GOD IS A repetitious teacher. . .
ATONEMENT is a “making at one” with God. In the Old Testament, the word comes from the Hebrew term meaning “cover,” “coverings,” or “to cover.”
In that tutorial role, He seeks to help us better appreciate and understand the salvation that we enjoy uniquely in Christ Jesus.
In Leviticus 16, Jehovah echos the concept of atonement over and over again.
Please read and consider the following verses:
“Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall MAKE ATONEMENT for himself and for his house.” v. 6
“And Aaron shall present the great on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to MAKE ATONEMENT over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.” vv. 9-10
“And Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall MAKE ATONEMENT for himself and for his his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself.” v. 11
“Thus he shall MAKE ATONEMENT for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleanness.” v. 16
“No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to MAKE ATONEMENT in the Holy Place until he comes out and has MADE ATONEMENT for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.” v. 17
“Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and MAKE ATONEMENT for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around.” v. 18
“And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering of the people and MAKE ATONEMENT for himself and for the people.” v. 24
“For on this day shall ATONEMENT BE MADE for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins.” v. 30
“And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall MAKE ATONEMENT wearing the holy linen garments.” v. 32
“He shall MAKE ATONEMENT for the holy sanctuary, and he shall MAKE ATONEMENT for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall MAKE ATONEMENT for the priest and for all the people of the assembly. v. 33
“And this shall be a statute forever for you, that ATONEMENT MAY BE MADE for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins…” v. 34
NOTES FOR YOUR BIBLE AND YOUR HEART:
- Our English word atonement refers to “a making at one” with God.
- While the term is found throughout the Old Testament, it’s only employed one time in the New Testament and is usually rendered “reconciliation” (Rom. 5:11; cf. 5:10; 11:15; 1 Cor. 7:11; 2 Cor. 5:18, 19, 20; Col. 1:19, 20).
- According to the Greek scholar Danker, the word involves the “reestablishment of an interrupted or broken relationship.” Therefore, when the ancient High Priest sought to MAKE ATONEMENT for himself, his family, and the people of Israel as a whole, he was seeking to reconcile and restore a spiritual bond with God that had been severed due to sin (cf. Isa. 59:2; Mic. 3:4).
- The only way atonement/reconciliation could take place in the Old Testament was through the a) death of certain prescribed animals (i.e., bulls and goats – cf. Heb. 10:4) and b) the shedding of their blood.
- In fact, God has always required a blood sacrifice in order for atonement to be achieved and experienced (Heb. 9:22). Blood was a covering.
- The ancient Day of Atonement including all of its prescribed activity was a foreshadowing (Heb. 10:1-2) of the priestly and sacrificial role of Christ (Heb. 4:14-16; 9:6-12) on our behalf. He served as both our High Priest as well as our perfect offering.
- Unlike the Old Testament Levitical system that required a High Priest to make offerings on an yearly basis, Jesus – as our Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14), offered the blood of His perfect sacrifice once for all (Heb. 7:26-27; 9:12; cf. 1 Pet. 1:18-20; 1 John 2:2).
“God loves you and I love you and that’s the way it’s gonna be!” – Mike
INCARNATE 