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LESSON 7

*November 8 - 14

Atonement in Symbols: Part 2

Read for This Week's Study:

Memory Text:

Key Thought: 

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 15.

Sanctuary and Atonement

What do the following verses teach us about the role of the sanctuary in the experience and life of the Israelites?  Exod. 25:8, 22; 29:42, 43; Pss. 28:2; 132:7; 138:2.  

The Israelite sacrificial system was centered on and operated within the sanctuary, the earthly dwelling of God. It was the center of life and of holiness in Israel. Within that unique space God dealt with the problem of sin. He commanded the Israelites to build an altar in the courtyard of the sanctuary, and it was upon this altar that the sacrificial blood was placed in order to make atonement for the people (Lev. 17:11). Blood, as a tangible expression of life, belonged to God, and it was to be returned to Him there, on the altar.

In the plan of salvation, the life of the animal stood for the life of the repentant sinner, and God would accept the death of the innocent animal instead of the sinner. The altar was a symbol of God’s presence (Ps. 43:4), and by accepting the sacrifice, God was assuming responsibility for the sin of the person. In other words, the Lord was telling the Israelites, “If you have sinned and want to get rid of this enslaving power, bring it to Me, to My dwelling place, and I will take care of it. Bring it to Me!” The Israelites left the sanctuary blessed by the Lord and justified by His grace (Pss. 24:3–5, 118:26).

All this was symbolic of the work of Jesus, our real High Priest. The heavenly sanctuary is the dwelling of God within the cosmos, and the place from which He rules as King of the universe; it’s also the place in which the sin problem is being resolved. The cross was the altar on which the sacrifice was offered for us. Today God says to us, “If you want freedom from sin, and forgiveness of sin, come to the altar of sacrifice where My Son paid the penalty for your sins!”

Someone asked a friend, “How can I know what God is really like?” The person responded, “Look at Jesus on the cross, dying for the sins of the world.” How does the Cross tell us what God is really like? What comfort and hope can you draw for yourself from that revelation of God?

Priestly Work and Atonement

Why was it necessary to have a priesthood who operated in His temple? Num. 18:1-8.  

The fundamental role of the priests was to be mediators between God and the people. The priests represented God before the people in their teaching ministry (Deut. 33:10). Closely related to that role was the priestly duty of revealing God’s will to those who sought divine guidance (Num. 27:21). The priests also functioned as judges in the sanctuary. In fact, the highest tribunal of the land operated at the central sanctuary (Deut. 17:8–13, 21:5). They were especially responsible for blessing the people (Deut. 10:8, 21:5). They represented the people before God. In their representative role they took the people with them to the presence of the Lord (Exod. 28:9–12, 29).

Their role as mediators was particularly visible during the daily services. They were in charge of the altar of the burnt offering and were to keep the sacred fire burning on it, removing the ashes and bringing new wood (Lev. 6:10–13). They placed a burnt offering on that altar in the morning and then another in the evening (Num. 28:3–8). During daily services the high priest went into the holy place to dress the lamp stand and to burn incense before the Lord (Exod. 30:7, 8). Also, whenever an Israelite brought a sacrifice, the priests sacrificed it on his or her behalf to make atonement for the sinner (Lev. 1:5–9; 4:25, 26, 34, 35). The role of mediation of the priest served at least three main purposes. First, it suggested that despite the fundamental distance between God and humans, there was a way to close the gap. Second, it revealed God’s desire to be with His people. It was a manifestation of God’s love seeking a way to become accessible to them, despite their sin. Third, from the perspective of the Israelites, the priesthood gave them access to the Holy One of Israel and the opportunity to be cleansed from sin and impurity. The priestly mediators were always available in order to make it possible for the people to approach God and find grace and mercy.

The whole system, of course, pointed to the ultimate Mediator between God and humans, the Servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Through the work of Christ we are part of the “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). What is your role in that priesthood? How can you function as “priest” for other people?

Day of Atonement:  Part 1

The Day of Atonement ritual illustrated the final resolution of the sin problem, the consummation of the salvation as experienced through the daily services. The whole tabernacle was to be cleansed, the Holy and Most Holy places. They needed cleansing because of the “uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been” (Lev. 16:16, NIV). These sins had been transferred to the divine dwelling through the sacrifices brought by repentant sinners. During the Day of Atonement the tabernacle was restored to its original pristine cleanliness and holiness. On that day, once a year, there was a fragment of space that, like the Garden of Eden, was free from the presence of sin and impurity. This “return” to Eden, celebrated at the end of the year, provided a fresh beginning for the people of Israel. It pointed to a new beginning of cosmic pro-portions (compare Dan. 8:14).

Read specifically Leviticus 16:16, 17, 21, 30, 33, 34. What specific emphasis can you find there? Whose sins are being dealt with on that day, in contrast to the daily ritual? Lev. 1:1-4.  

The texts indicate the all-encompassing nature of the cleansing, because all the sins of all the people were dealt with. It was a corporate act, dealing with Israel as a whole. This was God’s final disposition of the sin problem in Israel for that year, and it prefigured the final disposition of sin at the end of time (Heb. 9:28).

What did God expect from His people during that day? Lev. 23:26–31.  

