Exhortation Station

As we enter into Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement or Atonements), I’d like to share some thoughts about this day.  Let’s start in Leviticus 23…

Leviticus 23:26-32 — “YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, ^{27 ‘}On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to YHWH. ²⁸ You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before YHWH your God. ²⁹ If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. ³⁰ As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. ³¹ You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. ³² It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath.'”

What is Yom Kippur about?  The Hebrew word “kippur” (Strong’s #H3725) comes from “kaphar” (#H3722), which carries the idea of covering.  Yom Kippur is about the sins of Israel being covered — atoned for — by Yahweh.  Leviticus 16 gives instructions for how this atonement was to take place, much of which involved the high priest.  Yom Kippur was the only day of the year when the high priest was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies, to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat to make atonement for himself, his household, Israel, the tabernacle, and the alter.  Leviticus 16 also contains the instruction about the “scapegoat” that was to bear the iniquities of Israel and be sent into the wilderness.  On Yom Kippur, atonement was made for the nation of Israel as a whole, which seems to set it apart from the provisions for individual atonements throughout the year.

With the advent of Yeshua, the meaning of Yom Kippur becomes all the more beautiful.  Listen to these passages in Hebrews…

Hebrews 9:23-28 — “Messiah did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; ²⁵ nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” 

Hebrews 10:19-22 — “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Yeshua, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” 

Praise Yahweh, that He has provided a way for our hearts to be sprinkled clean from an evil conscience!

It is likely that there is a future prophetic significance to Yom Kippur.  I have not studied out this subject, so I will not speculate here.  If any of you have some thoughts on this, feel free to share in the comments. 

I do have some thoughts relating to us as individuals…

Recall that Leviticus 23 says, “it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls…You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before YHWH your God.”  What does it mean to “humble our souls?”  The word for “humble” here is the Hebrew “anah” (Strong’s #H6031), often translated “afflict.”  In reference to Yom Kippur, it is commonly thought that fasting is a part of this “afflicting oneself,” although the Torah does not explicitly state this.

Regardless of what exactly it means to “anah” oneself, it seems to carry the idea of being totally submitted and humbled before Yahweh.  Deuteronomy 8:3 — “He humbled [anah] you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of YHWH.” 

Interestingly, this exact same word “anah” is given a different Strong’s number (#H6030) when it is used in a slightly different context.  The Strong’s definition for #H6030 is “to heed, that is, pay attention; by implication to respond; by extension to begin to speak; specifically to sing, shout, testify, announce.”  This “anah” is very often translated “answer” or “answered.”  This is fascinating to me because it helps shed some light, perhaps, on why it’s important to “anah” oneself on Yom Kippur.  It’s more than just mindlessly afflicting our souls.  It’s about answering to Yahweh in complete humility, soberness, and submission.  Yom Kippur, I think, is a day to be introspective, recognizing the price Yahweh paid for our atonement as we rest from labor and focus on Him.  

If Yom Teruah is a call to repentance for the return of the Bridegroom, and if Sukkot is the marriage supper of the Lamb, then perhaps Yom Kippur is the final washing of us, the bride, before that marriage supper.  The following verses from Revelation 19 are so relevant:

Revelation 19:7-9 — “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'”

Let us be introspective today, allowing Yahweh to give us a “deep cleaning” from anything that is not of Him.  After all, who wants to have their garments cleaned only to soil them again?  Praise Yahweh for the blood that cleanses us when we do soil our garments; may we never take it for granted.  I’ll conclude with the following passages:

Isaiah 1:18 — “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says YHWH, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.'” 

Psalm 103:11,12 — “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. ¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” 

Praise Yahweh for atonement!

(Bible passages NASB 1995; Hebrew transl. added.)