YOM KIPPUR — THE DAY OF ATONEMENT: The Reason It Was Given & Why It Still Matters

There is a day appointed by the Most High unlike any other day of the year.

A day of humility.

A day of repentance.

A day of atonement.

A day when the children of Israel were commanded to set aside their ordinary work, afflict their souls, and humble themselves before YAHUAH.

We know this day as Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement.

But why was this day established?

What happened that caused these instructions to be given?

And why was this day so important to the children of Israel?

To understand Yom Kippur, we must first go back to the book of Leviticus.

THE DEATH OF NADAB AND ABIHU

Aaron, the brother of Moses, served as the high priest. His sons also served as priests before YAHUAH.

But two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, did something that YAHUAH had not commanded.

Leviticus chapter 10 tells us that they offered strange fire before YAHUAH.

Fire came out from before YAHUAH and consumed them, and they died.

This demonstrated something very important:

The presence of the Most High was not to be approached casually.

His instructions concerning the sanctuary, the priesthood, sacrifices, and worship were to be taken seriously.

Then, in Leviticus chapter 16, we read:

“And YAHUAH spoke unto Mosheh after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they offered before YAHUAH, and died.”

YAHUAH then warned Moses that Aaron could not enter the Holy of Holies whenever he wished.

Behind the veil was the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat, and YAHUAH said that He would appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

There was an appointed way for the high priest to enter.

And there was an appointed time.

This brings us to the Day of Atonement.

THE HIGH PRIEST PREPARES

Before Aaron could make atonement for the nation, he first had to prepare himself.

He was commanded to wash his body with water and put on the holy linen garments.

Aaron was not simply walking into the presence of YAHUAH dressed in the magnificent garments normally associated with the high priest.

On this solemn occasion, he humbled himself.

He also had to offer a bullock as a sin offering for himself and for his household.

Think about that.

Before Aaron could make atonement for Israel, atonement first had to be made for Aaron.

The high priest himself was not without sin.

THE TWO GOATS

Then came one of the most recognizable parts of the Day of Atonement.

Two goats were presented before YAHUAH.

Lots were cast over them.

One goat was designated for YAHUAH.

The other was designated as the scapegoat.

The goat for YAHUAH was sacrificed as a sin offering for the people.

Its blood played a part in making atonement for the sanctuary because of the uncleanness and transgressions of the children of Israel.

But the second goat was kept alive.

After the atonement rites were completed, Aaron placed both of his hands upon the head of the living goat.

He confessed over it the iniquities, transgressions, and sins of the children of Israel.

Symbolically, those sins were placed upon the goat.

Then the goat was taken away into the wilderness.

Imagine what that represented to the people watching.

Their sins had been confessed—

and then carried away.

The goat disappeared into the wilderness, bearing those iniquities away from the camp.

That image alone teaches us something powerful about atonement, cleansing, and the removal of sin.

Notes:

There is something very important that we need to understand concerning these sacrifices. Today, we are not required to sacrifice animals for the remission of our sins. The Messiah fulfilled that part for us when He gave His life and died upon the tree for our sins. His sacrifice took the place of the animal sacrifices that were offered for atonement.

So when we observe the Day of Atonement today, we are not sacrificing goats or any other animals. What remains for us is the command to afflict our souls—to humble ourselves before the Most High, examine ourselves, repent of our sins, and seek forgiveness. We will talk more about what it means to afflict our souls a little later in this teaching.

THE BLOOD BEYOND THE VEIL

But there was another extraordinary part of this day.

The high priest entered behind the veil.

This was the place ordinary Israelites could not enter.

Even ordinary priests could not simply walk into it.

Aaron entered with incense so that a cloud of incense covered the mercy seat.

And he brought blood.

The blood was sprinkled before the mercy seat.

Atonement was made because of the uncleanness, transgressions, and sins of Israel.

The sanctuary itself was cleansed.

The altar was cleansed.

And atonement was made for the people.

This happened once each year.

BUT YOM KIPPUR WASN'T ONLY ABOUT THE HIGH PRIEST

Now this is where we need to pay very close attention.

It would be easy to look at Leviticus 16 and think the Day of Atonement concerned only Aaron and the priesthood.

It did not.

YAHUAH gave instructions to the people as well.

Leviticus chapter 23 identifies the appointed time:

The tenth day of the seventh month.

