The last several chapters did not present “types” of Christ. This chapter is all about Christ. It describes the priestly responsibilities for the most austere day in the Hebrew calendar, the Day of Atonement. In Acts 27:9 it is referred to simply as “the Fast.” Heb. 9:7 refers to it as the one day that the priest entered into the Holy of Holies, the most sacred back part of the temple/tabernacle. Even today, in Israel, it is notable for its quietness. My first acquaintance with Yom Kippur (Hebrew for Day of Atonement) was October 6, 1965. As a Dodger fan I was surprised that Sandy Koufax refused to pitch in the first game of the World Series against the Minnesota Twins. When my dad explained what the day was about for Jews I gained deeper appreciation for Koufax. A 2013 article in the Haaretz Newspaper in Israel made this comment about Koufax: Koufax was not religiously observant, and he was known to be seen eating ham sandwiches while on the road. But for him, it was a no-brainer that he wouldn’t pitch on Yom Kippur. That could be said of many Jews in Israel and in the Diaspora today.
For the record, in the Millennial Kingdom of
Christ we will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Why? Because
it is a feast of remembrance, a reminder of God’s blessing. The Day of Atonement will not be celebrated
in the Millennium? Why? Because it was fulfilled in its entirety in
the first coming of Christ. What was accomplished
on this day no longer needs to be accomplished.
It is possible the Passover, the feast that celebrated the departure
from Egypt, will be celebrated in the Kingdom, as a memorial to what Christ did
on the cross. Even today, around the
Lord’s Table, we remember and, in a certain way, repeat the Passover meal Jesus
had with His disciples. But the Day of
Atonement is not a memorial. It is a day
specifically not to be repeated. In
Hebrews 9 we see that, while the priestly ministry on the Day of Atonement was
about entrance into the Holy of Holies in the earthly temple, it did not gain
entrance into the true and heavenly Holiest of All (Heb. 9:6-10).
On the issue of “typology” which we dealt with
early in our studies in Leviticus, note that Heb. 9:9 says that the Day of
Atonement was symbolic of Christ and His high priestly work on the
cross. The Greek term is parabole,
meaning a figure. This gives us
permission to look closely in Lev. 16 for clear teaching on Christ and His atoning
work through the cross.
What work was accomplished on the Day of
Atonement/Yom Kippur? The key Biblical
terms are “atonement” (Hebrew kapar, to cover, purge; used 15 times in
Lev. 16) and “propitiation” (Greek hilaskomai, to appease, satisfy God’s
wrath). I think it’s fascinating that
the first use of the Hebrew term is in Gen. 6:14 when God instructed Noah to cover
the ark inside and out with pitch. That
covering would save their lives.
We will consider Lev. 16 in more detail in the
next post. For now, I want to draw
attention to the uses of the Greek term in the NT, besides Heb. 2:17:
·
Luke 18:13: Here, the tax collector prayed, God,
be merciful to me a sinner. He
was praying that God would atone for, propitiate his sins.
·
1 John 2:2: Christ is the propitiation for
our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
·
1 John 4:10: God’s love is powerfully
demonstrated in that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for
our sins.
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