4

ATONEMENT SACRIFICE

TWO DAYS BEFORE THE DAY of Atonement, Daniel’s father returned home late in the afternoon. He had been unexpectedly summoned by the king’s messenger earlier that morning. Normally, there was no work performed during the High Holy Days. The palace’s official activities would be ceased. The family knew something extremely important had occurred that required the recall of the royal staff. Karmiel asked the younger children to remain outside while he spoke with his wife and Daniel.

“King Jehoiakim announced this morning that messengers from our spies in the north country reported that Nebuchadnezzar’s army had swept through Damascus and Dan. They are moving southward swiftly in pursuit of the Egyptian army, which is in retreat, having just passed to our west over the last two days. The spies also observed a ceremony at the foothills of the Nebo Mountains, followed by much reveling by his army. The strange event including music and dancing led the spies to conclude that Nebuchadnezzar had received a coronation in the field. His father, King Nabopolassar, was known to be failing in health. He must have died in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was seen leaving the camp the next day with a travel entourage. Babylonia probably has a new king.”

“Does that mean their army will end their movement toward us, Father?” Daniel asked.

“Not likely. Their army is fierce and well-organized. They can operate without Nebuchadnezzar. What’s more, Necho sent a team to inform Jehoiakim that Egypt was abandoning Judah, at least for now. Necho’s men also presented a demand for food, supplies, and payment of our protection in silver and gold.”

Daniel interrupted. “Why should we pay a defeated king further extortion?

“You should be king of Judah, my son. You are so wise for your young age. Certainly, King Jehoiakim would not agree to pay any more protection money to Necho. In addition to Necho’s inability to enforce our payment now, we do not want Nebuchadnezzar to see us as a staunch ally of Egypt, remaining loyal even in their defeat. We would like nothing better than to be removed from the tyrannical control of Egypt. Unfortunately, we may just trade one oppressing king for another if Babylonia invades all of Judah. The combined armies of Judah could not withstand the thousands of Babylonian warriors.”

“But, Father,” Daniel interjected again, “Gideon prayed to Yahweh and defeated the entire Median army with only three hundred men. With Yahweh, we can overcome the Babylonian army.”

“You are not only wise, Daniel, but your faith is greater than mine. Oh, that I had your faith. God surely has something great in store for you.”

*

Daniel and his family entered the temple around nine o’clock on Thursday morning—what the Hebrews called the “third hour,” being three hours after sunrise. It was just a short, quiet walk from their home. Even though worship and rituals in the temple had become infrequent and sparsely attended, this was Yom Kippur, the one day each year when almost every Jew turned out for the atonement sacrifice. This was the day that the high priest entered the Holy of Holies in the center of the temple to atone for sins of all Jews. It had been practiced by the Hebrew people since the days of Moses. Daniel always looked forward to this experience when he felt closest to Yahweh. The presence of His Spirit could be felt in a powerful way.

Daniel felt a particularly special need to receive atonement this year. He longed for relief of the guilt he harbored from observing the sacrifice to Molech. He felt unclean and in need of Yahweh’s forgiveness. He knew his sin would be among those represented in the animal sacrifice as the priest would sprinkle the blood on the Ark of the Covenant inside the Holy of Holies.

Daniel’s father entered the temple courtyard first wearing a traditional white mantle, a full-sleeved outer garment that flowed to the ankles with multiple folds and drapes. It was made of a light linen fabric imported from Babylon. On the bottom hem were a series of tassels, which the Torah commanded that Israelites wear as a reminder to keep the Lord’s commandments. This mantle, called a meil, was only worn by men of rank in the Hebrew society. Underneath the mantle was an under-tunic made of wool that had short sleeves and was knee-length. There was no need for a cloak in the warm, early autumn temperatures on this tenth day of the month of Tishrei. Under both garments was a simple piece of cloth worn next to the body. Like a loin cloth, the front and back loosely stitched together between the legs. On his head was a light blue turban of fine wool cloth wrapped neatly and tightly. His footwear was recently purchased sandals with hard, thick, leather soles and leather thong straps tied just above the ankles. This attire was newer and of higher quality than that worn by the large majority of the attendees. His social position would always be identified by his higher grade of clothing.

Likewise, Nessa had selectively chosen her Yom Kippur clothing, the principal piece of which was a tunic. The women’s tunic was two pieces of linen cloth joined in a seam along the top of the arms with a cut-out for the head. It had a seam running down both sides with holes for the arms. It had a bright red hem at the bottom touching the tops of her feet. This garment was gathered up in a bunch at the shoulders with a decorative metal clip and draped to fall gracefully over her body. Under her tunic were a loin cloth sewn together at the crotch and a long, narrow piece of cloth wrapped a few times snuggly around her upper body to cradle her breasts. Around her waist was a golden chain belt made by craftsmen that identified her as having above-average wealth. Her cloak of royal blue-dyed linen covered most of her tunic and included the requisite tassels around the bottom edge. Her long, black hair was wrapped in a piece of colorful patterned cloth that continued to encircle her neck framing her face. This combination scarf and neck wrap protected her from the sun but also sufficed as the head covering required of women in the temple. Expertly fabricated sandals adorned her feet. Accessories of fine jewelry were noticeable on her fingers and wrist as the status symbol of choice for Hebrew women.

