Return to Index.

The Day of Atonement
September 28, 2020

Today is the Day of Atonement, and many Christians observe this day knowing that Jesus Christ is our high priest. If you want to learn more about the connection to Jesus Christ and this day, please listen to today’s sermon or read today’s sermon transcript. This Bible study will show the Old Testament history of the Day of Atonement and give us the reason for fasting, which we are commanded to do on this day. Going back in time to the origin of the Day of Atonement, Aaron’s two sons died because they offered fire before God that was not commanded by God and God used this to teach that the high priest was not to enter the holy place of the tabernacle except on what would be the Day of Atonement.

When Aaron entered the Holiest of all, he was to bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering wearing the holy clothes. For the people of Israel, he was to take two young goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. Aaron was to offer the young bull as a sin offering just for his sins and to make atonement for himself and his family. The two goats were to be brought to the door of the tabernacle and cast lots on them. One lot would be for God and the other lot would be for the scapegoat. The scapegoat was to be kept alive and the goat selected for God would be offered as a sacrifice. The scapegoat would be led into the wilderness. These goats represent Jesus Christ and Satan with Jesus Christ being the goat that was offered for sin, just as Jesus Christ was offered for sin. The goat led into the wilderness is a type of Satan, just as Satan will one day be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone to be tormented day and night forever.

Aaron, when he offered the young bull as a sin offering was to sacrifice the animal in a prescribed manner using coals of fire and sweet incense. The incense was to be placed in front of the mercy seat so that it would engulf the mercy seat, and blood from the young bull was to be sprinkled seven times on the mercy seat. After this the goat was to be killed for the sin offering, and the blood of the goat was to be also sprinkled on the mercy seat. The blood of the young bull and the young goat was to also be sprinkled seven times on the horns of the altar. When the offerings were complete, he was to bring the scapegoat and confess the sins of the children of Israel on the life goat and send it away into the wilderness. Some think this goat represents Jesus Christ, but we know this cannot be the case because Jesus was sacrificed for our sins, just like the goat was sacrificed for the people’s sins. This goat is having the sins of the people placed on it. Satan is the author of sin and all sin originates and ends with him. The goat is led into the wilderness to show complete removal from God.

Leviticus 16:1-22
And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

Later it would be explained that the Day of Atonement would be a day for fasting, a day observed from sunset to sunset. It is not a day for work of any type.

Leviticus 23:26-32
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

Knowing we fast on the Day of Atonement does not answer the question why we fast. Fasting is not an act of stubbornness without food, it is an act of devotion that removes burdens. Nor is fasting an act that is designed to make us look holy or righteous. Isaiah the prophet criticized the people because they fasted for wrong reasons. Even in a country with millions of Christians, we need to be aware that just professing to seek Jesus and God is insufficient, because for some people it is just a show of faith. We must never be a phony Christian who acts religious in public abandoning our faith in private.

Fasting is not done to bolster our ideological or political views. Some people link their religious identity to their political identity and blend the two, and this is often intertwined with strife and debate. Politics is about furthering man’s system on earth. We are to be about establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. This type of public fasting designed to elicit a response from those who see the fasting is not what God intended. God intended fasting to have the same outcomes as the principles that Jesus preached. Fastening is designed to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every type of bondage. It is designed to feed the hungry, to care for the poor, so that our light can break forth like the morning with the glory of God as our blessing.

We don’t fast for political strife and debate, to see if we can make Jesus out to be a liberal or a conservative. That’s not what fasting is for. We are fasting to loosen the bands of wickedness. If there is something bad happening out there, some kind of evil, That’s the wickedness that is being talked about, and by fasting we take spiritual, proactive steps forward to minimalize the effect of wickedness. We fast to undo the heavy burdens, people are saddled with debt, people are very busy and hurried in their life, and people are very frustrated by what is happening in the world. As we fast, we begin to undo these heavy burdens because as we fast and in secret become right with God, we are moving ourselves and the Kingdom of God, which will undo all of those evils, one step closer to fruition. And so when we fast, we’re fasting not to glorify ourselves, we are fasting in service to people around us, and to do undo every evil thing we may see.

When we humble ourselves before God and serve others, God will guide us and even in the driest of times, we will be watered and we shall become known as people who fix relationships with God so that people can be on the path to eternal life.

Isaiah 58:1-12
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

If you listen to today’s sermon or read today’s sermon transcript, you will see that today because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who is our high priest, we have direct access to the mercy seat of God. The Day of Atonement is about the reconciliation of God with men through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who knows that when we are tempted of sin, that temptation, as all sin, was born and conceived by Satan the Devil, on whom this day shows will be born the responsibility for sins. Those who only focus on the Old Testament rituals cannot understand this, and those who are Christians and ignore the Holy Days of God cannot understand this. Through the mercy of God we are called now and each of us can come boldly into God’s throne of grace to obtain mercy and to find grace in time of need.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
Copyright and Legal Information
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information