The Day of Atonement

A Study on Leviticus 16

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 (in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month) Aaron shall come into the Holy Place:

Aaron, as the High Priest, was given very specific instructions for this day, otherwise, contact with the holiness of YHVH would kill him as it killed his sons. YHVH provided a way for contact to be made safely, but the way involved the High Priest’s full and humble attention. It also involved all Israel’s observance of the ritual.
 

Aaron first had to remove his usual high priest’s clothing and set these aside, then wash his body with water and put on the simple linen clothing as required on this Day. It appears he was to accomplish this alone, as only the High Priest was to be in the tabernacle at this time of cleansing and sealing it through the rituals of the Day.

Prepared this way, he then had to offer a sacrifice for himself, and a sacrifice for his ‘house’.

The bull that was sacrificed for this atonement had specific commands:

 

• the bull was to be killed and its blood collected (this was normal procedure)
• the coals from the altar were taken in a censer along with two handfuls of incense
• the incense was put on the coals when the priest was in front of the ark of the covenant seemingly SO THAT the cloud of smoke would obscure the priest’s view of the holy place, specifically the mercy seat that is over the testimony, SO THAT he may not die.
• the blood from the bull was sprinkled seven times in front of the mercy seat on the east side
• the fat from the sin offering of the bull was burnt up on the altar
• the carcass, the flesh and the dung (more specifically the offal, or intestines) of both the bull and the goat (see below) were brought outside the camp and burned up there
• the person who carried these out and burned them now had to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water before he could return to the camp

The goat that was offered as a sin offering for the people (remember, there was a ram to be offered as well, so this goat must have been the one of the two goats that the lot fell on) also had specific commands:

• the lots had to be cast over the goats at the entrance to the tent of meeting
• the one that fell to the Lord was sacrificed and the blood collected (a normal procedure)
• the blood of the goat that was for the sins of the people also was sprinkled in front of the mercy seat. It doesn’t say specifically, but implies that it would also be seven times, and to the east of the front of the seat.
• the skin, flesh and dung (insides) of the goat were removed outside the camp to be burned there. The person who did this had to wash his clothes and body before returning to the camp.

Only NOW was the Holy Place consecrated, sealed as clean ‘in the midst of their uncleanness’.

 

Next, the altar that is before the Lord had to be consecrated.

• some of the blood of the bull AND the blood of the goat were now placed on the four corners of the altar
• the blood was sprinkled on the altar seven times

Finally, the people were cleansed.

• the live goat, the one set apart for ‘Azazel’ was presented before the people.
• the High Priest laid both his hands on the head of the goat.
• with his hands on the head of the goat, he confessed the ‘iniquities’ the ‘transgressions’ and the ‘sins’ of the people of Israel over the goat.
• he ‘put them’ on the head of the goat.
• the goat was taken by someone (else) into the wilderness, and left there.

Now Aaron returned to the tent of meeting. He removed his linen garments in a holy place, washed his body a second time, and put on his high priest’s clothing again.

The sin offerings have been completed; next the burnt offerings are to be presented. It appears that the ram for Aaron and his ‘house’ and the ram for the people were now offered in the prescribed way.

 

"And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 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 Moses did as the LORD commanded him.

This is the key passage as to what ‘atonement’ is and also what it means to ‘afflict yourselves’.

The word translated ‘forever’ is olam H5769, generally time out of mind (past or future), that is, (practically) eternity. From H5956 alam, meaning to veil from sight, that is, conceal (literally or figuratively).

The word translated ‘afflict’ is anah H6031: to be busied with, to be occupied, with the idea of looking down, to be humbled, weakened, to stoop. In the context it’s used in here, it appears to mean not only to not do any work, any of the Israelites and any of the strangers who dwelt with them, but to be fully occupied (in sincere humility) with the rituals of the Day. It’s a different thing from commands of the other High Sabbaths, in that there was no requirement then to be fully occupied, as those days had no particular rituals that of necessity involved ALL the people.

IMAGE...a study of the Greek and Hebrew words

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”
 

image – Hebrew H6754 tselem (noun, masculine) from an unused root meaning to shade, a phantom (figuratively), an illusion, resemblance, a representative figure: especially an idol   

likeness – Hebrew H1823 demuth (from H1819) a resemblance, model, shape; from H1819 (verb) to be like, by implication to resemble, to liken, compare

You could use more words to more clearly express this as: 

Then God said, “Let us make man as our representative, an illusion or shadow picture of us, in our likeness and as a model of us, which compares to us…”
 

This understanding is emphasized further in the following words:
 

“…And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
 

In other words, man was made as a representative of God in the earth, to rule over the creatures and the earth they inhabit. It implies that man was to rule after God’s model, as if God was ruling the earth, according to His will. For the creatures of the earth and the earth itself, it would be AS IF God Himself was ruling.  

Yet man was not God, nor was he a part of God. God did not take of His essence and make man a mini-God, so to speak. Man, as a created being himself, carried the representation of God (and it appears it a physical representation as well) to the created earth. Man is NOT in any sense God. Yet it is AS IF he is God to the earth. A clear distinction must be maintained here.  

