Jews all over the world are in the midst of their high and holy days sometimes called the Days of Awe. They start with Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) which was September 22nd and continue for ten days, bringing us to Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Judaism teaches that without the temple and its sacrificial system, Jews must practice acts or righteousness. They believe that all of our deeds (both good and bad) during this past year will pass before the Judge of all the earth the LORD GOD of ISRAEL.
The emphasis is on repentance before God and that certainly is a good thing! However, the Bible teaches that our LORD YESHUA was the final sacrifice for our sins, and it is not our righteous acts that save us (Titus 3:5), but His vicarious (substitutionary) atonement. Yom Kipper (Day of Atonement) is the only fast day that God ever commanded of His people.
The High Priest (and only Him!) focused on two goats on that day. One goat was killed and the blood was taken by the High Priest into the Holy of Holies (only time in the year this happens!) and placed on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant the lid is called the mercy seat. The Greek word that was used to translate the Hebrew for mercy seat is the word propitiation. It is clear from I John 2:2 and 4:9-10 that our Lord Yeshua is the propitiation for our sins. The word refers to the satisfaction of the wrath of God against sin.
The second goat was kept alive and the High Priest would hold on tightly and confess all the sins of the people; then the goat would be released into the wilderness (called the azazel) and no one was to go after it. It is a beautiful reminder of the Greek word for forgiveness which means to send away. The Lord has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and cast them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18-20) our Lord Yeshua also suffered and died outside the gate (Hebrews 13:12) a reminder that He also is represented by the goat that was released, symbolizing the complete removal of our sins WHAT A SAVIOR! By Dr. David Hocking
Hope for Today Ministries, PO Box 3927, Tustin, CA 92781
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