Good morning,
The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur begins on Friday evening, 11 October 2024, at sunset. The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) is the most holy day on the Jewish calendar. This week we will see why.
YOM KIPPUR
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
ELEMENTS OF YOM KIPPUR
1) Afflicting your soul
The word in Hebrew is “anah” and means “to afflict, oppress, humble, be afflicted, be bowed down”. This occurs through fasting. God requires a fast to be humbled and afflicted on the Day of Atonement.
a) Prayer
b) Confession
c) Repentance
d) Renewal
The picture is of a lost sinner, searching for the Messiah, Jesus, finding Him, confessing and repenting their sin before Him.
2) Sabbath
No work is to be done on this day. There was a penalty for working on this day. “And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.” (Leviticus 23:30) The day was to be completely dedicated to God.
This is a picture of the rest we have in the Messiah.
3) Atonement
“To cover, purge, make reconciliation”. The atonement was a reconciliation of the children of Israel to their God. This happened through the blood sacrifice of the bullock and goat. The scapegoat was a picture of the sins of Israel being taken by the scapegoat.
This pictures what Jesus did on the cross. He paid the sin debt for all mankind through his blood sacrifice on the cross at Calvary. No more need for animal sacrifices.
CONCLUSION
Yom Kippur is:
A day of reflection
- A day of rest
- A day of fasting
- A day of renewal
- A day of confession of sin
- A day of repentance of sin
- A day of reconciliation between man and God
- A day of atonement
- A day of salvation
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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