In Martin Luther’s introduction to his Large Catechism he wrote against those who thought they knew everything they needed to know and ignored the need to remind themselves of the basics. Specifically, he wrote, “I beg these lazy-bellies and presumptuous saints, for God’s sake, to get it into their heads that they are not really and truly such learned and great doctors as they think.” He then added, “What they need is to become children and begin learning their ABC’s, which they think they have outgrown long ago.” Tapper, Theodore G. The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Philadelphia: Fortress, 2000), 359. Quoted by Carl Trueman in the forward to Resurrection and Eschatology: Theology in Service of the Church, ed. Lane G. Tipton and Jeffrey C. Waddington (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2008), x. What Luther reminds us here is that in many ways, learning is a risky endeavor. Gaining information can be helpful, and it can also be dangerous. One of the dangers is that when we think we know foundational things and are ready to move beyond them we set ourselves up to forget them altogether. We often make reference around here to a warning I first heard from D. A. Carson (though I can’t recall the setting in which I heard it). It is something like “that which is assumed in one generation will be forgotten in the next.” This saying highlights one of the dangers of thinking we’ve grasped the basics and have no need to ponder them again. If we simply assume that we know the foundational elements in the Christian faith, then we could always tell ourselves that everyone in our midst knows them, never teach them, and then raise a generation that is ignorant of them. Another danger is that if we’ve understood the foundational matters incorrectly, think we have no need to consider them again, though having them wrong, we’ll never give ourselves an opportunity to correct our thinking. I say this because Leviticus 16 is a picture of the very foundation of the Christian faith. It is a picture of the gospel, a reflection for us of the work of Jesus Christ. Basically, Leviticus 16 answers the question that demands an answer from Genesis 3 onward, namely, “How is it that a sinfully dirty people can dwell in the midst of a perfectly holy God?” Leviticus 16 is written to give us a picture of how this can happen. Jesus Christ is not mentioned by name in this text. You read nothing about a cross or our Lord’s resurrection. In fact, it is a chapter about a ceremony that took place one day a year in ancient Israel, and yet it gives us a glimpse of the crucial elements necessary for our salvation. That is, it gives us a glimpse of what it will take for us, as sinfully dirty people, to come into the presence of a perfectly holy God. So, with that introduction to this important chapter, let’s turn to the text. Leviticus 16 describes the day known as “Yom Kippur” or the Day of Atonement. It was the one day of the year when the High Priest alone entered the Most Holy Place and offered sacrifices for himself and the sins of the people. It was a day of general atonement and cleansing for the tabernacle itself as well as for the people. It was the only day of the year someone could enter into the very room where God allowed his presence to dwell, as he dwelt there above the Ark of the Covenant. Though sacrifices were made throughout the year and ceremonies were carried out, this day was the most important day of sacrifice and atonement. And we find this day described in Leviticus 16, which makes it one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament. The chapter itself can be outlined somewhat easily. In verses 1-5, God gives instructions for how Aaron can come into the Most Holy Place. In verses 6-10, God describes the ritual to be performed by Aaron on this special day, giving it in summary fashion. In verses 11-28 the ritual is described in greater detail. And in verses 29-34 instructions are given as to how the people are to conduct themselves, what the day itself means, and how often it is to be observed. But beyond understanding the details of the day itself, God reveals some elements of what is required if he is to dwell in the midst of his people (or, from another perspective, what is required if God’s people are to be able to come into his presence). First, God makes absolutely clear in giving his instructions for this day that though God is mercifully providing atonement for his people, he is not compromising his holiness. Though God mercifully provides atonement, he does not compromise his holiness (1-3a) Notice the first three verses of the chapter. We read, “The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, 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. