Day of
Atonement, 2005
Pastor Joe Fuiten, October 9, 2005
One of the saddest experiences in life is to
see a couple that once loved each other lose that love. Sometimes they get a divorce. Other times they stay in the marriage but it becomes
a loveless relationship.
Some time ago I made a surprising
discovery. Over time I worked with a
number of couples in their twenties. I
began to notice a trend where the physical relationship had all but
disappeared. Most often there was a
verbally aggressive female who was quite critical of the defects of her
husband. He tried to get away by
withdrawing emotionally. As a result,
the physical relationship deteriorated along with the entire relationship.
In marriage, we can readily see how that
happens. He fails in some way and she
verbally tries to whip him back into line. The irony is that something quite
similar can happen in our relationship with God. But God provided a mechanism for the healing
of the rift. He provided for an annual
clearing of the past and its sins. He
gave people a chance to start over with an entirely clean slate.
That chance to start over was called the Day of Atonement. It has various names. Today it is called Yom Kippur. Biblically, it is Yom HaKippurim, meaning "the day of covering, canceling, pardon, reconciling." Occasionally, it was called "the Day of the Fast" or "the Great Fast" as in Leviticus 23 and 16, or simply “the Fast.”[1]
"Face to Face" is the title of a chapter in Arthur Waskow's book, Seasons of Our Joy, on the topic of Yom Kippur. "Face to face" is an idiom for Yom Kippur. Why? It was on Yom Kippur that the high priest had to go behind the veil of the temple. At that moment, the nation had to hold its breath because the nation's fate depended upon God's accepting the sacrifice. At that point, the high priest was "face to face with the mercy seat of God."[2]
We have an echo of
the Day of Atonement in Paul’s writings in 1 Corinthians 13:8-13. “Love never fails. But where there are
prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we
prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned
like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see
but a poor reflection as in a mirror;[3] then
we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know
fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope
and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Paul’s theme is love and the threats to it. As Paul thinks about love, he returns to the
ideas and concepts of the Day of Atonement when the High Priest stood face to
face with God. He knows that love, fully
realized, is being “face to face” with no unforgiven sins to make us drop our
gaze or withdraw emotionally.
In all forms of relationships, whether it is
husband and wife, parent and child, or co-worker or fellow student, the key is
to keep things clear and free of resentment.
In the case of ancient
All the people of
I presume you are following me and agree that
sin creates problems, certainly with God but also with people. Further, you are aware of your own personal
failures and the problems those have created.
Having come to that point is a good thing but it is possible to stumble
at this very point.
There are two extremes: “That
was not so terrible,” or “I am so terrible!”
Each of those extremes has its problems.
The first is minimizing. We can
trivialize our failures by making too light of them. We say things like, “Well, everyone fails.”
“This is an opportunity for others to do their part and forgive me.” “If you
are really a Christian you should forgive me and forget it.” “I’ve been under a lot of stress and that is
why I did it.” These kinds of attitudes
minimize our sin.
On the opposite extreme are those whose sins
become the dominant theme of their life.
“I am so terrible” is what they believe and express. The Bible speaks of it as excessive sorrow. It creates a vulnerability to the devil when
we are in that condition. Paul wrote
about it in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 “The
punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now
instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be
overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm
your love for him. 9 The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the
test and be obedient in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive
him. And what I have forgiven-if there was anything to forgive-I have forgiven
in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit
us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
A little later he drew the contrast more sharply. (2 Corinthians 7:10-11) “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no
regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
The healthy place is to be is acknowledge your sins and make no excuses for yourself. Having acknowledged your sins you need a face to face encounter with God. As you do so, you need to have a little blood available to you—the blood of Christ. His blood, sprinkled on your life covers yours sins. If the blood doesn’t flow, you die. Blood is the essential element. This is not Islam, where other people are forced to give their blood because of the religion. This is Christianity where the founder gave his blood so that others might live. What is the importance of blood in this case?
Hebrews 9:16-28 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one
who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it
never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the
first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had
proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of
calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled
the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, "This is the blood of the
covenant, which God has commanded you to keep." 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the
blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact,
the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the
shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 It was necessary, then, for
the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the
heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did
not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered
heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25 Nor did he enter
heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the
Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would
have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he
has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the
sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after
that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins
of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring
salvation to those who are waiting for him.
There is a prayer that fits well with the Day of Atonement. It has the right amount of sorrow, but not too much. It goes from sorrow into a faith driven calling upon God for his help in the future:
Psalms 51:1-12 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
[1] Acts 27:9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast.
[2] Eddie Chumney, Seven Festivals of the Messiah.
[3] Verse 11 and the phrase in verse 12, more familiarly known as "For now we see through a glass darkly" come from the Jewish Midrash.