Daniel was dressed much like his father, except for the turban. Most teenaged boys were bare-headed in public. His attire, including sandals, were the same as he wore to school, work, and play, except the newest and best were reserved for Yom Kippur.

The younger children wore only a tunic and the loin cloth undergarment, leaving the lower legs and feet bare. Boys and girls dressed in the same attire. However, the girls—regardless of age—wore a head cover in the temple usually consisting of a small, triangle-shaped scarf tied under the chin.

Daniel followed his father to the male seating section, while his mother, brother, and sisters took their place in the separate outer courtyard area. The women and children could observe the worship rituals and meditate but would not speak or take part in any of the processes. This was Daniel’s third time to sit in the men’s section of the temple, forward of the women, but behind the priests. That privilege was awarded after a boy’s thirteenth birthday, the year he was considered accountable for the Torah’s commandments.

Seriah, the son of the high priest, who was in line to become high priest, rose from his artfully crafted ceremonial chair and took his position before a large scroll lying on an octagonal table. He was dressed in a pure linen tunic, flowing in folds from his neck to his feet with long sleeves reaching to the wrists. A yellow cloak over-garment hung from his shoulders and was gathered at the waist by a white twined linen sash. His white turban was wound in a cone shape.

He began reading from the Torah the words of Moses, setting the stage for the imminent sacrifice by the high priest. The first reading was an instruction of the rituals of Yom Kippur. Then the young priest, turning both cylinders of the scroll to reveal subsequent writings, began reading what constituted sin and what sacrifices were required.

As the priest continued reading the word of Yahweh given through Moses, several of the men of the congregation were showing visible signs of remorse and contrition. For those who had prepared their hearts and minds by seeking the presence of Yahweh during the days leading up to Yom Kippur, this was an emotionally heavy moment.

Daniel could hear his father’s soft sobbing and couldn’t resist a quick glance, which revealed tears flowing through his father’s fingers as they covered his eyes. Daniel’s heart became heavy as his eyes also moistened from feeling his father’s anguish. He sensed the guilt his father was carrying from the role he played in paying ransom to Egypt for Judah’s security rather than depending on Yahweh’s promised defense of His people. He had never felt closer to this man he admired so greatly. He shared the guilt of his father as he silently prayed that Yahweh would forgive them both. Although they had not rejected Yahweh, they had seldom spoken out against those who did. Both father and son were silently crying out to Yahweh to forgive them and to show them the right actions to pursue in the future to correct their mistakes. Both were well aware of the looming Babylonian army marching south and drawing closer. Both were praying that God would be merciful and provide protection of His people.

Daniel’s mind switched to the scene of the human sacrifice he had witnessed. Suddenly, that evil act generated a personal conviction, and he swore before Yahweh to begin to fight against such a heinous affront to the Creator. He prayed for wisdom. This precious time in the presence of their Lord left these two men oblivious to the reading of the Torah and prayers offered by the priests in the ceremony of cleansing. Their hearts were being cleansed through their own appeals and personal repentance, as well as confession from the depths of their souls.

After the ceremonial readings and prayers, the worshipers, several hundred in number, moved to the perimeter of the courtyard. The high priest, Azaryah IV, had been going through the ceremonial purification washings and changing of garments in private settings during the morning hours. Just prior to appearing in the courtyard of the temple, he had clothed himself in his special priestly garments for the sacrifices. Azaryah had participated in these yearly ceremonies as a young priest assisting his father, Hilkiah, in the years of King Josiah. This was only his third year to perform the sacrifices as chief priest assisted by his son, Seriah.

Azaryah entered the courtyard with the sounding of the temple trumpets and the beat of the ceremonial drums. His priestly robe was a sleeveless, white linen over-garment fringed at the lower hem with golden bells alternating with pomegranate-shaped tassels in colors of blue, purple, and scarlet. Over the robe was a richly embroidered, long, white linen vest called an ephod. It had two onyx gemstones on the shoulders engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Fastened securely to the ephod was the priestly breastplate with twelve gemstones—four rows of three—each engraved with the name of one of the tribes. A white, linen turban adorned his head and displayed a golden plate inscribed with the words, “Holiness unto Yahweh.”

