A walk through: the Day of Atonement

If you've been reading recent posts about the Day of Atonement and are still struggling to make sense of exactly what happened in Leviticus 16 here's a walk through. It helps to know that verses 1-2 are an introduction, and then verses 3-10 give an overview of the whole ritual and then verses 11-28 return to the beginning of the whole ritual with more detail.

[For details on sin and burnt offerings see this post.]


The Day of Atonement - Leviticus 16

Definition of atonement: Atonement means ‘a making at one’ and points to a process of bringing those who are estranged into a unity. In theology it is used to describe the work of Jesus on the cross, dealing with the problem of sin and bringing sinners into a right relationship with God.

When: 10th day of 7th month

Where: The Tabernacle. You can find a diagram of the Tabernacle here.

Who: Most of the instructions for the High Priest (Aaron), but he is supported by a couple of other individuals who deal with the action outside of the camp.

The supporting cast involves a young bull, 2 male goats, and a couple of rams. Most of these characters don’t make it to the end of the story.

What:

Scene 1 - Preparation

Aaron prepares himself by washing and putting on his sacred white robes and turban. On this day Aaron would not wear his blue robes etc that he would normally wear whilst serving in the Tabernacle.

Scene 2 - Atonement for the Priest

Aaron now sacrifices the bull in order to make atonement for his sin and the sin of his family. He does this alongside the Altar of Burnt Offerings which is located in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. He takes some of the bull’s blood into the Holy Place where he takes a censer of burning coals and incense from the Altar of Incense there and then enters the Most Holy Place. He puts the incense on the coals filling the Most Holy Place with smoke, obscuring the Ark of the Covenant. He then sprinkles some of the blood on the front of the atonement cover and then seven times before the atonement cover. [The Atonement Cover is the lid of the Ark of the Covenant.]

Scene 3 - Atonement for the Tabernacle

Aaron then goes back out into the courtyard and takes the two goats, casts lots - one is sacrificed as a sin offering, the other becomes the scapegoat. He then sacrifices the first goat - a sin offering for the people. He then does with the goat’s blood as he did with the bull’s blood, hence making atonement for the Most Holy Place - which is made unclean by its presence in the camp surrounded by the people. He repeats this in the Holy Place, making atonement for it. He then comes out into the courtyard and makes atonement for the Altar of Burnt Offerings by putting some of the bull’s and goat’s blood on the horns of the altar, and then sprinkling it seven times to cleanse and consecrate it.

Scene 4 - The scapegoat carries sin into the wilderness

He brings forward the live goat (the scapegoat). He places his hand on the head of the live goat and confesses over it all the sins of the people. This goat is then sent away into the wilderness, led by someone appointed for the task. This goat carries the sins to a remote place away from the camp.

Scene 5 - Atonement made for the priest and all the people

Aaron goes into the Holy Place, takes off his robes, washes and then puts on his ordinary garments. He then goes into the courtyard and sacrifices the two burnt offerings - two rams - one for himself and one for the people - making atonement for himself and the people. He also takes the fat of the sin offering (bull and goat) and burns that.

Scene 6 - Clearing up afterwards

The man who has released the scapegoat returns, washes his clothes, bathes himself - he is then able to come into the camp.


Someone else takes the hide, flesh, intestines of the sin offerings are burns them outside the camp. After that he must wash his clothes, bathe himself - he is then able to come into the camp.

Don't stay outside in the courtyard

Yesterday I wrote a post about the Day of Atonement - which in some respects was a very visual representation of God's forgiveness of the people. Their sins were transferred to the Scape Goat which then carried them off never to be seen again. The price of their sin and atonement was made through the death of the sin and burnt offerings. 

But most of what happened would not have been visible to most of the people - who were outside of the courtyard of the Tabernacle. Most of what went on involved only Aaron the High Priest, and took place within the tent of the Tabernacle - out of view.

And so even though the people received forgiveness for their sin they were still not free to enter into the Tabernacle. Even Aaron was not free to enter into the Holy of Holies for another year...Aaron and the people were only too aware of what would happen to someone who tried to enter into God's presence in their own way (see Leviticus 16:1 & 10:1-3).

