| 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.
(Leviticus 23:26-32)
Varying Views of Yom Kippur
In the traditional Jewish community, Yom Kippur is seen as ‘The Day of Judgment’: when G-d evaluates your deeds to determine if He will write your name in the Book of Life for the coming year (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16a). In the traditional community, fasting is considered the major element. For various reasons fasting is easier for some than for others. As one story goes, “Our Rabbi was so poor that if he didn't fast twice a week he would starve to
death! ”However, Biblically, Yom Kippur was the day God set apart to
restore relationship between Himself and His people. It is called a “holy convocation”, (v.27)
mikrah-kodesh, literally a “holy calling” for the nation.
Our calling as a people is to humble ourselves, because only the sacrifice makes us acceptable before God. The word Kippur in Hebrew means “an atonement by vicarious, substitutionary methods.” Blood Atonement is the basis for our restored relationship with God. In Leviticus 23:26-32, we have atonement principles that provide a promise of certain restoration with our God. We are restored
Redemptive
Sacrifice
“Ye shall… offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.”
Not only was the offering to be made by fire unto the Lord, but Leviticus
17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood...for it is the
blood that maketh an atonement for the soul”, lets us know that this
would be a ‘bloody offering’. The burnt offering pictures a total
consuming of the worshiper before God. God wants you passion, not just
your ashes. The shedding of blood of an innocent animal shows how serious
our sinful offenses are toward a Holy God. Real relationships require real
sacrifice. Atonement by blood is necessary because of...
The
Partition of Sin
“Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short that it cannot save; Nor is
His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a
separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face
from you so that He does not hear.” (Isa. 59:1,2) Sin severs
relationships. When sin begins, relationship ends. Don't ask God for
favors while unconfessed sin is separating you from Him. No marriage was
ever terminated through divorce without first the entrance and damaging
effects of sin into that relationship. Lies, indifference, emotional and
physical abuse can permanently damage relationships.
The
Penalty of Sin
Ezekiel 18:4, “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as
well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.” Because
the sign read, “You break it you bought it”, Dennis the Menace's
mother walks in and hands her credit card to the cashier and says, “Just
keep track, please.” There is a penalty for breaking an item. Regarding
sin? God says sin destroys the sinner. Hell is not merely a punishment
placed on a person because ‘God is mad,’ rather, Hell is the end
result of sin at work in our souls.
The
Pardon of Sin
“All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own
way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”
(Isa. 53:6) The One Who was offended paid the price for the offenders.
Imagine a convicted criminal standing before a judge and being told that
the penalty for his crime is death: the sound of the gavel coming down,
“Guilty!”, declares the judge. Then, shockingly, the judge takes off
His robe, stands next to the condemned man and says, “I will pay the
full penalty in your place!” This is exactly what Messiah has done for
all who believe. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time
Messiah died for the ungodly…God demonstrates His own love toward us, in
that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us. Much more then,
having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath
of God through Him." (Romans 5:6-10)
Your relationship with God is, in fact, the basis of all other
relationships. It's our ‘at-onement’ with Him that provides the
resource for ‘at-one-ment’ with others. So, do you have an atonement
for this Yom Kippur? Imagine a birthday without a birth? How can there be
a Day of Atonement without an atonement?
Repentant
Souls
"If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he
shall be cut off from his people." (Lev. 23:29) The text states you shall
humble your souls. This is not just fasting! We are to humble and afflict
our minds, wills and emotions, and to deeply consider our ways. Humility
will be our response of recognizing our sins and guilt before a holy God,
our need for mercy, and ultimately the taking of a life for our
forgiveness. An attitude of humility is the safest ‘position’ for
sinners to be in: if you lie on the ground you can't fall down. When
Messiah's atonement is applied to your life, humility is manifested in
your marriages, businesses, and other relationships. This way God gets all
the glory!
Genuine repentance and humility of soul is the basis for relating to one
another, especially to God. “Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others
better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own
interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you
which was also in Messiah Yeshua, who, being in the form of God, did not
consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no
reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness
of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and
became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
(Philippians 2:3-8) This is the key to success in winning and relating to
others. Even as Yeshua, the Humble King, came and died that we might live,
we are to seek their good rather than our own. Your acquaintances will
likely want to be your friends if you humbly put others ahead of yourself.
Do you want your life spiritually fulfilled? God can bring contentment to
your soul, and actually wants your life fulfilled more than you do.
Recognize only God can fulfill your life.
Resting
Securely in The Beloved
The root word of Shabbat is yashav, to “rest”, or “sit down”.
Relationship is a ‘resting together’, not just working together. In a
marriage, the reality of that relationship is not only in working together
but being together, resting together. This can be the problem of the
‘empty nest syndrome’. Once the kids are raised and gone the marriage
relationship seems to lose meaning and purpose. The everyday work and
activities that once occupied our time have changed. Suddenly people find
themselves with ‘empty’ lives. So also with a restored relationship:
having a sacrifice may pay for the offenses committed, and the humbling of
soul may speak of the sincere sorrow for those sins, but that still
doesn’t mean that we actually enjoy being with one another. God desires
relationship. “Return to Me, Israel, Return to me” (Amos 4:12).
Shabbat means resting in time: taking the time to pray (talking with God),
time to read Scripture (hearing from God) and time for our renewal to hear
that “still small voice”. This should be a time not to look to your
‘performance’ or productivity as the meaning of your life, but to look
to God. Messiah came that we might have abundant spiritual life, not an
abundance of material things. Rest is a time to enjoy, learn, and grow in
friendship with God, which is in fact the very reason you’re a live.
God wants restored relationships between Him and His people. For that,
there has to be redemption by blood, repentance by the believer and rest
in the Beloved. Do you have this? If not, come to Yeshua, our sacrifice.
God's redemption is not merely a great religion for His people, but a
great relationship with His people. As He said, "Come unto Me all
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew
11:28).
'Word'
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