It was to be a holy convocation.

The people were commanded to afflict their souls and offer an offering made by fire unto YAHUAH.

They were also commanded:

Do no work.

This wasn't an ordinary workday followed by a religious ceremony in the evening.

The day itself was set apart.

Leviticus describes it as a Sabbath of rest.

And the command was to be observed from evening unto evening.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “AFFLICT YOUR SOUL”?

This is something we should understand rather than simply repeat.

Many people immediately associate Yom Kippur with fasting.

But Scripture repeatedly uses language concerning afflicting or humbling the soul, and fasting is closely associated with that language elsewhere in Scripture.

The purpose is not simply, “Don't eat food.”

Going without food while continuing in pride, hatred, wickedness, or disobedience misses the spiritual purpose.

The point is humbling yourself before YAHUAH.

Fasting removes something our flesh naturally desires.

Hunger reminds us of our physical weakness.

It gives us an opportunity to turn our attention away from ordinary pleasures and toward prayer, examination, repentance, and the Most High.

But Scripture also warns against treating fasting like a performance.

Isaiah chapter 58 confronts people who fasted while continuing in strife and wickedness.

YAHUAH was not impressed simply because they denied themselves food.

True humility had to reach farther than the stomach.

That is an important lesson for the Day of Atonement.

WHY WAS ATONEMENT NECESSARY?

Because sin separates.

Sin brings uncleanness.

Sin brings judgment.

And Israel was living in covenant with a holy Elohiym.

Throughout the year, sins, transgressions, and uncleanness occurred among the people.

The Day of Atonement dramatically demonstrated both the seriousness of sin and the mercy of YAHUAH in providing a means of atonement.

The people could see that sin was not something to shrug off.

Blood was shed.

Confession was made.

The sanctuary was cleansed.

The people humbled themselves.

And sin was symbolically carried away.

THIS WAS NOT A MAN-MADE HOLIDAY

This is important.

Yom Kippur was not invented centuries later by religious leaders.

It was not established by tradition.

It was appointed by YAHUAH.

Leviticus 23 places the Day of Atonement among the appointed times of YAHUAH.

That distinction matters.

These were not merely “Jewish holidays.”

The Scripture calls them the feasts—or appointed times—of YAHUAH.

Israel was commanded to observe them.

And concerning the Day of Atonement, the language is extremely serious.

No work.

Afflict your souls.

A holy convocation.

A Sabbath of rest.

From evening unto evening.

WHAT SHOULD WE LEARN FROM YOM KIPPUR?

Yom Kippur teaches us that approaching the Most High should never become casual.

It teaches us that sin matters.

It teaches us that repentance matters.

It teaches us humility.

It teaches us the need for cleansing.

And it teaches us that atonement is something YAHUAH provides according to His instructions—not according to man's imagination.

This was the one day each year when the high priest entered behind the veil to perform the prescribed atonement rites.

Imagine the seriousness of that moment.

The nation waiting.

The high priest entering.

The incense rising.

The blood being presented.

The sins being confessed.

And finally—

the living goat being led away into the wilderness, carrying the confessed sins of the people away from the camp.

That was not merely ceremony.

It was a lesson.

A lesson about sin.

A lesson about judgment.

A lesson about mercy.

A lesson about cleansing.

And a lesson about reconciliation with the Most High.

AS YOM KIPPUR APPROACHES...

This is not a day for parties.

It is not a day for entertainment.

It is a solemn appointed time.

A time to examine ourselves.

A time to humble ourselves.

A time to pray.

A time to repent.

A time to forgive.

A time to seek reconciliation where reconciliation is possible.

And a time to remember the seriousness of standing before the Most High.

Yom Kippur reminds us that we should never become so comfortable with sin that we stop recognizing our need for repentance.

Nor should we become so comfortable with the mercy of YAHUAH that we forget the price and seriousness associated with atonement.

So as the tenth day of the seventh month approaches, remember what this day represents.

Humble yourselves.

Examine yourselves.

Turn away from sin.

Seek YAHUAH.

And remember the lesson He established for His people so many generations ago.

This is Yom Kippur.

The Day of Atonement.

YOM KIPPUR — DAY OF ATONEMENT Leviticus 16 • Leviticus 23:26–32 • Numbers 29:7–11

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