered the Most Holy Place to make atonement for the sins of the nation, one question was uppermost in everyone’s mind: Would God pass over their sins for another year?
The awful reality of the Day of Atonement was this: People were never fully cleansed of their sins. They were only temporarily covered and sent away on the head of the scapegoat. The debt of sin remained unpaid, like a promissory note deferred from year to year.
Aren’t you glad Jesus Christ ended that uncertainty for all time? By his death the long-standing debt of sin was paid in full (Colossians 2:14). When you pay your bills this month, remind yourself—and one other person—that Jesus has paid your debt to God in full.
THE WONDER OF THE CROSS IS NOT THE BLOOD BUT WHOSE BLOOD.
INSIGHT
Covered and Protected for Another Year | Lev. 16:2-34
The Day of Atonement was the most important day of the year in ancient Israel (16:2-34). On this day alone two special things happened: The high priest entered the Most Holy Place to make atonement for the nation’s sins, and a scapegoat symbolically carried off the nation’s sins into the wilderness. This ritual was designed to “cover” the people’s sins until Jesus Christ came and died on the cross, making atonement for sins once and for all.
INSIGHT
No Private Sacrifices Allowed | Lev. 17:3-4
The restrictions against private sacrifices outside the Tabernacle (17:3-4) were to prevent the people from drifting into the idolatrous practices of their pagan neighbors. Only properly ordained priests in the proper location (the Tabernacle) could offer Israel’s sacrifices.
The Day of Atonement
1The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, who died after they entered the LORD’s presence and burned the wrong kind of fire before him. 2The LORD said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.
3“When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he must follow these instructions fully. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4He must put on his linen tunic and the linen undergarments worn next to his body. He must tie the linen sash around his waist and put the linen turban on his head. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself in water before he puts them on. 5Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
6“Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD.* 7Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle.* 8He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the LORD and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel. 9Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the LORD. 10The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the LORD. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the LORD.*
11“Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD. After he has slaughtered the bull as a sin offering, 12he will fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar that stands before the LORD. Then he will take two handfuls of fragrant powdered incense and will carry the burner and the incense behind the inner curtain. 13There in the LORD’s presence he will put the incense on the burning coals so that a cloud of incense will rise over the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant.* If he follows these instructions, he will not die. 14Then he must take some of the blood of the bull, dip his finger in it, and sprinkle it on the east side of the atonement cover. He must sprinkle blood seven times with his finger in front of the atonement cover.
15“Then Aaron must slaughter the first goat as a sin offering for the people and carry its blood behind the inner curtain. There he will sprinkle the goat’s blood over the atonement cover and in front of it, just as he did with the bull’s blood. 16Through this process, he will purify* the Most Holy Place, and he will do the same for the entire Tabernacle, because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites. 17No one else is allowed inside the Tabernacle when Aaron enters it for the purification ceremony in the Most Holy Place. No one may enter until he comes out again after purifying himself, his family, and all the congregation of Israel, making them right with the LORD.
18“Then Aaron will come out to purify the altar that stands before the LORD. He will do this by taking some of the blood from the bull and the goat and putting it on each of the horns of the altar. 19Then he must sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times over the altar. In this way, he will cleanse it from Israel’s defilement and make it holy.
20“When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat. 21He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. 22As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.
23“When Aaron goes back into the Tabernacle, he must take off the linen garments he was wearing when he entered the Most Holy Place, and he must leave the garments there. 24Then he must bathe himself with water in a sacred place, put on his regular garments, and go out to sacrifice a burnt offering for himself and a burnt offering for the people. Through this process, he will purify himself and the people, making them right with the LORD. 25He must then burn all the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26“The man chosen to drive the scapegoat into the wilderness of Azazel must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water. Then he may return to the camp.
27“The bull and the goat presented as sin offerings, whose blood Aaron takes into the Most Holy Place for the purification ceremony, will be carried outside the camp. The animals’ hides, internal organs, and dung are all to be burned. 28The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water before returning to the camp.
29“On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn,* you must deny yourselves.* Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living among you may do any kind of work. This is a permanent law for you. 30On that day offerings of purification will be made for you,* and you will be purified in the LORD’s presence from all your sins. 31It will be a Sabbath day of complete rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This is a permanent law for you. 32In future generations, the purification* ceremony will be performed by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in place of his ancestor Aaron. He will put on the holy linen garments 33and purify the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and the entire congregation. 34This is a permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the LORD once each year.”
Moses followed all these instructions exactly as the LORD had commanded him.