However much the Day of Atonement was a corporate event, involving the whole nation, each individual had a role to play in giving himself or herself over to the Lord completely. Those who were not found resting in the Lord and humbling themselves before Him were to be “cut off from his people” (Lev. 23:29, NIV). However harsh that sounds, the point is to emphasize how solemn the work of salvation was. The passage is, among other things, promoting perseverance in one’s walk with the Lord.

How, in a sense, are we to “afflict” our souls on a daily basis? What does that mean? See Matt. 16:24, 25; Rom. 6:1–13; Heb. 12:4.

Day of Atonement:  Part 2

Read the scapegoat ritual as found in Leviticus 16:20–22. What is taught by this ritual? Focus especially on the fate of that animal as compared to all the others used in the service.  

The “scapegoat” (Heb. azazel) is not a means of atonement but a vehicle through which sin and impurity are carried to the wilderness. How do we know this?

First, the transfer of sin and impurity to this animal takes place after the high priest finished the work of atonement in the sanctuary. Second, the goat is not offered as a sacrifice; it is not slaughtered, and therefore no blood is available for atonement. Third, although it “carries/bears” the sins of the people, that does not mean that it carries them vicariously, as in the sense of a substitute, like Jesus. In this case the context shows that the verb means “to carry” to another place, i.e., “the wilderness” (Lev. 16:22, NASB). When the same verb is used to describe the work of the Servant of the Lord, it stands alone: “he bare the sins of many” (Isa. 53:12). He is not carrying them anywhere, but assuming responsibility for them Himself and, through that act, forgiving us. That is what atonement is, and that’s not what the scapegoat does.

Instead, the scapegoat ritual is an elimination rite; in other words, the scapegoat is a means of eliminating or removing from the camp of Israel something that should not be there—sin and impurity.

During the Day of Atonement there was a confrontation between the Lord and another power. The goat for the Lord represented God; the goat for azazel represented the opposing power, a demon, the ultimate source of sin and impurity. By sending the sins of the people to Azazel through the goat, this power was being named as the originator of sin. God had accepted the sin and impurity of His people in order to atone for them and to forgive their sins, but that did not mean that He was the originator of evil. The Day of Atonement announced in symbols the final victory of holiness and purity over the forces of sin, impurity, and evil. It anticipated the moment when the charges raised by Lucifer in heaven will be once and for all resolved, and Lucifer will have to assume responsibility for originating sin. Through this ritual God was instilling hope in His people by pointing to a future in which, through the power of Christ, a new creation will come into existence, one free from death and pain, free from the power of sin (Rev. 21:3, 4).

Atonement:  What Is It?

Which ideas are associated with the verb “to make atonement” in the following passages? Lev. 4:31; 16:18, 19, 30; 17:11.  

In Leviticus, though the priests officiate in the atoning rituals as mediators, they are not the ones who atone for sin. After the ritual is performed, God grants the forgiveness (Lev. 4:26; the passive form of the verb implies that God is the one who forgives). Atonement is something that God performs for His people. He is the one who “make[s] atonement for his land and people” (Deut. 32:43, NIV; also Pss. 65:3, 79:9). Through atonement, God allows His love to flow to sinners.

The Hebrew verb translated to make atonement in Leviticus (Heb. kipper) expresses the idea of wiping off or purging. Atonement is made for the tabernacle, the altar, the horns of the altar, meaning that they are purged, cleansed from the defilement of sin and impurity. The implication is that through atonement they are restored to the original condition, one free from defilement. When applied to repentant sinners, the verb still retains the idea of cleansing from sin or impurity.

Because the cleansing takes place through the blood of a sacrificial animal, atonement also can express the idea of ransoming. Freeing a person from sin is done at the cost of the blood/life of the sacrificial victim (Lev. 17:11). It was offered in place of the sinner, substituting for him or her, and therefore it ransomed the life of the person (see Matt. 20:28, 1 Tim. 2:6).

The verb to make atonement also is employed in Leviticus in a variety of rituals, making it impossible to conclude that it designates a single act. That is, atonement was a process rather than something that happens at a single point in time. The whole sanctuary activity throughout the year was understood as atonement; from the daily sacrifices (Lev. 5:10) to the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:34), and all the rituals in between. In other words, atonement was the totality of the cleansing action of God for Israel all year, including the sacrificial act, the mediation of the priest, and the final disposal of sin and impurity during the Day of Atonement. Thus was typified the all-inclusive nature of the work of atonement that Christ is doing for us.

Only God could atone for sin, and it took the life of Christ to do it. What should that tell us about how bad sin must be? Why, then, don’t we abhor sin more than we do? How does the practice of sin deaden our abhorrence of it?

Only God could atone for sin, and it took the life of Christ to do it. What should that tell us about how bad sin must be? Why, then, don’t we abhor sin more than we do? How does the practice of sin deaden our abhorrence of it?

Further Study:  

Discussion Questions:

Review the process of atonement and cleansing in the earthly sanctuary and then compare it to how, in reality, Christ destroys our sin without destroying us, as well.      Many people find it hard to understand why innocent animals had to die in order to make a point about sin. What’s the important lesson from these deaths for us? What should it tell us about the nature of sin?      All during the week we talked about “cleansing” from sin. What does that mean on a practical level; that is, in the life of someone who claims the blood of Christ? 1 John 1:7. What does it mean to be cleansed of sin?      Take your answer to Monday’s final question and bring it to class on Sabbath. Compare responses. How can we, both as individuals and as a church, better fulfill our role as “priests”?

Summary:

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