“On this day atonement will be made for you, to
cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins” (Leviticus
16.30).
The Day of Atonement,
Yom Kippur, was perhaps the most important annual holy day for the ancient
Jews. It was the day when the high priest entered the innermost chamber of the tabernacle
(and later, the temple) to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the whole Nation.
What is the purpose of this sacrifice? The reconciliation of God and his
people.
The ritual
described in Leviticus 16 had several steps. It included the sacrifice of a
bull and the dripping of that bull’s blood onto the cover of Israel’s most
sacred relic – the Ark of the Covenant.
It also
included the selection of two goats. One was to be sacrificed, symbolizing the
necessary payment for sin. The other goat, the scapegoat, was set free,
symbolizing the sins of the people being carried into the desert. The two goats
representing two truths: Sacrifice and Submission.
JESUS took
our place to give us his peace. God sees us blameless because his son took all
our blames upon himself.
Because of
Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, every day is our day of atonement. Every day
we accept that His death paid for our sins. Every day our sins are carried into
a desert that we will never have to enter.
In light of
that reality how do we approach God in prayer? Do we sit before God as someone
God values and loves? Or do we hang our heads as if we still have to earn the
acceptance we have already been given through the sacrifice made by Christ on
the cross? Do we rush to his presence, or do we hesitate, hoping that what the
Bible teaches about forgiveness is true. If we tend towards the latter, then we
can claim today as our day of atonement.
Let us go to
God today with a heart of gratitude and thank him that nothing stands between
us and him.
No other
sacrifice is required. No scapegoats. No most holy place. No high priest.
Christ’s supreme sacrifice atones for it all.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of eternal Life. For
dying in my place and taking all my punishments. For showing me your Grace.
Amen.
Grace West
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