At the high priest’s command, the bull specially selected and inspected for the sacrifice was led in through the main temple gate. The bull had no blemish or impairment—the finest of all herds in Judah. It would be slaughtered to provide the blood as a sin offering for the high priest and his family before being placed on the coals of the altar. Just inside the gate, the bull’s handlers, along with the priest’s son, Seriah, immobilized the beast with ropes and dropped it to the stone floor with a thud and a flurry of dust. Saliva was spewing from its mouth as it bellowed in terror, pain, and anger.

Daniel and his father stood motionless on the periphery of the courtyard after they had maneuvered to a position with a clear view of the priest and the bull. Azaryah’s loud and high-pitched confession over the condemned animal was the cue for everyone within earshot to fall prone on the floor. Fathers and sons lay with their foreheads and noses touching the warm stone courtyard overlays. The priest continued to cry out for Yahweh to remember their sins no more and to be glorified by the slaying of the bull lying at his feet.

As the prayer ended, Daniel rose and looked over the crowd. In a way, it was amusing to watch how people of all ages managed the act of rising from prone to standing. Suddenly, he gasped. His jaw dropped as he forcefully exhaled. Not more than ten steps away was the man he instantly recognized as the one who had presided at the sacrifice of the little boy to the fiery arms of Molech at Gehenna.

Daniel’s knees buckled, and his breathing quickened. He was shocked at how such an evil man could join the presence of Yahweh’s people on this holiest day of the year. Was he there to repent and confess? That would be too much to comprehend. Was he there because he was so out of touch with Yahweh, he saw nothing wrong with serving two masters? That was also unimaginable. Daniel became nauseous. He would not tell his father, desiring to not distract him from the ritual.

Seriah received a large knife from a temple servant and presented it ceremoniously to his father. With a precise sweeping motion, the high priest cut a deep gash into the neck of the bull, severing the vessels that immediately streamed blood into a bronze bowl placed instantly under the flow. The crowd yelled in jubilant mixed praises of “hallelujah,” “praise Yahweh,” and unintelligible shouts and screams, while jumping and lifting their hands heavenward. The sacrifice had been made!

The bull lay still and quiet, surrendering its life as a sacrifice for the sins of God’s people.

Removing the blood-filled bowl, the high priest carried it carefully to the altar and poured most of it on the red-hot coals. Then he took a small shovel of embers from the altar and carried it under his arm while holding the bowl. Taking slow and deliberate steps, he walked past the laver wash basin and up the steps to the porch of the holy sanctuary. There, Seriah parted the curtains for his father to enter the sanctuary where the lampstand, the showbread table, and the altar of incense were located.

Losing sight of the priests, Daniel closed his eyes and visualized in his mind what he knew was taking place inside. The lampstand was lighted in the holy place day and night. The temple priests ensured the flames on all seven arms of the lamp were never extinguished and the incense was always burning. Daniel mentally traced the entire temple ritual.

Turning to Seriah, Azaryah handed him the bowl of blood and gathered several of the sticks and leaves of incense in another bowl. As Azaryah approached the thick, heavy curtain that guarded the Holy of Holies, Seriah stood behind his father. They were alone in the sanctuary. All was quiet in the room, partially because of the thick curtains around all sides muffling any sound, but there was also silence in the outer court as the people hushed in reverence to this sacred event. There was not a whisper, even from the children. This was the year’s most sacred moment in the lives of the Jewish people. It was an eerie silence—a stark contrast to the raucous commotion surrounding the slaying of the bull just moments before.

Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, the dwelling place of Yahweh, and only once each year during Yom Kippur. Seriah stood rigid in front of the burning incense that filled the room with a strong, but pleasant, aroma. Azaryah picked up a small oil lamp that had been placed next to the incense and draped its attached cord around his right forearm. Then he reached slowly for the tightly closed divide of the two huge curtains between the two inner columns of the entry to the Holy of Holies. Using all the strength of his left arm and shoulder while balancing the incense and the shovel of embers, he parted the curtains with a hearty exhaled groan. With barely enough room to slide his body sideways between them, he carefully held the bowl of incense in his right hand so as not to spill any of it. The curtains came together with a thud behind him as he suddenly stood overwhelmed with emotion and awe before the Ark of the Covenant. The flickering blaze in the small lamp barely provided enough light to see the silhouette of the ark.

As Azaryah’s eyes grew more accustomed to the dark room, he began to make out more details of the ark. The solid gold, cube-shaped container housed the two stone tablets engraved by Yahweh with the Ten Commandments given to Moses. The sight was just as awesome as the first time this high priest had seen it in the first year of his anointing. The original contents included the budding staff of Aaron and a jar of manna, which were removed during the ark’s brief possession by the Philistine enemies of Israel about four centuries prior. A few scrapes and dents were visible on the corners from months of abuse by the heathen tribes.

