“Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.” Exodus 30:10 NASB
Imagine the scene. Thousands of Israelites gathered in the wilderness. Relieved and filled with joy to have been delivered from Egypt. As they began this new era, God provided the rules by which He wanted them to live.
Among the most important rules was His command that, every year, everyone in the community was to stop everything they were doing. This wasn’t to be a vacation, but a day of prayer. To take time to examine their hearts and lives.
To encourage reflection, no one was allowed to work, or even eat. This whole day was “most holy to the Lord.” This was Yom Kippur (the “Day of Atonement”).
As part of the observance, the high priest made atonement for himself and other priests through a sacrifice. Then he sacrificed a goat as an offering for sin. A scapegoat was sent into the wilderness, symbolically demonstrating how God was taking away their sins.
This year the commemoration of Yom Kippur begins today at sundown. This still is a day that is “most holy to the Lord.” It is a day to remind us of all that Jesus has done for us. He sacrificed Himself for our sins that we might be forgiven.
He did what sacrificing bulls and goats could not do. As the Bible says, “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Like the scapegoat, He took our sins away “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
Make this a day in which God cleanses you from sin. Spend time in sober reflection. Get right with God. Then rejoice in the freedom that is yours through Christ!
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