9-25-2012 Atonement

Star of David in Jerusalem

And it shall be a statute forever unto you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or the stranger that sojourneth among you.

For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the LORD. It is a sabbath of solemn rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; it is a statute forever.

And the priest, who shall be anointed and who shall be consecrated to be priest in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments. And he shall make atonement for the most holy place, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.

And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make atonement for the children of Israel because of all their sins once in the year.' And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Leviticus 16:29-34

Jesus Praying at Gethsemani

Elohim Adonai, this will be a short entry – I suspect You have more to offer than I (as is always the case!) on this subject. Today is the observance of Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement for Judaism. From what I have seen, we Christian believers tend to minimize or ignore this day – our scapegoat having been offered for the forgiveness of our sins in conjunction with another Jewish holy day.

But as I read back over the instructions You laid them out to Your people, my attention gets caught by several phrases. “It is a statute forever”; “And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you.”

Eastern Jerusalem and City of David

So if I’m reading this right… as a believer, grafted into my family whose God is the God of Israel; a God who came to earth to walk among His people as a Jewish man; who observed this day personally… I too should be observing this very special Shabbot.

“But wait Mark,” some of my friends might say. “You’re taking this stuff way too seriously. You are free from this. You can ignore the Old Covenants because that’s what the New Covenant says.”

Really? Lord, please help me understand. I don’t see anything in any of Your covenants that indicate one replaces another. I see instead that they build upon one another, adding too, not taking away from Your act of redemption for mankind. Where does it say in Your word that Forever and Everlasting… are not?

Service in the Quarters of Pilate

Portrayal of Jesus

In Jerusalem, I saw examples of what happens when people “adjust” Your statutes, bend Your rules, even make up their own rules and call them Yours: Desire for individual freedom, disagreement between sects, even recognition of other gods has divided Your Holy City. Wait, who am I kidding? All I have to do is look at the mirror; at my own example – at a thing we call in this country…Denominations; dividing even Your church into disagreement instead of yearning for unity. Forgive us YHWH. Forgive us all for we still don’t understand the need for atonement. Your grace and mercy pours over us even as we boldly sin, claiming that we boldly obey.

L'Chaim!!

So on this day of all days, I give thanks to You my Lord, Jesus. You did not let the rules of the day interfere with what You knew to be right and true. You have taught and are teaching me to follow Your example. So by Your example, I offer to You my life again, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable only because of the sacrifice You first made for me. Because of Your selfless act, now I not only observe Yom Kippur, I celebrate it and invite others to celebrate with me in unity, this everlasting statute.

Mark C.