This is a re-recording of Leviticus part two for our Old Testament survey. The recording for the actual lesson done in class was not captured, so I was going to read through my manuscript for those who missed the class but wanted to stay up with our survey of the Old Testament. I am recording this in my backyard, so if you hear any outdoor noises, that is why. Welcome to Leviticus. Part two. If you missed part one, I would encourage you to find the recording on Sermon Audio and catch up. That way you can see what you missed. Since today, this study is really a continuation of last week's study. Now, if you recall, the theme of Leviticus, if we were to summarize in just a word, would be the word holy or holiness. The sentence that I gave you last week summarizing the book is found in your handout. God is holy, and therefore His people must be holy too. Last week we explored this theme by looking at a number of topics that are introduced in the book of Leviticus, namely the different offerings that are prescribed for the people of Israel to maintain their place and their relationship with their covenant Lord, And we briefly discussed the importance of the priesthood and their ministerial role in making various offerings and mediation between God and the people. And lastly, we discussed laws related to the holiness code and also the holiness continuum, which really illustrated for us how holiness is connected with both life and with death. All of these things were instrumental in sanctifying the Israelites apart from the nations. God wanted the Israelites, as well as the nations, to know that He was Israel's God and they were His people. These forms of worship are not ends in themselves, but they really represent a further development in redemptive history. where God is achieving his kingdom promise of his people in his place under his rule. Additionally, each of these divine commands will have a dual role. First, for preparing the people for the promised seed who is promised to come, as well as revealing the nature of his person and his work. Now today, we are going to spend the entirety of our time looking at the Day of Atonement. But before we turn there, I want to encourage you to read through the book of Hebrews this week. In the book of Hebrews, we have really what's an inspired interpretation of the book of Leviticus. A quote from St. Augustine, which I think is helpful for us to think about at this point, is this. The new is in the old concealed, and the old is in the new revealed. Let's say that again. The new is in the old concealed, and the old is in the new revealed. So it might sound a bit cryptic to you, but essentially what it is saying is that under the Old Covenant, under the Old Testament, that which is coming, that which is new, is in a sense hidden. But whenever we get to the New Testament, and we see the authors engaging with the Old Testament text, we see that the old is in the new revealed. So it's revealed, what was being hidden in the old is revealed in the new. And we really see that illustrated very well when we look at the book of Hebrews in light of the book of Leviticus. So Hebrews so beautifully explains to us how these ceremonial laws anticipated the work of Christ. They are, as Hebrews 10.1 says, they are shadows of the good things to come, not the very form of things. The form of things to come is none other than the greater and final sacrifice of our great priest, our great high priest, Jesus Christ. If there's one word which could really sum up our lesson today, it would be the word reconciliation. Reconciliation. Go ahead and turn in your Bible to Leviticus chapter 16, verses one through 34. And if you recall in our last lesson, we looked at the holiness code, which covered chapters 11 through 15, and also 18 through 27. But during that lesson, you'll notice that we skipped over the section sandwiched in the middle, which in our outline on the back of our handout is the grace section. And this is where we're gonna spend the rest of our time. In chapter 16, we find an annual ceremony for the Israelites. It's called the Day of Atonement. one day out of the year where God would provide a way by which everyone's sin would be covered, would be atoned for, and the nation would be made holy again. Now, we've already seen that the priests, they make sacrifices every day for all kinds of sin, but what about reconciliation, specifically thinking about the nation being restored to its covenant Lord? Is there any provision made for the people to be reunited with God after they have sinned? With the other offerings that we looked at, the answer to that question is actually no. The guilt offerings and the sin offerings would make common things clean. After they've been made unclean, either by sin or by some form of contamination, they restore their condition of common cleanliness. which meant that they would maintain ritual access to God. The people would maintain ritual access to God via the priesthood and a place of good standing within the covenant community. And yet there still remained this continued need for reconciliation between the people and their holy God. And that's where the day of atonement comes in. Reconciliation will require the sacrifice of a substitute. and also prayers made on behalf of the people. Then the high priest, he will return to the people with the joyful declaration that their sins have been atoned for and that the people are now reconciled to God. So let's go ahead and look at the day of atonement. Begin by looking in chapter 16, verse two. And the Lord said to Moses, tell Aaron, your brother, not to come at any time into the holy place inside the veil. before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. Now the most holy place was the most inner part of the tabernacle. This is where God's very glory dwelt. So why would Aaron, the high priest, die if he went in? That's right, the glory of the Lord would crush him because of his sin. So the high priest can't just go in whenever he wanted to. Look at verses three through six. But in this way Aaron shall come into the holy place with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on a holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body He shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and he shall wear the linen turban. These are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water, and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, and he shall make atonement for himself and for his house. So first, Aaron, the high priest, he must atone for his own sins. That's verse 11. Only with the sacrifice of atonement can he enter into the most holy place. But as we've seen, he has to do so very, very carefully. Look at verses 13 through 14. And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense shall be eaten small. And he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. The smoke was meant to cover the glory of the Lord so that it wouldn't lash out and consume him. Now that his own sins are covered, he can commence his role as a representative of the people and begin his intercession for them. First, he'll take two goats to the entrance. One goat is used for a sin offering for the entire nation, and the other will serve as the scapegoat. Then after Aaron has atoned for his own sins, he can make atonement for the people. That's what we saw in verse 15. Then in verses 16 through 19, show that the blood of the sin offering is for cleansing the most holy place, the tabernacle and the altar that are defiled because of the people's sins. After this, Aaron will deal with the scapegoat Take a look at verses 21 through 22. And Aaron shall lay both of his hands on his