What is Next? Atonement

Prayer – Holy Spirit—thank you for showing me the importance of repentance—and Yom Kippur. God, You are worthy of my repentance—and I give up to You my sins—my shortcomings—my attitudes that are not pleasing to You. Renew a right spirit within me…Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10). I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness. (Psalm 119:40).

Is this a scapegoat?

The 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. ... Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. "Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD. Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle. He 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. Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the LORD. The 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. Leviticus 16:2, 5-10

 

Meditate. Consider God’s plan for atonement.

 

What is next in the Jewish Calendar…the Feasts that God ordained?

               Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year (September 15-17)

Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur (September 24-25)

               Feast of Tabernacles – Sukkot (September 29- October 6)

               Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah– Happy Days (October 6-8)

               Chanukah – Festival of Lights (December 7-15)

For the Day of Atonement specific instruction were given to Moses for the priests who entered the Holy of Holies once a year. To begin with that priest was Aaron and later it was a priest, always in the tribe of Levi, chosen for that particular duty. More instructions were given in Leviticus, particularly chapter 16, for the duties and responsibilities of the priests. Yom Kippur, which this year will be September 24-24, is that Day of Atonement that is described in Leviticus 16:29-34. It is the Day of Atonement for the people—but they didn’t have to do anything. The priest alone went into the Holy of Holies, before God, and atoned for all the people’s sins for that past year. The people were just to rest—no work on the Sabbath—nothing to do. 

 

This was to be an annual event—a permanent statute. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year. It is still a holy day that Jews today observe. One of the similarities is that it is still a day of fasting. It is a day of repentance. Unlike the Israelites in the day of Moses, no longer is it just to watch while a priest makes atonement for their sins in the past year.  Today everyone takes part in the repentance observation. Person and public prayers of repentance are important. As Christians we are called to repentance continually—not on just one day of the year. Every day is a Day of Atonement.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. Psalm 79:9

 

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© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

Revised from September 26, 2015 “Banquet With The King” blog.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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