This Hebrew word, tselem, is used 15 times in the Tanakh. A few examples: Genesis 5:3 Adam begat a son in his own likeness (demuth), after his image (tselem). Numbers 33:52 Israel was to destroy the idols (tselem) of the inhabitants of the land they were to possess. 1 Samuel 6:5, 11 Philistines made images (tselem) of the hemorroids and mice that plagued them, as an offering. 2 Kings 11:18, 2 Chron 23:17 images (tselem) of Ba’al were destroyed. Psalm 39:6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow (tselem) Psalm 73:20 a dream is called a tselem. Ezekiel 23:14 images painted on a wall are called tselem. 
 
It is fairly clear from this broad selection of verses, that the word tselem means ONLY a representation, and does not in any sense convey that the image actually IS or is of the essence of the real. It is a copy and representation, not a clone.  

In the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, these Greek words are used: Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” image – Greek G1504 eikon (noun, feminine) an image, likeness, representation literally a statue, a bust.  

Several Christian theologians have interpreted this word to mean: properly, "mirror-like representation," referring to what is very close in resemblance (like a "high-definition" projection, as defined by the context). Image then exactly reflects its source (what it directly corresponds to). For example, Christ is the very image of the Godhead. But some go further than the actual meaning: Eikon (the Greek word translated 'image') assumes a prototype, of which it not merely resembles, but from which it is drawn" (R. Trench). Eikon then is more than a "shadow"; rather it is a replication (F. F. Bruce, Hebrews, 226; see also Lightfoot at Col 3:10 and 2:21).  

These theologians have interpreted this word quite differently than it is interpreted in Hebrew. In Hebrew it is most definitely NOT a ‘replication’ or something actually ‘drawn from’ the original.  

The only place this definition might possibly be understood this way is Genesis 5:3; that Seth was made in the image of Adam. However, even here we can’t really say Seth was a  duplicate or exact replication of Adam. Yes, Seth was drawn from Adam in the sense of being of Adam’s (and Eve's) substance. So were Cain and Abel. But the words go on to describe how Seth was born in the likeness of Adam, seeming to imply there was something about Seth that set him apart from Cain and Abel, who were not described this way. 

Verse 1 states that man was created in the image of God, and verse 3 states that Seth was in the image of Adam. There seems to be a comparison here between specifically Seth and Adam that followed the comparison between God and Adam. 

In most of the verses above, where the Hebrew word ‘tselem’ was used, the Greek word ‘eikon’ or a related word has been used in the Septuagint. 

In Numbers 33:52 Israel was to destroy the idols (Hebrew tselem, Greek eidolon, G1497) from the land.  Here idols is the word 'eidolon' (noun, neuter) meaning an image (for the purpose of worship) by implication a false god, an idol This is a comparable word to the Hebrew tselem, as in this case it is clearly referring to idols.  

1 Samuel 6: 5,11 Philistines made images (Hebrew tselem, Greek homoioma, G3667) of the hemorroids and mice. This is also a comparable word to the Hebrew tselem, in this case it is clearly referring to a copy or representation. representation – Greek G3667 (noun, neuter) a likeness, form, similitude a thing made like something else  

Conclusion: The Hebrew word tselem and the Greek word eikon define a likeness with a high degree of similarity, both in form and purpose. The copy does not carry the actual essence of the original. The copy is not made OF the original.  

The word eikon  in the New Testament writings has been used to create Christian doctrine that Christ, being the eikon/image of God, actually IS God, or contains actual essence of God.   This teaching is quite visibly absent from the Tanakh.  

The church doctrine claims that Christ is to be worshipped AS God. And many Christians have substituted worship of Christ FOR worship of God.  

Is this important? It is important to have a clear understanding of who Christ/Messiah is (and perhaps, isn’t) because IF he isn’t of the essence of God, and is being worshipped AS God, or even in addition to God, then the Christian is no different from most of the Israelites of the Old Testament, who worshipped God AS WELL as images (tselem/eikon) of God (s), or who worshipped the image (tselem/eikon) as if it were God, in place of God. The Golden Calf incident is a prime example. 

If Christ IS God, and I'm most definitely NOT advancing any agenda here other than to encourage each believer to study and gain understanding of this firsthand; then a careful and humble study of ALL the Tanakh should support this clearly.  

YHVH is a God of order and reason, not of disorder and confusion. He DOES NOT HIDE THE TRUTH from those who will apply their whole being to being willing to learn and live it. In the 'ten words' (Exodus 20) demonstrated in the rulings contained in Torah, He has told us ALL that we need to know to serve Him.  This is fully supported by the Hebrew writings and the Prophets of the Tanakh, which do not presume to add new teaching.

If we are reading the New Testament properly (and not reading into it what isn’t there, due to having our minds clouded with false doctrine) and if the New Testament writings are truth, then they will ALSO clearly support the Tanakh. For the record, I believe they do!  They will not bring in new doctrine that is unsupported by the words 'written by the finger of God' (the 'ten words').  

There is a lot at stake, and nothing to fear from careful examination of our understanding of truth. Though we have reason to fear God if we deliberately remain in rebellious error. Careful study of God’s Words (applied to our life) brings Him honour and brings us truth. Careful study done prayerfully and humbly will never lead us astray, though it certainly can and should shake the foundations of a false faith.