The ark was adorned at all edges with engravings by the artists commissioned by Moses. Fused to the top of the ark were the solid gold images of two angels facing each other in kneeling positions with large, feathered wings folded toward each other and touching in the center. Gold-clad, horizontal, wooden poles were held in place by gold rings on either side of the ark.

As the priest’s eyes adjusted more to the darkness, he could not see much of the ark’s former brilliance due to the centuries of annual staining from the sprinkling of blood first in the tabernacle tent, then in the temple.

After pausing to regain his composure and recovering from momentary hyperventilation, Azaryah forced himself to focus on placing the shovel of embers on the incense altar and pouring the incense over the embers. He closed his eyes and breathed in the sweet scent. It was understandable why Yahweh loved the aroma representing the prayers of His people.

Parting the curtains a little more easily this time, Azaryah reappeared before Seriah, took the bowl of blood, and reentered the Holy of Holies. Once again inside, he moved through the ritual of sprinkling the blood on the ark. He dipped his fingers into the bowl of blood eight times and, with repeated deliberate motions, flung the blood drops each time onto the ark’s top and sides. He walked around the ark to sprinkle all four sides with the lifeblood of the sacrificial bull, most of which now lay charred and smoldering on the bronze altar. The bowl containing the remaining blood was placed on a stand at the exit from the room.

Still standing in the center of the holy sanctuary, Seriah saw the curtains part slightly at first, then just wide enough for his father to again move quickly through the heavy fabric, somewhat clumsily carrying the incense bowl, the shovel, and the lamp.

The father and son priests walked together from the sanctuary to the east side of the courtyard, where Azaryah laid his hands on a goat specially selected for sacrifice to Yahweh. As with the bull, he pronounced confession while the crowd again assumed the prostrate position on the stone floor of the courtyard. Taking the knife, he ceremoniously sliced through the blood vessels of the goat’s throat, allowing its blood to flow freely into a bowl. Carrying the bowl of blood back into the Holy of Holies, Azaryah picked up the bowl of bull’s blood, which had been left on the stand, and sprinkled it again with his fingers eight times on the Ark. Then, he took the other bowl and flung the blood of the goat eight times toward the Ark.

Following the precise instructions of the Torah, the high priest finally mixed the blood from the two bowls and smeared the bull and goat blood on the corners of the incense altar. Once again, he sprinkled the blood eight times on the Ark. The sacrifice was complete. The sins of the people of God were atoned for.

As he returned to the front of the Ark, suddenly the entire room filled with a smoke-like haze. There was no accompanying sound, no voice, no moving of the air, just instantaneous haze thick enough to block the view of the ark. Azaryah fell helpless to the floor on his knees. The presence of God was like a heavy weight pressing his body on all sides. He bent forward further to place his forehead on the floor. Although this was overwhelming to the point of near loss of consciousness, it was not unexpected. High priests through the ages had prepared their successors for this phenomenon. Although it was exhilarating, it was also dreaded because of its impact on the psyche of the only person who could receive it.

After a few minutes that seemed like hours, the haze cleared; the pressure of the room eased; and Azaryah lifted his head and faced upward. Tears streamed down his cheeks and neck. Raising both arms fully extended, he began whispering, “Yahweh, Yahweh!” His voice became louder until he screamed out over and over, “Yahweh, Yahweh!” Then, the chanting of the name turned to laughter. He laughed uncontrollably. This was the closest he would ever be to Almighty God until he was called to his eternal home.

Azaryah’s face was ashen as the curtains slammed together behind him, never to be opened for another year. He walked unsteadily, handing both blood bowls to his son with shaking hands.

“Did it all go as well as you expected, Father?” Seriah inquired.

“Yes, Son. As Yahweh promises, He met with His people through His anointed. His presence was mighty.”

“Even though you have described it to me before, I cannot comprehend it,” Seriah responded.

“Nor can I, Son. But you will experience it someday. You will enter the Holy of Holies on behalf of your people. We must pray that the sins of our people don’t become so terrible that Yahweh withdraws His presence from this temple.”

Daniel smiled as the priests reappeared from the sanctuary. There was one more ritual required on this atonement day. Near the location of the animal slaughter, yet another goat was being held by one of the priests. Daniel watched with quiet anticipation as Azaryah and his son approached the “scape goat.” Placing both hands on the goat’s head, the high priest made confession for the sins of all the people of Israel asking Yahweh to forgive their transgressions. As this appeal was being voiced, all the people lay face-down for the third time in reverence and private confession.

Familiar with the process, the people rose to their feet just as the goat was released. They applauded and cheered loudly as several men chased the goat down the mountain, out of the city, and into the desert wilderness. The goat’s destiny was to be pushed off the edge of a high cliff, symbolically taking with it the sins of the entire nation that had been transferred to it by the high priest during the confession. The men chased the goat to the precipice of the cliff and forced it over the edge to its tragic death.