The Covering
The Hebrew word for atonement contains the meaning of "a covering". On this feast day, the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur, under the first covenant, the high priest would sprinkle a blood covering over the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. He could enter once a year only, and this blood sprinkling would provide the atonement, or covering for sin, for one year (Lev. 16:1-34). This blood covering brought reconciliation between God and man for that year.
However, God's desire and plan for covering man did not begin nor end there.
We see the heart of God as He covered Adam and Eve after they broke their relationship with Him.
We see it as God designed a covering ark for Noah, his family, and the animals of creation, and covered that ark with pitch. The covering pitch (same Hebrew word for atonement) protected and lifted the ark above the waters of judgment that covered an earth filled with violence and corruption.
As God taught Israel about the Day of Atonement, the animal sacrifice blood covering of the atonement applied by the high priest was for himself, his family, the people, and the tabernacle (Lev. 16:33-34). This blood covered the Mercy Seat, which covered the Ark of the Covenant, which covered the tablets of the law, which is the standard of perfection, the rod of Aaron that budded, which exhibited resurrection life, and the manna, the daily bread provided from heaven. All of this was, in turn, covered by the smoke from the cloud of incense (Lev. 16:13), representing prayer, which also covered the glory of God, which was covered by the golden wings of the Seraphim angels above the ark.
Even the Hebrew letters of the word atonement give us a picture of the covering. The first letter, kaph, means "a wing, to cover, the open hand, the power to suppress or lift up". The word ends with the letter resh, which means "the first, the top, the beginning, the highest, the most important, the chief". One thing these letters therefore tell us is that this spiritual covering is the most important, the highest, the chief and first thing to God, and the highest, most important, first and chief thing we should know about our God.
Rabbis teach that the Day of Atonement is reconciliation with God through repentance and confession of sins, expressing a hope, "May your name be written in the Book (of Life)". This feast day is indeed marked by fasting, afflicting the soul, and repentance (Lev. 23:26-29). However, make no mistake, there was no atonement covering without also sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice:
"And he (Aaron) shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat: he shall make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins..." Lev. 16:14-16
And almost all (things) are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood, there is no remission." Heb. 9:22
This atonement blood covering is so important to God and to us for a reconciliation, that God ordained this feast day as a type and shadow, fulfilled by Christ, to be kept through all generations.
The Day of Atonement was fulfilled by the blood of Jesus, our High Priest, who didn't come with the shadow blood of animals, but with the better, perfect offering of His own blood, His own life, because His blood was His life (Lev. 17:11). This blood atonement wouldn't last for just a year, as with the shadow under the first covenant, but would cover for all eternity, not just in the earth below, but in the heavens above (Heb. 9:11-14, 20-25). The fullness of the atonement through the blood of the Messiah no longer carries a shadow of hope that your name may be written in the Book of Life, but now carries the assurance (Heb. 10:22) of this great conversion from sin to righteousness, from corruption to incorruption, and from death unto life (Rev. 20:11-15).
How this shows God's greatest desire to cover us! Jesus expresses this desire as fervent, almost covetous: "With desire I have desired..." (Lk. 22:15), in describing the moment of His sacrifice and the new covenant, the better covenant, in His blood. He desires to bring us under the covering of His wings (Mt. 23:37, Ps. 91:1, 4, Ps. 17:18, Ps. 61:4, Ruth 2:12). It was the most important thing of all that He desired to do for us, and He gave everything He had in order to accomplish it. He provided the eternal atoning blood covering for us out of His love:
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 Jn. 4:10 (Jn. 3:16-17)
Jesus sprinkles the atoning blood in the Holy of Holies of our hearts, a tabernacle not made with hands, but a greater, more perfect tabernacle (Heb. 9:11).
This Yom Kippur, as we pray, confess, and repent, let us also remember His blood, His living love, that atones and covers all sins (Prov. 10:12), and allows us to boldly enter the holiest place through the veil of His flesh.
Based upon:
Lev. 16:1-34
Heb. 9:1-25
Heb. 10:1-25
Rev. 20:11-15
Rev. 20:11-15
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