Post details: On the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16, Hebrews 9 and 10)
On the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16, Hebrews 9 and 10)
Christians who read the bible backward—NT first then OT, cannot imagine the solemnity associated with the sacrifice of Day of Atonement. After Moses describes the ceremony including enough details but certainly not all, the later biblical writers chose not to record any performances or even any historical reference that the ceremony was ever enacted in Israel’s festival calendar. Only the rabbis added information, but that literature comes from a time post-temple, recounting what used to be.
Without moving too far into areas I am not comfortable with nor desire to be, one could wonder what was the heavenly perspective on that once a year event. Speculation must suffice but as God repeatedly had his authors write that the divine view is an internal, heart directed look, I may propose the same for that view of the Day of Atonement. Thus ceremony functions little to remove sin unless those manipulating all of the blood, mostly the high priest, give credence to God’s words: blood properly applied cleanses ark, incense altar, and sacrificial altar alike; allowing the almighty yhwh to remain another year in the midst of his people.
It doesn’t take a thorough, complete reading of the historical books before one would question if Israel carried our the ceremony and if they did was it with attitudes of priest and people that pleased God. But then reflecting upon any communion service, church members mostly grasp the significance of Jesus’ death as represented in the elements, but with what import? Behavior change, or just pleased once again to be off the hook with god. (I wonder here if the baptistic and other similar traditions with their emphasis on only the symbolic nature of the communion miss some of the ceremony’s benefit?)
What must the high priest have thought as he pulled back the curtain exposing the golden plated ark to the dim light from the candelabra. This would have been the place where yhwh conversed with Moses, detailing further instructions for Israel’s benefit and answering any questions arising from real time events. Now laden with sin, that which separates priest from God, would there have been any hesitation, any last minute confession, any sense of inadequacy, or any doubt? Would high priestly doubt invalidate the sufficiency of the goat blood’s cleansing? Imagining that the details were followed precisely how given by Moses and fleshed out over time, try to sense the relief upon the priest’s leaving the back room knowing his relationship with Yahweh no longer carried the burden of last year’s sins. We cannot place ourselves in that position, as the cross has given us a sense of relief that so quickly fades from our minds. The question of what if…, does not play in the evangelical understanding of NT.
Where does reality end and symbolism begin? After reperforming the same stages of the ceremony for the people as he had for himself, the high priest would have the azazel goat, “scape” goat translates function not meaning, brought near as he confessed all of last year’s sins of Israel passing them from cleansed altars to the goat. This one then led out of the city to the wilderness, relocating sin’s pollution as far away as possible.
If any of this has better enabled you to understand what Israel experiences on the Day of Atonement, or perhaps it struck you as external manipulations possible not relating at all God with sinner, or perhaps you better understand the cross or appreciate its function, write some words; engage with the text, the words, and others the impact of the Day of Atonement.
Comments:
The DoA was the best they had in Leviticus 16. It was the best. But we have something better now. We have the cross. Instead of being forgiven for last years sins, we are forgiven for all our sins, for all time. It is wiped away as far as the East is from the West.
However, Christians take advantage of this. I feel that a lot of us are very carnal. I know I often forget the great blessing I have. I personally need to get away from the actions, the symbolism, and dig deep into a real relationsip with God.
J. Wright
Where does the symbolism end, and where does the reality begin? well that can be a hard question to answer, but I think to a degree it starts with the heart. I think its reality when you do it with all your heart and understand the meaning behind the act and remember why you are there. If you show up to just do it then it really has no meaning and you are just going with the flow, you are missing out.
How can you tell is the person that is in church is really there to worship or just to go along with it? There are times you can but a majority of the time that is between the believer and God, its their relationship. We all have our bad days and good days, that is why it is important for us to encourage our brother and sisters in Christ.
I think the framework of DoA has not changed. We had once for all a DoA when Christ died for our sins. And also we can remember DoA anyday, because people all over the world are getting saved and remember the day they get saved as a day when they accept Jesus' sacrifice for them. So that could relate to them as a DoA. For saved Christians, communion could remind the pattern of DoA.
In this century we have AoD- Atonement of the Day, where on the day of communion we make things straight with God. I think AoD is celebrated in Churches during communion.
I relate this to the curch. How quickly the fire of Christians, fade from a roaring bon-fire to a few glowing coals. Who would want to be a part of the such an organization? As, those who are searching, find faithful members who are not happy nor fulfilled, by promices and claims from their own faith based asssertions. Their joy has been mutted by cumbersome and meaningless tradition, distraction, unbelief and emotion. Emotions that decitefully encourage us to foolishly draw unreasonable conclusions that are often times genuinely false.
