YOM KIPPUR

DAY OF ATONEMENT

Leviticus 16

I confess. I did it.

Eve make an excuse: The snake made it look so good to me, but I did it. I ate.

Adam blamed both Eve and God: The Woman whom YOU gave to me gave me a piece of forbidden fruit, but I did eat!

And what did You do?

Each one of us has done wrong and been much less than God called us to be.

In church words: We sinned, we continue to sin, and we will sin!

And what are you going to do about it?

Here's what Israel did (and Jews still observe Yon Kippur somewhat differently – well, a whole lot differently, since they no longer have to haul a bull up to the temple and kill it.)

They held a Day of Atonement (or Covering). Here's a simplified order of service:

The priests take care of their sins first: animal sacrifices!

Then the priest casts lots over two goats, and one is sacrificed. The other

Symbolically receives the sin of the entire congregation and is driven

Outside the camp into the wilderness, thus bearing away their sins.

(Note this is described twice in the same chapter. The first books of the Bible

Often repeat stuff, presumable so you'll get it.)

Then the people come one after the other, bringing the appropriate animal:

They bring bulls, cows, goats, sheep, birds.

They kill the animal themselves after the priest approves it.

They butcher their own animals, possibly with the help of the priests.

The priests sprinkles the blood liberally on the altar.

They either burn the entire animal (whole offering) or parts, such as organs

And fat – especially fat!

Throughout the day, blood from the sacrifice is thrown on the altar again and again. “The life is in the blood.” Thus, the sacrifice of the life blood of the animal makes life available for the worshiper. Incidentally, the Lord also commanded Israel NOT to eat the blood of animals. That would bug me, because I do like my steaks medium rare!

After making the sacrifice, They were to barbecue the remainder of the animal and eat all of it that day. If their family was too small, they were to invite other families, perhaps those who could not afford the larger sacrifices. Thus, the Lord and Moses invented tailgating even before Henry Ford!

Recognize the fellowship created by this feast day and communal eating. It would be like a church picnic or dinner on the grounds. Never underestimate the importance of fellowship. The NT word is koinonia, and it is a basic doctrine of the Christian church. Be very careful before you disrupt the fellowship in the church. If an issue is contentious, ask whether settling this issue now is important enough to disrupt the fellowship. Better to discuss it respectfully and explore the possibilities and options than to create even a hairline fracture in the fellowship. Occasionally there's a issue that important, but most church ruckuses don't come close. Our pastor has several times over the years publicly stated that if we don't get 75-90% agreement, we'll back off. I drive Toyotas, but I am nonetheless in Accord!

The Day of Atonement in Hebrew is Yom Kippur. Literally, the words mean Day of Covering. The word Kippur is the same term used in Exodus for the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. I assume the word atonement came about because they were not merely covering their sins, they were, in a sense, paying for them.