THE THEME OF THIS DEVOTION IS:
THE ELEMENTS OF THE YOM KIPPUR SERVICE PERFORMED BY THE HIGH PRIEST (KOHEN GADOL) AND CERTAIN OF THEIR MEANINGS RELATED TO THE NEW TESTAMENT SACRIFICAL SYSTEM IN THE OFFERING OF OUR LORD ON THE CROSS.
LEVITICUS 16:3,
BE’ZOHT YA’VO AHARON EL-HAK’KODESH
With this [the entire ritual prescribed herein] shall Aaron come into the Sanctuary.
(STONE Tanakh translation and commentary)
This ritual is performed yearly on the tenth day of Tishri (the 7th month). It is the Day of Atonement(s). It was generated on this day when Moses came down from receiving the second set of tablets after the sin of the golden calf. (STONE commentary)
KEY ELEMENTS OF THE RITUAL INCLUDE:
(throughout, “Aaron” is the High Priest, the office afterward occupied by his successor(s))
AARON’S PERSONAL PREPARATION FOR ENTERING THE HOLY OF HOLIES ( 16:3 seq.)
Aaron enters [the compound] with a young bull for a sin-offering and a ram for a burnt-offering
Aaron takes a ritual bath by immersion in water before donning the holy vestments
Aaron dons his sacred vestments (linen Tunic, breeches, linen Sash, linen Turban on his head)
Aaron takes two he-goats from the congregation of Israel and one ram for a burnt offering
AARON PERFORMS THE RITUALS OF SLAUGHTER (16:6 seq.)
Aaron brings near his own sin-offering bull to provide atonement for himself and his household
Aaron takes the two he-goats and presents them before YHVH at the entrance to the Mishkan
Aaron casts lots for the two he-goats, one for YHVH and one for AZAZEL
Aaron brings near the goat for YHVH designated by lot and offers it for a sin offering
Aaron presents alive before YHVH the goat designated by lot for AZAZEL so that through it atonement may be provided [on behalf of the Whole Congregation], and then sends it to AZAZEL into the Wilderness
Aaron brings near his own sin-offering bull to provide atonement for himself and for his household and then slaughters his own sin-offering bull
AARON PERFORMS THE RITUALS INSIDE THE MISHKAN (16:12 seq.)
Aaron takes a shovel of fiery coals from the altar of incense that is before YHVH plus his handful of finely ground incense spices and brings them within the vail
Aaron places the incense on the coals in the shovel before YHVH so that the cloud of incense smoke covers the Ark-cover above the Tablets of the Testimony in order that he may not die
Aaron takes some of the blood of the bull and sprinkles with his forefinger upon the eastern front of the Ark-cover
Aaron, in front of the Ark-cover, sprinkles seven times with his forefinger some of the blood of the bull
Aaron slaughters the sin offering he-goat for YHVH on behalf of the people and brings its blood within the Vail
Aaron does with the he-goat’s blood as he did with the blood of the bull by sprinkling it on the Ark-cover and in front of the Ark-cover
EFFICACY AND APPLICATIONS OF THESE RITUALS WITHIN THE SANCTUARY (16:16 seq.)
Aaron provides atonement (by these rituals) upon the Sanctuary for the contaminations of the Children of Israel, even for their rebellious sins among all their sins;
Aaron does so for the Tent of Meeting that dwells with them amind their contamination
No person shall be in the Tent of Meeting when Aaron comes to provide atonement in the Sanctuary until he departs
Aaron shall provide atonement for himself, for his household, and for the whole congregation of Israel.
Aaron shall then go out of the Holy of Holies and provide atonement for the Altar that is before YHVH (the Altar of Incense); he makes atonement upon it by taking some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat and placing it on the horns of the Altar all around; he sprinkles upon it from the blood with his forefinger seven times; in this manner he cleanses it and sanctifies it from the contaminations of the Children of Israel.
THE GOAT FOR AZAZEL (16:20 seq.)
After he has finished atoning for the Sanctuary, the Mishkan, and the Altar [of Incense],
Aaron then brings near the living he-goat.
Aaron then presses both his hands onto the head of the living goat and while doing so confesses upon it all the iniquities of the Children of Israel, and all their rebellious sins among all their their sins, and places them upon the head of the he-goat; and then sends it with a designated man to the wilderness.
The he-goat for AZAZEL bears away upon itself all the iniquities of the Children of Israel into an uninhabited land, and the designated man sends the he-goat into the wilderness
AARON’S NEXT ACTIONS (16:23 seq.)
Aaron returns to the Tent of Meeting and removes the linen garments that he had worn when he entered the Sanctuary
Aaron leaves the holy garments there
Aaron immerses himself in water in a sacred place and then puts on the holy garments there
Aaron then goes out and performs the burnt offering for himself and then the burnt offering for the whole congregation; by this means he provides atonement for himself and for the people.
Aaron then causes the fat of the sin-offering to go up in smoke upon the Altar (the Brazen Altar)
The man who dispatched the he-goat to AZAZEL immerses his clothing and himself in water after which he may enter the camp
THE ETERNAL NATURE OF THIS DAY AND ITS RITUALS (16:29-34)
This ritual is an eternal decree
In the seventh month on the tenth day of the month, the children of Israel are to afflict themselves (fast) and refrain from any work
Neither the native nor any proselyte who dwells among Israel is to do any work
BECAUSE on this day the High Priest shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you: from all your sins before YHVH shall you be cleansed
This Day of Atonement is a Sabbath of complete rest for you
You shall afflict yourselves—it is an eternal decree
The anointed and authoritative Kohen who succeeds the prior High Priest shall don the holy garments and perform the service for atonement upon the Tent of Meeting, the Altar, the Kohanim and all the people of the congregation.
This shall be to you an eternal decree to bring atonement upon the Children of Israel for all their sins once a year; and [Aaron] did as YHVH commanded Moses.
NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY:
The eternal aspect of the ritual of the Day of Atonement has been accomplished once-for-all by the offering of our LORD Yeshua upon the cross (the whole book of Hebrews) and then through his resurrection and ascension his placement of his own blood (THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB OF GOD AND OF THE BULL AND RAM OF GOD—cf. the Akeida of Genesis 22, et al) upon the Mercy Seat in Heaven—an act in eternity with eternal force, duration and efficacy. This once-for-all act of Messiah removes the necessity for yearly sacrifice, since that would have meant that he would have been slain repeatedly in eternity! The yearly observance of Israel was a looking-forward to the coming True and Final Sacrifice of Messiah. However, the REMEMBRANCE aspect of the yearly performance of the Day of Atonement is mirrored in the LORD’S SUPPER in which we “remember him until he comes.”
The efficacy of our LORD’S work in relation to the AZAZEL demonic entity is seen when he overcame Satan in the Wilderness (Luke 4). Jesus cast demons into “a dry [and uninhabited] place” (Matthew 12:43; Luke 8:31) just as the AZAZEL occupied such an extra-dimensional place. This is very deep and a key insight into the healing of the inner life of a human. The purification of the conscience in confrontation against the demonic realm is of primary importance in the lives of Christians. (Ephesians 6:10 seq.)
There is something very holy and very healing about entering by grace into the meaning of the Day of Atonement when we do so recognizing that Yeshua our LORD has accomplished atonement for us once-and-for-all.
