Yom Kippuriym – Day of Atonements
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:1-34; 18:1-30; B’midbar (Numbers) 29:7-11
YeshaYahu (Isaiah) 57:14 – 58:14; Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 3:21-26; II Corinthians 5:10-21; Colossians 1:9-29; 2:6-15; 3:1-17
Covering our bodies with clothing is an essential task we do at the start of every day. With the work I do, covering myself protects my body by working up firewood, constructing a wood shed, wrenching as a mechanic, doing yard maintenance, etc. A workman dresses appropriately for the job at hand.
Parents rightly dress their little ones before they go out into public. A moral person would never go out in public without covering their flesh first.
Covered Before the King
What about coming before the Judge of heaven and earth one day? How can you and I stand appropriately covered before the King on that awesome day of judgment to come?
We know this matter of covering is an essential part of Yom Kippur, because ‘Kippur’ means ‘to atone for,’ or ‘to cover.’ The English word ‘cover’ comes from ‘kippur.’
Can “I atone for myself”, as I heard someone say? In other words, can I cover myself to stand righteous before the Judge on the day that Yeshua fulfills Yom Kippur?
Uncovering Prohibited
With this theme in mind, the sages long ago selected Leviticus 18 for Scripture readings prohibiting the uncovering of nakedness. The word ‘uncover’ is found as a prohibition a whopping 17 times in this one chapter alone! Why is this commandment emphasized?
Uncovering nakedness to feed the lust of the flesh makes for a filthy mind and a sinful heart. Then out of the abundance of the heart comes a filthy mouth.
One reason why our Father doesn’t want anyone to uncover nakedness is because of the idolatrous images that set up in an infatuated heart and mind. The flesh is never satisfied and only wants more, feeding an addiction. Oh, how fallen man needs a Savior!
When YHWH commands His children to not ‘uncover nakedness,’ He means what He says and says what He means. Yes, there is a deeper meaning to the commandment – to not disrespect the Father – but the deeper meaning should never do away with the literal, plain meaning of the command, as intellectual, and religious authorities like to do.
Leviticus 18 is one of the first things Orthodox Jews teach their children at young ages. I believe it’s one of those ‘great in every way’ sayings that Paul called ‘the advantage of the Jew’ (Romans 3:1-2). I sincerely wish my parents would have addressed this issue with me at a young age and had said those words – “Son, do not uncover nakedness.”
Be on guard! Pornography covering over 50% of the internet is way too accessible in the society of the Great Whore of Babylon. Like frontlets between the eyes, we need to guard the gateways of our minds from breaking these critical commandments, continually covering our eyes from seeing uncovered nakedness.
The Cover for Sin
The Brit Chadashah (New Testament) portion for Yom Kippur declares that every human being has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:22) Break the Torah in one point, I’ve broken it all (Jacob/James 2:10). We’ve all sinned, no exceptions.
Like Adam and Eve, each one of us has found ourselves naked and ashamed before our Creator. What do I do when I stumble and fall into the uncovering of nakedness?
How can my mind be cleansed – and stay cleansed? How can we be covered when we find ourselves uncovered and ashamed of our sins? Can I truly atone for myself?
The Good News is that if we confess our sins, our Messiah faithfully and justly forgives us of our sins, and the blood of Yeshua the Messiah cleanses us from not just from some – but all sins. (1 John 1:7-10) We must trust Him on this one. We must believe there is power in the blood to cover and cleanse the most stained of souls. The powerful paradox of red blood cleansing a soul to make it pure white is fascinating to me!
On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Covering), we must believe that there is power in the blood to cover and justify us, just as if we were to stand before Adonai on judgment day. We must stand on the Rock of our Salvation. We cannot be our defense attorney. We have an Advocate with the Father, a defense attorney if you will, the Righteous Messiah, to justify us before the Holy and Just Sovereign of the universe.
The Cover of the Ark of the Covenant
God set forth Yeshua as an atonement*, through faith in His blood, to show His righteousness in passing over sins already committed. Romans 3:25
The Greek word for *atonement, hilastrion, is the same word used for the cover lid on the Ark of the Covenant. So according to this verse, God set forth Yeshua like the cover over the Ark. How did He cover the Ark of the Covenant?
This verse is a clear reference to Yom Kippur, when the High Priest solely, once a year, went into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of bulls and goats upon the Mercy seat. Although we have broken the Ten Commandments, the Messiah has offered His precious blood to atone for all violations of the Torah. When the Father looks down from Heaven, He sees the atoning blood of the Son over the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone that show us where we have sinned; only if we apply the blood by faith.
When I heard and believed the Gospel message that the blood of Messiah was shed for me, the Holy Spirit sprinkled my heart and my soul with the redeeming blood of the Lamb. No counsel of man, no self-help program changed my heart. Only my Great High Priest cleansed my soul of the deepest stains of sin and covered my shameful nakedness. My part was to repent and believe the Gospel. His part was to atone for me.
The Cover of the Messiah
For you are all sons of God through trusting in Messiah Yeshua. For all of you who were immersed in Messiah have clothed yourselves with Messiah. Gal 3:26-27
This key verse is one reason why I’ve placed so much emphasis on being baptized in the Name of Messiah Yeshua. Paul taught that being baptized in His Name is clothing ourselves with Messiah. As all the apostles did (Acts 2:38), I believe in baptizing in the Name that we clothe ourselves with – the Lord Messiah Yeshua.
