Day 52

Read: Leviticus 14:33 - 16:34

God commands for cleansing infectious mold from homes and the expectations for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) rituals. Once again, God requires holiness in both personal life and communal worship. Today's reading teaches that sin and impurities are pervasive and require purification through substitutionary sacrifices in order to maintain a relationship with God. As we continue reading the Bible, remember this: Jesus is our substitute.

God addresses defiling molds - Although fungus/mildew may not be harmful, the damp conditions that encourage the growth of them is unhealthy. If the mold couldn't be removed with spot treatment and spread, the house would eventually be destroyed completely. God is interested in our private lives, not just our public image. The mold of our homes could be unforgiveness, gossip, or other unhealthy habits that infect our friends and families. We are called to "clean house" by identifying the infection, allowing the Lord to expose it, and removing the broken pieces to make our homes a place of worship. God's concern for health and hygiene applies to all things. Our private lives must reflect our devotion to God.

The Hebrew word translated "atonement" comes from a root meaning "to cover over." The ritual described in Chapter 16  explains that the high priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place only once each year, on the Day of Atonement. Aaron as high priest brought a sin offering and a burnt offering to atone for his sins and his household. He had to first make himself right with God before he could minister to others. Here comes the importance of the scapegoat...

Aaron cast lots on two goats. The goat that the Lord's lots fell on was used for the sin offering for the people and the other goat would be deemed the "scapegoat," and would be presented to the Lord, alive. Re-read Leviticus 16:20-22. The Day of Atonement was established as an annual occurrence because God's people needed continual forgiveness. The procedure on the Day of Atonement pointed toward Christ as the perfect High Priest who had no need to make atonement for His own sins because He is sinless. Christ is not only the perfect High Priest, but also the sin offering. He offered Himself for our sins. Christ also fulfilled the function of the scapegoat and offered Himself once to secure an eternal redemption for all of us. The scapegoat was sent away into the wilderness after all the confessed sins of the people had been transferred to the animal by the high priest.The other goat's sacrifice symbolized the propitiation for sins. Christ as the perfect High Priest and the perfect sacrifice has offered His own blood once for all time. His redemptive act was the perfect completion of atonement.

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was the most crucial day in Israel's calendar. It set a time for total purification and the ritual vividly shows the high cost of sin - it requires the shedding of blood to achieve atonement. It is my hope that the importance of today's reading is not lost on those that read this. The scapegoat carried the guilt far away from the camp and we no longer need to sacrifice animals because our High Priest and sacrifice was made with Jesus. Thank You Jesus for our perpetual Day of Atonement!

Prayer:

Father, I am overwhelmed by the cost of my forgiveness. Thank You for Jesus. He is both my sacrificial lamb and my scapegoat. Thank You for Your holiness. I confess that sometimes I ignore the small spots of sin in my personal life and home. Help me to be diligent in examining my life. Strip away anything that causes defilement and make my heart a clean home for Your Spirit. May I live today in the freedom of being truly clean before You. Amen.