Yesterday I mentioned that this whole ritual was pointing forward to a greater sacrifice, once and for all. When Jesus died on the cross he both paid our penalty (one death substituting for the death of another) and carried our sins away (as the scape goat). And if that wasn't amazing enough he also destroyed the barriers between the people and God, between us and God.

This means that we are now free to come close to God with confidence - we no longer have to stay outside the tent, we don't even have to wait for one day in the year, but we can come with confidence into the presence of the living God.

So - as the writer of Hebrews in the New Testament says - since we can...let's.

The Day of Atonement

This time last week I was busy rummaging around in boxes of soft toys under my daughters' beds - trying to find a range of farmyard animals. Specifically I was looking for a goat and two sheep. I already had the promise of one goat and one bull.

No doubt the priests of Israel that were living in the time of Moses spent a lot longer, and were much more careful about the five animals that they choose. God had been very specific. A bull, two rams and two goats all a year old and without defect - rummaging around at the last minute simply would not do.

The Day of Atonement was (and still is) the holiest day within the Jewish calendar. The Book of Leviticus is arranged with chapter 16, the Day of Atonement, at its centre. It was the one day in the year when the whole community confessed their sin before God and received forgiveness.

Atonement means 'a making at one' - the work of reconciliation between two separated parties. In this case it means the restoration of the relationship between God and his people.

There are lots of different elements to the ritual. First of all the High Priest needs to make a sacrifice to deal with his own sin - so that he can safely come before God and represent the people. Then the Tabernacle itself, and the altars and other 'furniture' need to be cleansed - they have been made impure by their presence among the people. Then the sins of the people are placed on the Scape Goat and it is sent off into the wilderness carrying the sins of the people with it (see here for yesterday's Scape Goat post). Then burnt offerings are made to bring about atonement for the sin of the High Priest and the people.

God takes the people's sin seriously - it separates him from them - but he also loves them and wants to live with them. And therefore he makes it possible, through the substitution of one life in the place of another, for that sin to be dealt with.

Of course, as we read on from Leviticus, through the Old Testament, and into the New Testament, we discover that the ritual of the Day of Atonement was pointing forward to another, greater, sacrifice, one life in the place of another...

One of our scape goats is missing

On Sunday I needed to borrow a selection of soft toys - a bull, a couple of goats, and two sheep for our morning service. One of the sheep came from home, the bull came a from a church member and one sheep and two goats came out of the cupboard of toys belonging to our toddler group.

It wasn't an all age service on Sunday - but we were looking at the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).

The drama of the Day of Atonement involves the sacrifice of 5 of these animals - but one goat, the 'Scape Goat' gets to live another day (possibly - depending on wolves, lions, bears etc).

The role of the Scape Goat in this drama is that the High Priest lays his hands on its head, confesses the sin of the people over it, and then it is led off and released into the wilderness. It goes off, with the sins of the people, never to be seen again - symbolising how God removes our sin from us.

As the drama unfolded before us on Sunday the Scape Goat was led out into the wilderness - and left on the bookcase at the back of the church. Unfortunately (for the toddler group) by the time the service ended and I came to collect all my resources the Scape Goat had indeed - disappeared into the wilderness - it was no where to be seen.

The irony of searching for the Scape Goat after the events of the Day of Atonement shouldn't be lost on us. God has removed our sins - why would we go looking for them again? But in reality how often do our Scape Goats return? We confess our sin and receive God's forgiveness - but then a day, a week, a month, a year later we hear that accusing voice, 'did God really forgive you that...?' And we begin to doubt our freedom. We continue to live defined by our past sin - never able to escape.

Those of you who are involved in the toddler group will be pleased to know that this particular scape goat did return - I found him on top of the TV in the foyer during the week - and it is now safely back in the toy cupboard.

But when it comes to God's forgiveness - God has promised that he will forgive and he will forget.

Once our Scape Goats have gone, don't let's go looking for them again.