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place . . .’” (1-3). Now, we probably don’t need to be reminded of the death of Aaron’s sons as it was only two weeks ago that Chad preached to us about that event where Aaron’s sons came to offer sacrifice in a manner that wasn’t in accord with what the Lord commanded, and God put them to death. And the text records the event so matter of fact. Leviticus 10:1-2 tells us that they offered “unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” It’s the same kind of thing we see with Uzzah and in 2 Samuel 6 as they’re carrying the ark to Jerusalem when the oxen stumble, Uzzah puts out his hand and touches the ark to make sure it doesn’t fall, and God strikes him down and he dies there beside the ark. This seems crazy, doesn’t it? It makes us ask, “What kind of God is this?” Is he crazy? Is he some kind of lose canon so that you don’t know when his emotions will get the best of him and lead him to fly off the handle? No. The answer is that he is a holy and just God. He is a God who is so perfectly holy he hates sin and a judge who is so just he cannot simply overlook it. He is a holy God, and the death of Nadab and Abihu was just a glimpse of God’s perfect and holy response against sin. He pours out his wrath in judgment against all that is not good and righteous. So, with that in mind, notice that chapter 16 does not begin by saying, after the death of Aaron’s sons the Lord said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron that I’m sorry about that earlier incident, I got a little carried away, it’ll never happen again, and it’s ridiculous that anyone should die just because they sin. Tell Aaron I’ve changed.” Nope. God says to Moses that he should tell Aaron his brother not to come in at just any time in just any way into the Most Holy Place where God’s presence is, because if he does, he will die. Do you see what’s going on here? God is mercifully telling Aaron how it is he is going to be able to come into his presence on this holy day. But it doesn’t include God saying, “I’ll back off on my holiness.” It doesn’t include God saying that he’ll change and tone down his justice. No, rather, he is telling Aaron that if he doesn’t do exactly as God commands, he’ll die just like his sons died. God makes most clear that he has not changed. Aaron is about to approach the God who is still as holy as the moment he killed Aaron’s sons for their disobedience. God makes clear in his opening words concerning Aaron that the reason Aaron will be able to come before God will not be because God just decides he can overlook men’s sin. This is not God saying, “I’ve realized I must lower my standards because boys will be boys, won’t they?” Rather, because Aaron is a sinful man (as the rest of us) and God is a holy God, if Aaron doesn’t go through the necessary means to address his sins and the others’ sins, then he’ll die. You see, one of the distinctives of the Christian faith compared to other world religions is that only our God refuses to be anything less than holy and just. And if anyone comes into his presence, it will not be because God simply decided to overlook their sin and be less than holy. Aaron was coming into the presence of one who could justly put him to death just as he had Aaron’s sons. Leviticus 16 reminds us that the God who provides atonement for his people is still and always will be the holy God who must judge sin if he is to remain just. So, it is from the mouth of that holy God that come instructions for how the people might be able to come into his presence. And the first thing that God shows them is that the people will come before him by means of a representative – the high priest. Atonement will require the people the people to come before God through a representative – the high priest (3-5) Having read the first two verses of the chapter in which God instructs Moses as to how Aaron should come into his presence, verses 3-5 complete this introduction as to what will be needed. We read in verses 3-5, “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 the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and 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.” We read that Aaron will come with a bull, a ram, two goats, and another ram. He will bathe and wear a simple linen garment with a sash and a turban. And in the midst of these opening verses, you might think that this is simply a day for Aaron. However, the text shows us clearly that it is about the people as a whole. First, even in verse 5 we read that the two goats and one of the rams will come from the congregation of the people. Then, in verse 15 we read that Aaron will kill the goat of the sin offering “for the people.” We read in verse 21 that when Aaron confesses sins over the live goat, he will confess “all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sin.” Finally, verses 30 and 34 reminds us that this is a day in which atonement is made for all the people of Israel so that all may be clean before the Lord from all their sins. So, what’s going on here? If the day is about all the people, why is only Aaron involved in coming into the Lord’s presence? The answer is that God’s way of making atonement for his people involves the people having one to represent them. Throughout the Bible we find again and again God dealing with people on the basis of a representative. Adam sins in the garden, and it doesn’t affect just him. Rather, as a representative for mankind, all are born dead in their sins. David takes a census of the people, sinning against the Lord, and all of the Israelites suffer for his sin. In the same way, Hebrews 5:1 tells us, “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” The high priest alone comes before God, but he comes as a representative for all the people. In Exodus 28 we read that the priest’s garments typically included twelve gems that he would wear. This number was no mistake. It was to show that he was representing the twelve tribes of Israel. It may be one man, but that one man was representing all the people. And so on this day God is showing them that