head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel and all their transgressions, all of their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of men who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all of their iniquities on himself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. What a powerful, visible parable this would have been for the people. The people would see all of their sins essentially being transferred to the head of this goat, and watch as their sins were, metaphorically of course, taken away, never to be seen again. This ritual is to be performed once a year, every year. And as verse 30 says, as a statute forever. It was a serious and solemn day. And at the same time, it was a joyous occasion because on this day, all the sins of the nations were forgiven and they all were reconciled to God. It is still a very important day on the Jewish calendar. It's a day known by Jews today as Yom Kippur. Now, why did I take you through all this detail? Well, take a minute and think about it. All that to do, all that blood, such a tedious process year over year, great that sins were forgiven, but it would have to be done again and again next year. Blood is all over the place and everyone has come to watch. How serious God must take sin. All of this, as we've seen up to this point, really emphasized the point of the last two lessons, which is emphasize God's holiness. It also emphasized the people's sinfulness. It emphasized also God's grace. And really all of this shows that it ultimately doesn't Go ahead and jump ahead in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, which is really where we're gonna spend the rest of our time, and turn to chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, verses one through three, reads like this. For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come, instead of the true form of these realities, It can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. So I ask you, why don't the sacrifices offered under the Levitical law, specifically the ones offered on the Day of Atonement, why don't they ultimately work? I think we see in the book of Hebrews, they didn't work because they were never really intended to. They were given as a shadow of the greater reality, which was to come. The offer of Hebrews continues. explaining that the priests perform their duties endlessly because the problem of sin was never solved. Reconciliation had to be continually pursued. But Jesus, Jesus, unlike the high priest, he had no need to make purification for his own sins before he could pursue reconciliation between God and the people. Hebrews chapter 7, just a few chapters back, verses 23-28, draws on these very themes and puts it like this. The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing. But Jesus, on the other hand, because he continues forever, he holds his priesthood permanently. Therefore, he is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens, who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. Because this he did once for all, when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a son, made perfect forever. The author of Hebrews is telling his audience that being tempted to return to the old covenant system would be a grave mistake. He identifies why trust in Christ is superior. Firstly, the old covenant system, it required the frequent replacement of high priests. This is due to the fact that they would all die. Jesus, our high priest, lives forever. He holds his priesthood permanently. The second reason why I'd be foolish to return to the Old Covenant system is that the Old Covenant system had provisions in it for the high priest to first deal with his own sins before he could then pursue reconciliation for the people, something that Christ would never have to do due to his sinlessness. Look at chapter 8, verses 1 through 2 of the book of Hebrews. It says this. Now the main point that has been said is this, we have such a high priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not men. Jesus entered the Holy of Holies and he abides there permanently. He does not need to enter and exit and only on certain days like the high priest of the old covenant. So what does this mean about our reconciliation with God? It means that it's final, it's done, it's been completed, fully reconciled, right? Look again at Hebrews chapter 10, verses 11 through 14. Every high priest stands daily, ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But he, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. His work, as he said on the cross, was finished. We are justified in his sight. Reconciliation has forever been secured, once and for all, through our high priest, Jesus Christ. So why is the Day of Atonement the centerpiece of the book of Leviticus? Well, because the law was never intended to be something that would be kept perfectly by anyone other than Jesus Christ. It was there to show our need for a savior in the day of atonement, and the day of atonement and its need to be repeated year after year was the clearest expression of that. Let's conclude with some thoughts of application. The call to be holy is indeed a serious one. And we hear it with great sobriety. But we hear it as a people who are aware of our sin and are also aware that we need atonement from outside of ourselves. We look to Jesus to establish our standing before the Lord. We will never reach God's perfect standard of holiness this side of heaven. And so we need the Lord Jesus Christ We need his gospel. Then with the grace that God gives, we can live lives of distinction, lives of faith and obedience. A few ways to think about this. First, we really need to feel the weight of our sin. If there's one thing made perfectly clear in the book of Leviticus, it's that sin has massive consequences. and it can only be dealt with through the shedding of blood. Keep in mind as we read in Hebrews that even all of this never fully dealt with sin. All the sacrifices, all the regulations, all the warnings, all the prohibitions, all the commands found in this book have a single purpose, to drive us to God's provision for our sins. Ultimately, What is this provision? It's the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Be encouraged once again by the book of Hebrews, this time from Hebrews chapter 10, verses 19 through 23. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is through his flesh, And since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, full and full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Second, if you're a Christian, look forward to the day when all sin is done and we are free to worship God in perfect holiness for all eternity. Remember how John's revelation concludes with this stirring account of this future day. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, Jerusalem coming down from heaven from God, out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud cry from the throne, saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God will be with them as their God, and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. We see in this text the consummation, God's people, God's place under God's rule. This is our great hope. Yes, our sin is heavy and costly, but it is not forever if we know Christ. It is a passing burden that has been atoned for by our great High Priest. There will come a day when all is made new, when you and I will sing of the glories of God face to face with our Creator, because He has removed all barriers, all hindrances, and all sin. Live in joyful expectation of this day and pray that God will keep you and sustain you so that we might all be together once more in all eternity. Amen.