Instead, put on the Lord Messiah Yeshua, and stop making provision for the flesh – for its cravings. Romans 13:14
Every morning, every day, we are to put on the righteousness of Messiah and walk covered by Him, filled and immersed with the Spirit. We are to make no provision for the lust of the flesh but must guard our hearts and minds from the temptations of the world and the flesh. The instructions of the Torah helps us with that. To be clothed with Messiah, to be covered by His blood, is to be crucified with Him and to live in Him.
In Him
Days before he died, my brother, Tim Klug in Minnesota prepared for his last breath by finding himself in Christ his Savior. To be ready for the day that we stand before our Maker is to be found “in Him” and “with Him.” Here are the Scriptures my brother embraced to be justified by the Divine Messiah and to be found in Him:
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and having been filled, you are in Him, Who is the Head of all rule and authority, in Whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Messiah, being buried with Him in baptism, in Whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from among the dead. And you, being dead in the deviations and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all the deviations, blotting out the handwriting in the ordinances against us, which was contrary to us, even He has taken it out of the midst, nailing it to the cross; having stripped the rulers and the authorities, He made a show of them in public, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:9-15
The Father knows His Son and Adonai Yeshua knows His own Body. To be found in Him and to abide with Him is to be known by Him. May there be no doubt about it!
May my Master not say of me on that day, “Depart from Me, I never knew you, you who practice Torahlessness.” Matthew 7:23 Puts the fear of God in my soul!
Entering into His death and rising with Him in His resurrection, to be born again and to be circumcised in heart by the Spirit, is the Gospel way to enter into Him and to abide ‘in Him.’ Works of the Torah cannot save us. No one can atone for himself – only Yeshua can.
On the other hand, once we are justified and saved from our sin, the righteousness we clothe ourselves with is found in the instructions and commandments of the Torah. Our Father sees and knows those who abide in His Son and walk in His Torah by the Spirit.
Inscribed in the Lamb’s Book of Life
The one whom Yeshua loved, John, stated for all believers in YHWH Elohim, that eternal life is in His Son. Eternal Life is in Him. To have the Son is to have eternal life.
It stands to reason then that to have eternal life would mean that the believer’s name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life – eternal Life.
The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself, the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar because he has not believed the witness that God has given concerning His Son.
And this is the witness: that God has given us everlasting life, and this life is in His Son. He who possesses the Son possesses life, he who does not possess the Son of God does not possess life. 1 John 5:10-12
May each of us be able to say that we have a witness in us of eternal life in His Son. On this Yom Kippur, pray that you have a witness within you that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The Cover of Humility
While afflicting and humbling ourselves with fasting on this Day of Atonement, allow the Ruach HaQodesh, the Holy Spirit, to speak and to shine the light of Truth in our hearts.
May each of us hear the comforting, encouraging, and uplifting words of Peter:
Put on humility, because God sets Himself “against proud ones, but He gives grace to humble ones.” (Proverbs 3:34) 1 Peter 5:5
True humility respects the fact that our God is so much greater than we are, yet gracious, acknowledging the fact that each one of us will have to stand in account before the Righteous Judge for everything said and done in this life. May we be found in Him!
Surprises to be Uncovered!
Just wait – we’re in for some real surprises when we find out who will be in the Kingdom of Heaven and who will not be there on that day. Relax. We are not the judge of who is His and who is not, only YHWH makes those calls. That is not our business.
What garment will He accept covering the soul on that day? Robes of self-righteousness by those who think they keep the Law without needing the Messiah will be rejected. No one can atone for himself with his good works.
In a sense, by faith, we copy the righteousness of Yeshua and paste that covering over our souls. He offers atonement for the soul as a free gift to whosoever believes in Him.
May Abba uncover any hidden sin that causes guilt and shame. May we then repent of sin and self-righteousness? May we confess sins to others and seek their forgiveness as He forgives us. May we apply the blood on our hearts by faith in Him as the covering for our souls? Saved by grace alone, may we hear the voice of His blood cry “mercy.”
To be found ‘in Him’ is to be found in the Living Torah. Those who put on Messiah, who are found ‘in Him’ and who wear His robe of righteousness will be found seated ‘with Him’ in heavenly places. One day the righteous will rule and reign by the Torah with Him.
To be clothed with the Messiah, the Anointed One, is the kippur, the covering, that we all need to be found in Him, and to be known by Him, on that ultimate Day of Atonement, the awesome Yom Kippur to come. Rehearsing for the day prepares us.
Thanks be to Abba and glory to His Name! I believe that on that day He will uncover some really surprising rewards for those found covered by the righteousness of the Son!
The contemporary song “All Because of Mercy” by Casting Crowns expresses why we’re praising Yah this Yom Kippur. Sometimes a song says it best.
I know the only reason.
I can stand here unashamed,
Is not because I’m worthy,
It’s all because of mercy.
There’s no way that I
could earn it.
Praise God my debt is paid!
It’s not because I’m worthy,
all because of mercy
In Him, in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua the Messiah,
David Klug