their means of atonement will come through one man, a representative who will act before God on behalf of the people. The atonement for their sins would come through the actions of their representative, the high priest. On this particular day, his dress would be much less fancy than normal (only a linen garment, sash, and turban. Perhaps, this clothing signified his humility and ideal purity. After all, you can come before the people demonstrating your importance, but before God all must be humble). But what had not changed is the people needing a representative, and that representative that God chose for his people to make atonement for their sins was the high priest. But the ritual of this day was not limited to Aaron entering God’s presence. Rather, it was a bloody and gruesome scene. God shows his people in verses 6-28 that atonement will demand the shedding of blood and a substitute to bear the people’s sin. Atonement demands the shedding of blood and a substitute to bear the people’s sins (6-28) In verses 6-10 we get a brief summary of the events of this day. We read, “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.” Then, in verses 11-28, we have this fleshed out in detail. As Aaron enters the Holy Place, he offered a bull as an offering for himself and his house. He then took some coals from the fire and two handfuls of incense and brought them inside the veil into the Most Holy Place so that it formed a cloud over the mercy seat. The idea most likely was so that he could not catch a glimpse of the Lord’s presence. Otherwise, verse 13 shows us that Aaron could have died. Then he took blood from the bull and sprinkled it all over the mercy seat. At this point Aaron is basically simply coating the mercy seat in the blood of this animal that had been killed. Then, he killed one of the goats that he got from the people, brought its blood inside the veil and did the same thing he had done with the bull’s blood. The idea is that just as he atoned first for his own sins, now he was addressing theirs. Also, he was cleansing the Holy Place itself because it had sat in the midst of a sinful and unclean people. No one could enter anywhere in the tent during this time. Then, he would go out to the altar and put the blood of the bull and the goat over it to cleanse it. Now, don’t deceive yourselves, this is a gruesome scene. Because of people’s sins goats and bulls are being killed and blood thrown everywhere over the tabernacle so that it was cleansed. Animals had to die and their blood had to be shed if atonement is made for the people. But, we might ask, why do the animals die and is their blood shed if it’s the people’s sin and uncleanness that needs to be atoned for on this day? The answer is that the animals are serving as a substitute for the people before the Lord. The animals are bearing the sin and guilt of the people. The people themselves deserved to die and face God’s judgment for their sin, but God is showing on this day that if they are to have atonement and not face God’s judgment for their sins it is only because he will provide another, a substitute whose blood will be shed for them. This substitution is seen most clearly in verses 20-22. The text reads, “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.” This act clearly shows that the goat is acting as a substitute for the people. Aaron lays his hands on the goat and confesses the sins of the people over it. The goat bears their sins. Therefore, he is led away out of the camp, out from the Lord’s presence, to a remote area in the wilderness where he will be left alone and presumably die. The section then wraps up as we are told in verses 23-28 that everyone involved in this work bathes himself and cleanses himself before doing anything else so that uncleanness might not dwell amidst the camp again. But what is clear in this is that the atonement God provides for the people will demand a substitute so that the animal’s blood can be shed and a substitute so that one can bear the sins that belonged to the people. And, finally, we read in verses 29-34 that this ritual is ultimately so that the people might be clean before the Lord from their sins. Atonement results in the people being clean before the Lord from their sins (29-34) In verses 29-34 God instructs the people to practice the events of this day annually. They will fast and cease from doing work, for this is a solemn day, and they must prepare themselves for it. But the reason they must take it so seriously and prepare for it as they do is found in verse 30 as God says, “For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins.” Then, he repeats these things again before stating in verse 34, “And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And the chapter ends, “And Moses did as the LORD commanded him.” The chapter ends reminding the Israelites that they weren’t simply walking through some ritualistic motions just to be doing them. No, this day was significant. It would come only once a year, but it must come every year because its goal was to cleanse the people from their sins. It was so that they might be made clean before God. It was so that a sinfully dirty people might continue to dwell in the presence of a perfectly holy God. What a chapter concerning the mercy and grace and kindness of a holy God as he provides atonement for his people so that they might be clean before him. And yet reading this text we feel the