Do we in fact identify ourselves with the blood of sacrafice? I think about that, He spilt His blood for me, and when I am partaking in communion, I consider how thankful I am for that, eventhough I am not sure I can comprehend just how thankful I realy am. But, would in not be better for me to think of Him as my lamb of sacrifice, a lamb that I nurtureed, seached for blemish where there was none, carried to the temple, made sure that nothing happened to it, then eventually give it over to the high priest for sacrafice...Identification, ownership for my sin and the sacrafice nessesary for it? He paid a price for me, not so that I could continue, guilt free with my life...but so that I can continue my life in His very presious pressence.
I was sparked by your comment about communion. As I thought about that for a moment, I realized how I can be like the OT Jews. Who following along with flawless religious action, who in no way, sincerly, desired to become identified and also unified with a heavently father. They would have attested to goodness of their intentions, yet in reality found what they realy wanted; wich was relief and "fire insurance." What a wakeup call, do our actions and our hearts reflect the same message in the sight of God? Does the heart lead to action, or does action direct our hearts? I do not know?
On the other hand, the NT introduces us to a God of love, like found in John 3:16-18. A God who has gone to great lengths and made great sacrifices to have a relationship with us; the God of the NT don’t have a trail of corpses for disobedience, rather a trail of martyrs that we call the faithful saints. People who loved (not feared) God to the point of death and are viewed as our heroes. I have seen too many people in the church that view God as a genie, God is there to make everything right, God is there to help me pay my bills, and make my family life enjoyable. They put God in a box and view the Almighty as a good-time God, and when things go bad its not God, it’s the devil hurting us because we are on Gods side. Then wine and cry and ask for prayer… when it is God who has hurt them trying to get their attention. Too many people live according to what is right in their own eyes, and pass the blame when things go wrong.
I honestly believe most “church” goers do not realize that the God of the OT and NT are the same God. Yes God loves us, and yes we ought to fear God, fear to the point of wetting ourselves for disobeying God. But we Christians claim the love of God, and rest secure in His forgiveness of sins, and are seemingly unafraid of any consequences that might result from sin. Because, hey, there is nothing he can’t forgive right! God loves us and that’s all that matters.
I have a communion service scheduled in my church this Sunday. I feel I need to work Liv. 16 into that service, maybe those living in obvious unrepentant sin will let the dish pass by this time
I think the reality ends and the symbolism begins when the symbolism of the remembrance, the symbolism of communion, no longer reminds - no longer makes Jesus' sacrifice impact us and our daily lives.
In response to Mike, while it may seem that God is either just or loving, the connection is that He is holy - holy just, holy love - and it's not passive, it's active. Yet some decide that He's for them (to do things, fix things) rather than them for Him, to do what He would do and become more like Him.
the high priest-whether it was symbolic or a matter of the
heart...perhaps it was both? I do not feel I am in a position
to say so.
Consider that when a ceremony is performed many times, for years or centuries on end, it becomes a ritual, and rituals tend to become dead rites with no meaning at all. People merely go through the motions, as it were, without even thinking about what's behind it all. We see that in many churches today, in that sacrament/communion is taken blindly, as part of a daily or weekly habit; no thought whatever is given to what it stands for. Old-line churches do the same things the same way they have for 75 years; they end up closing their doors. The people are looking for meaning, for relevance, and yet when they find a church that suits their needs, it may soon become the same way.
My experiences in the Mormon church have shown all this to me; their worship services have remained essentially the same for over a century, being dictated from Salt Lake City. The Temple rituals ( different from regular church services) also reek of dead ritualism. We, as individual believers and followers of Christ, have the responsibility to keep ourselves from falling into the trap of taking such ordinances as communion and baptism for granted. We must look at ourselves, each time we come to the Lord's table, and look back at what He did - and continues to do - for us. We must be transparent and confess our sins before we partake of Communion, realizing that we are celebrating and remembering the blood and broken body of Christ who died for those sins. I believe that was the original intent of the great feasts of the Jewish people in the OT, such as passover, so that generation after generation would come to know and be grateful for what God has done in ages past, and what He will yet do in ages to come.
Ignorance is not Bliss.
And i really like all the post of yours.
Thanks
I agree with them. it is true.
thanks
Thank you
I loved it! Keep up the good work!
Amanda
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