Atonement - Leviticus 16

In this chapter of Leviticus the Jews were introduced to the instructions for Atonement. Later in history this day became known as the "Day of Atonement" or Yom Kippur. It is still celebrated today. This chapter lays out for us the very beginnings of this great day. For the Jew this day is still practiced and is still necessary because they do not believe their Messiah has come. For Christians, Jesus has fulfilled the requirements of this day and its practice is no longer required. Atonement is complete in Jesus.
When I first began reading the chapter I was preoccupied with the two goats. There are many observations that can be made there. However, after spending more time with this chapter, I began to question the purpose of this day. Why was it necessary? There were Burnt Offerings which allowed a person to seek forgiveness for sin in general. There are sin offerings which were used for unintentional sins -- what we good :-) Christians call "mistakes". And finally there are Guilt offerings which are for sins against God or others. Guilt offerings required recompense to be made to the target of your sin. So given all these sacrifices why this day?

The key to understanding is not found in the two goats (the goat for the Lord and the scapegoat), but rather in v2 and v13. Verse 2 states that God "appears" in the cloud above the "atonement cover" on the Ark of the Covenant. The chapter begins with warnings to the High Priest not to go in at any time to this specific place. To do so would mean certain death. In v.13 we are told that part of the ritual is the burning of incense. The smoke of it moves between the atonement cover and the cloud. This smoke acts as a mediator or protective shield and allows the Priest to enter the Holy of Holies. This can only be done once a year.

This covering is where we see the difference between this day and the other sacrifices throughout the year. Atonement in Hebrew actually means "covering". Likely the same word used as the name of the covering over the Ark of the Covenant. Atonement means "satisfaction" and "reconciliation" in English. This lets us know that this day is more than just seeking forgiveness of sin it is about reconciling to God.

The sins of the individual, family and community are brought to God and then reconciliation between God and man takes place through this ceremony. Jesus fulfills this requirement. He acts as the cloud by being a mediator between us and God. He acts as "the goat for the Lord" by the physical sacrifice he made for our sin. He acts as the scapegoat by taking all the sin of the nation and the people upon himself. On this day God had to be approached with great care or the result would be death. Now, because of Jesus, we have access to the very throne of God. Jesus is our atonement.