SSL Teacher: Nefsia Hasen
The Day of Atonement is the most solemn Old Testament ritual. Also referred as the Sabbath of Sabbaths. This lesson helps us understand the deeper truth regarding salvation and the final disposition of sin.
Throughout the year all kinds of sins were transferred to the sanctuary. But on the Day of Atonement these sins are removed, and people are cleansed from their sins. There are three parts to the Day of Atonement:
1.The purification offering for the priest. The high priest slaughtered a bull for his sins. The priest must be clean before entering the sanctuary in order to perform the ritual to cleanse it.
2.The purification offering of the goat (for the Lord). This goat represented all the sins of the Israelites that were transferred to the sanctuary during the year. On the Day of the Atonement these sins were removed from the sanctuary by the blood of the goat “for the Lord”. Because there was neither confession of sin nor laying on of hands on this goat, its blood was not a carrier of sin. The high priest made atonement with the blood of the Lord’s goat, cleansing the entire sanctuary. This same procedure also purified the people.
3.The elimination ritual with the live goat for Azazel. The priest shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the sins of the children of Israel and sent it away into the wilderness away from the sanctuary and the camp.
The Day of Atonement is the second stage of the two-phased atonement. The first is when during the year the Israelites were forgiven, but not blotted out, rather entrusted to God to deal with them as He promised. The second phase is cleansing of all sins from the sanctuary as well as the Israelites.
God bless
Nefsia Hassen