Atonement and Reconciliation

Post# 68

Since the time of Moses, the Day of Atonement has been  on the tenth day of the seventh  month of the lunar calendar. On week days the Levites would sacrifice sin offerings in the sanctuary of the temple, but once a year on the Day Atonement the High Priest would enter the inner room, the Most Holy  Place, and sprinkle blood to cleanse the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. This symbolized the cleansing of his own sins and the sins of the people of Israel who lived in the promised land. However, the Levites had to repeat their daily sacrifices and the High Priest this annual service, because the sacrifices didn’t change the peoples’ hearts and behavior.

Hebrews 9:8 -10 says in part, “The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed  …. This is an illustration for (that) time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only external regulations applying until the time of the new order.” NIV

“To clear the conscience of the worshiper”, as we know, requires that we have faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ; which only became possible at “the time of the new order”, which began about 2000 years ago.

Hebrews 9:12 says, “He (Jesus) did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”

By his blood, Jesus opened the way to forgiveness of sin for all people in all the world. Not only that, but after his resurrection, he began to lead people to repentance and grant them the Holy Spirit, which can change their hearts and reconcile them to God. He paid the penalty for all our sins and released us from captivity to sin.

Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; ” – Jesus quoted this about himself in Luke 4:17-19.

I am reminded of the scripture in which Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24

Mammon can refer to all physical things – things that we can see. Ancient Israel was prone to worship the things they created and made to represent God. This led them to break the covenant that they had made with God, and their eventual exile and captivity in nations who were actively worshipping idols – the things their hands had made.

Today, even though we may have become hooked on the amazing things around us, such as electronics, we can return to God and his amazing Grace and love. Jesus is willing to restore us, reconcile us and reconnect us to God, as we reset our priorities to worship him.