shortcomings of this day, don’t we? If it’s so important that we have one represent us before the Lord, so that we might come before him as a holy people, then surely Aaron cannot fulfill this role. He comes as one who is just like us. The text makes clear that he too has to offer sacrifices for his own sins. We need one to represent us who is not like us, a high priest who might come before the Lord and present not an offering for his own sin but his righteousness before God on our behalf. Aaron cannot suffice for this. Indeed, he doesn’t. Hebrews 7:28 tells us that the law appoints high priests in their weaknesses, recognizing their sin. However, when God swore an oath, appointing for us a true high priest, it was his perfectly righteous Son. And he is our representative, Hebrews 9:24 telling us that he now appears “in the presence of God on our behalf.” Also, returning to Leviticus 16, if it is important for a substitute to bear our sins and blood to be shed, then surely an animal is not a sufficient substitute and sacrifice. The blood of an animal is not as precious as that of a man and the animal is not equal to a man. Again, bulls, goats, and their blood surely cannot suffice for a substitutionary sacrifice. Again, the author of Hebrews confirms that they do not. Hebrews 9:25-28 tells us that the high priest entered with blood every year that wasn’t even his own (simply the blood of animals), but when Christ appeared as our great High Priest, he not only served as our representative but as our substitutionary sacrifice, offering himself and bearing the sins of many. Finally, if the goal is so that the people are made clean, then surely a sinful representative and the death of an animal cannot truly bring this about. In addition, the men had to bathe themselves even in the midst of this ceremony. How long would it take before the camp is unclean again? And if this ritual must be carried out once a year, how long is it before your sins start adding up again? How long is it before you stand guilty in the filth of your sin before a holy God and under his just judgment again? Is your best bet praying that you die the second after this ritual is completed? The day itself obviously pointed to atonement, but it seemingly could do nothing for one’s conscience. Again, Christ is the ultimate answer, having offered himself as our substitute and as a sacrifice for our sins, Hebrews 10:14 tells us that “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” And we have true forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 10:18 says, “Where there is forgiveness of these [sins], there is no longer any offering for sin.” There’s a reason we do not celebrate this day of atonement anymore. It’s because Christ, our representative came and offered himself as a pleasing sacrifice once and for all so that we might be forgiven. And in this God did not relax his holiness and decide he would overlook our sin. No. The good news of the gospel is that the holy God sent his Son into the world, allowing one who was perfectly righteous to bear our sins. And instead of overlooking our sin, he poured out his judgment, his wrath, on his Son so that we might not have to pay the penalty for our sins. Then, he raised him from the dead three days later. And as we place our faith in Christ, not only do we not have to face God’s judgment for our sin, but also God credits Christ’s perfect righteousness to us. We are credited with the righteousness of our perfect representative who substituted himself as a sacrifice to pay our penalty. Because of that we are truly forgiven. This is the gospel. And Leviticus 16 is a picture of that gospel. So, this morning, I want us to respond in two ways. First, realize that if you’ve trusted in Christ as your hope for salvation, that you are forgiven of your sins – truly forgiven and credited with his righteousness. It is such a temptation for us to think that there’s something else that makes us righteous, whether doing enough good or avoiding enough bad, but that’s not how it works. If you think that doing enough good or avoiding enough bad makes you acceptable before God, then you’ve forgotten the first point in our text. The God who atones for our sin is an absolutely holy and just God. God demands perfect righteousness from his people. Therefore, our only hope is Christ. So, this morning, believe the gospel and believe what God says is true of those who believe in him. Second, because we have been forgiven and are credited with the righteousness of Christ, love him and serve him. The author of Hebrews says that since we now realize we can come before God ourselves because of our Great High Priest, come! Because you are forgiven, delight in that God, love that God, learn of that God, pray to that God, serve that God, become consumed with that God. After all, he is the one who has provided a means of atonement for us through his Son. He is the one who has cleansed us from our sins. And if we truly realize what that means, then we will love him and obey him. There’s nothing more motivating I can hold up before a child of God that will lead him to obey than the gospel. Someone who knows his sin and understands the forgiveness we have in Christ will long for God deeply. So, let’s delight in this gospel as we come to the table. Amen.

MERCY, HOLINESS AND THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

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