Week Seven | The Day of Atonement

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7 Feasts Online Biblical Study
Reading Assignment – Week Six (Pg. 182-213)
Listen to the Audio version | Reading Time: 5 minutes

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Have you ever heard the song, “The End of the Beginning” by David Phelps?  In the song, David shares how the Gospel story of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection isn’t the end of the story, but just the end of the beautiful beginning of God’s magnificent plan.

It has been so amazing to see how Jesus is the fulfillment of each of the feasts of the Lord given to us in Leviticus 23. So I was surprised when Erin Davis said on page 229 of 7 Feasts,

“While many of the other feasts have a New Testament counterpart (Passover, Pentecost, the Lord’s Supper), the Day of Atonement does not.”

erin davis, Pg. 229 of “7 feasts”

I understand she was pointing out that we don’t have the need for a yearly sacrifice for the atonement of sins because Jesus took care of that for us. However,  I think it’s important to take a closer look and compare the Old and New Testaments to see how Jesus met every single aspect of the Day of Atonement rituals, and how His completion of these requirements isn’t the end, but just the end of the beginning.

Jesus, the Fulfillment

Leviticus chapter 16 gives a detailed description of the rituals and procedures required first by Aaron, and then later by the high priest on the Day of Atonement.

We see Jesus fulfilling this powerful role, as Hebrews 4:14 through 5:10 explains how Jesus was designated by God to be the high priest.  It goes on to say in Hebrews 9:11, NLT,

“So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.“
Hebrews 9:11, NLT

The high priest was very busy on the Day of Atonement. God made it abundantly clear that entering into the Most Holy Place was not to be taken lightly. He was required to bathe several times throughout the day, and dress in particular sacred garments. Then the high priest had to sacrifice a bull and goat, the bull for his sin and the goat for the sins of the people, and use their blood to offer as atonement.

Hebrews chapter 9 continues in verse 12 in the NLT, explaining how Jesus,

“With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.”
Hebrews 9:12, NLT

I am deeply fascinated by the comparisons of how on the Day of Atonement the high priest would take two goats and present them to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting and the story found in Matthew 27:16-18 when Jesus and another prisoner named Jesus Barabbas were picked over, one being sentenced to death and the other released.

Jesus, being the complete fulfillment stood beside Jesus Barabbas. And in the same manner, the two goats were presented and it was decided upon, which one would be a blood sacrifice and which would have the sins of the nation placed on it and be released into the wilderness to eventually die. Although Jesus Barabbas was released and not sentenced to a death in the wilderness, he played an important role to help us see how Jesus Christ was both the perfect sacrificial lamb and the scapegoat who took on the sins of not only the nation but of the world, to be the atonement for everyone.

1 John 2:2,  NIV, says,

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.“
1 John 2:2, NIV

Several times in Leviticus 16 we read about the Most Holy Place residing behind a curtain, that separated the presence of God and the people. In Mark 15:18, after Jesus breathed His last, “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom”, permanently removing the divider between God and His people.

Hebrews 9:24-25, NIV says,

“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.“
Hebrews 9:24-25, NIV

Our High Priest, Jesus Christ entered into the Most Holy Place once and for all.

I like the way Erin explains on page 230 of 7 Feasts,

“We have no need for a yearly sacrifice for our sins because Jesus paid the penalty required once and for all. Because Christ was the perfect, sinless sacrifice, His death atones not just for a year but once and for all.”

erin davis, Pg. 230 of “7 feasts”

Before the destruction of the Temple, observing the Day of Atonement was unlike the other feasts because everyone was required to shelter in place and fast. There was nothing anyone else could do to earn atonement. Only one Jewish person, the high priest, was very busy on that day. Despite all of the rituals he had to accomplish, the book of Leviticus never mentions him sitting down.

But in Hebrews 8:1, NIV, it says,

“We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.“
Hebrews 8:1, NIV

Jesus, our High Priest is seated in the Most Holy place. In the earthly tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, there were no chairs. The work of the priest was ongoing. With Jesus the work is completed… so He can sit and rest.

End of the Beginning

It’s clear to see how Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, but all of this is still the end of the beginning. There is still a part of this feast of the Lord we are waiting to see during Jesus’ second coming.

 Erin says on page 215,

“Ultimately, the Day of Atonement is not about our sin. It’s a day dedicated to showcasing God’s elaborate grace.”

erin davis, Pg. 215 of “7 feasts”

Zechariah 12:10 from the NIV tells how God longs to extend this grace to all of His children, 

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.“
Zechariah 12:10, NIV

Romans 11 reminds us that, “All Israel will be saved…”

If we fast during the Day of Atonement, let’s fast with the intention of intercession for the Jewish people and everyone who hasn’t received Jesus as their atonement.

“I believe that this is true.  His death wasn’t the end, but the beginning of life, that’s completed in you.  Don’t you see, He did all this for you!”

the end of the beginning, David phelps

TODAY WE LEARNED:
1. The high priest is the only person permitted to carry out the Day of Atonement rituals.
2. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement.
3. We are still waiting for His complete fulfillment during His second coming.

ANSWER THIS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW:
Did you see that Jesus did all this for you? How so?