Bible Study 7: The Day of Atonement - A Day of Mourning and Comfort

7.1 Key themes⤒🔗

God is holy and he hates sin.
The Day of Atonement was a day for Israel to mourn over their sin and for God to comfort them.
The message of the Day of Atonement is, the holy God forgives and cleanses his people, so that they may live in his presence.
On the Day of Atonement, the high priest did all the work of atonement.
The high priest and the offerings could never really take away the separation between sinful people and a holy God.
Jesus is the perfect High Priest who gave the perfect offering for atonement.
As children of God, we should
- mourn over our sin; but also
- be comforted, knowing that Jesus opened the way for us to be with God.

7.2 Leviticus 16:1-5←⤒🔗

^1. The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord and died,

^2. and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the special curtain in front of the atonement lid that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement lid.

^3. “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary—with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

^4. He must put on a holy linen tunic, linen leggings are to cover his body, and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash and wrap his head with a linen turban. They are holy garments, so he must bathe his body in water and put them on.

^5. He must also take two male goats from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

7.3 Leviticus 23:26-30←⤒🔗

^26. The Lord spoke to Moses:

^27. The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must humble yourselves and present a gift to the Lord.

^28. You must not do any work on this particular day, because it is a day of atonement to make atonement for yourselves before the Lord your God.

^29. Indeed, any person who does not behave with humility on this particular day will be cut off from his people.

^30.As for any person who does any work on this particular day, I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people.

7.4 The Lord is holy←⤒🔗

The Lord is holy and he hates sin. That is why he told Moses to make a separate room, the Most Holy Place, in the tabernacle (Exodus 26:31-36). The ark of the covenant was kept in this room. (The ark was a wooden box, overlaid with gold. The ark was a picture of God’s presence.)

Because the ark was kept in the Most Holy Place, it meant that no one could come close to it. Sinners cannot enter God’s presence and live (Exodus 33:20).

But once a year, the high priest was allowed to open the curtain and enter the Most Holy Place. This was on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement.

7.5 The Day of Atonement←⤒🔗

On the Day of Atonement, everyone in Israel had to stop their daily work and gather at the tabernacle/temple. They had to humble themselves through fasting and prayer.

Nine days earlier, with the Feast of Trumpets, Israel had been reminded of God’s presence in their lives. Now, on the Day of Atonement, they were reminded that they did not deserve God’s presence. They were sinners, and God is holy.

The Day of Atonement was a day for Israel to mourn over their sins, because their sins damaged their relationship with God and separated them from him. But it was also a day for God to comfort his people.

The word “atonement” means “to make right what is wrong in a relationship.” On the Day of Atonement, God showed his people that he, the holy God, forgives and cleanses them so that they may live in his presence! That is the message of this feast.

7.6 The high priest’s work←⤒🔗

On the Day of Atonement, there was not much that the Israelites could do. They simply had to humble themselves and be at the tabernacle/temple. The rest of the work was done by the high priest.

Normally the high priest wore beautiful clothes with gold and special stones. But on this day, he had to bathe himself and dress in humble linen clothes. Then he had to make atonement for himself with the blood of a bull. If he entered the Most Holy Place in another way, he would die as Aaron’s sons had died (Leviticus 16:1-2).

To make atonement for the nation, the high priest took two male goats. The first goat was sacrificed as a sin offering. The high priest sprinkled this goat’s blood on the atonement lid and the tabernacle/temple. This showed that there was payment for the sins of the people. They would not die for their sins, even though the holy God lived among them.

The high priest then placed his hands on the head of the other goat. He confessed Israel’s sins and sent the goat into the wilderness. In this way God comforted his mourning people. He showed them that he was taking their sins far away, forever!

7.7 Jesus, the perfect high priest←⤒🔗

The Day of Atonement had to be repeated every year. The high priest and the offerings could never really take away the separation between the holy God and his sinful people. We know this because the Most Holy Place remained closed.

But the feast was a promise of the salvation that would come. It was a picture of how the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would make atonement. Just think of these two facts:

The high priest had to dress in humble clothes, almost like a slave. Jesus the Son of God humbled himself and became our servant unto death (Philippians 2:5-8).
The high priest did all the work on the Day of Atonement. There on the cross, all by himself, Jesus did all the work of atonement for God’s people.

But the high priest was only a shadow of Jesus. The atoning work of Jesus was better in every way:

The high priest first had to make atonement for his own sin. But Jesus was without sin (1 Peter 2:22).
To make atonement, the high priest offered animals. Jesus made atonement by offering himself.
The high priest had to make atonement every year. Jesus made atonement once, and it was enough (Hebrews 9:12).
Even after the Day of Atonement, the Most Holy Place remained closed. But after Jesus had made atonement, the curtain tore open (Matthew 27:51). The way to God was now open!

7.8 Enter the holy presence of God!←⤒🔗

Whoever did not take part in the Day of Atonement, would be cut off from God’s people (Leviticus 23:29). Likewise, we cannot be part of God’s people if our sins are not taken away by God’s chosen High Priest, Jesus Christ. There is only one way to approach the holy God, and that is through faith in Jesus.

But if you have put your faith in Christ, then you have a new relationship with God. God is your Father, and the Most Holy Place (God’s throne in heaven) is open for you. Through the Holy Spirit you may go to your Father in prayer, anytime and anywhere!

As children of God, we should still mourn over our sin. But we should also be comforted, knowing that God has cleansed us by the blood of his own Son. We do not only have permission to approach God. We are commanded to do so! “Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help” (Hebrews 4:16).