The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Law was limited in its ability to deal with sin

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was, and still is, the most important day in the religious calendar of Israel. It falls on the 10^th Tishri. The instructions for the Day are in Leviticus 23.26-32, with some repetition in Numbers 29.7-11 where the ritual offerings are listed. Leviticus 16.29-34 also refers to this Day where the emphasis there is on the priest who performs the ceremony in the Tabernacle. This day is at the heart of the Mosaic Covenant. Among the Jewish people it has long been considered that the first Yom Kippur took place after Moses had received the second set of stone tablets on which were the Ten Commandments. After the sin of the golden calf, the nation fasted and waited in repentance while Moses ascended the mountain to intercede for them. He returned on the 10^th Tishri to announce that God had forgiven the nation, in honor of which the 10^th Tishri would remain a day of atonement for all generations. The Day of Atonement was always significant in the national calendar, but after the Babylonian exile, it took on much greater importance in the culture of Israel. Since the exile was considered a judgment of God because the nation had failed to keep the Mosaic Law, then fulfilling the Law, especially as it applied to this key Temple service in which atonement was made for the sins of the people, became vital. Because the daily sacrifices were unable to deal with all sins, particularly secret sins, the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement became the major offerings of the religious year. The basic idea was a ‘covering’ for sin, the purpose of which was to accomplish reconciliation between God and man.

The Hebrew word whereby the doctrine of the atonement is usually set out in the Old Testament is ‘kaphar’, the original meaning of which was ‘to cover’ or ‘to shelter’. Strong’s Hebrew dictionary has ‘to cover’ as the initial meaning in all forms of the word. “1 to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch. 1a (Qal) to coat or cover with pitch. 1b (Piel). 1b1 to cover over, pacify, propitiate. 1b2 to cover over, atone for sin, make atonement for. 1b3 to cover over, atone for sin and persons by legal rites. 1c (Pual). 1c1 to be covered over. 1c2 to make atonement for. 1d (Hithpael) to be covered.” (Strongs No. 3722) The name of the mercyseat, ‘kapporeth’ is derived from ‘kaphar’, and is itself a covering, a lid to the ark of the covenant, in which was kept the two tablets of stone on which were engraved the Decalogue, the foundation of the Law of God.

What is suggested here is the truth that the sacrificial system as utilized by the Levitical priesthood could not cleanse sin, only cover it. This is a distinct weakness in the economy that prevailed during the dispensation of Law. The writer of the Hebrew letter remarks on this weakness. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” (Heb. 10:4)

Summary

 The Mosaic Law was initially designed:

a.       to bring order and discipline to the nation.

b.      to provide rules for righteous living and righteous behavior.

c.       to provide a way of repairing the relationship with God (for both individuals and the nation) when that relationship had fractured because of sin.

d.      to keep the nation free from the contamination of other idolatrous nations, whose idea of righteousness did not rise to the heights demanded by the God of the Hebrews.

e.       to educate and train the nation in such a way that it would be ready and prepared, in the fullness of time, to receive its Messiah, who would also be the Savior of the world.

What the Law was not designed to do was to provide a permanent rule for righteous living, nor a permanent answer to the problem of sin.

Next Time : The Land Covenant