THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
The Day of Atonement reminds us that salvation and
relationship with God cannot be attained by being good enough or scoring points
with God. You cannot keep the Torah well enough.
THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:
Acharei Mot (אחרי
מות | After the death)
Torah: Leviticus 16:1-18:30
Haftarah: Ezekiel 22:1-19
Gospel: John 7:1-52
A special portion for Shabbat HaGadol replaces the regular
reading this Shabbat!
Shabbat HaGadol (שבת
הגדול | The Great
Sabbath)
Haftarah: Malachi 3:4-24
A Personal Day of Atonement
He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the
impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard
to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides
with them in the midst of their impurities. (Leviticus 16:16)
The rituals for Yom Kippur teach us about the distance
between man and God. There is a deadly conceit in the heart of man. It is the
idea that "I'm generally a pretty decent person. God isn't really that
upset with my sin."
The Bible teaches that God cannot abide sin. All men are
sinners, and therefore, all men are forced out of the presence of God. Just
like Adam and Eve, who were forced out of the Garden of Eden, we are all
separated from God.
Our sin is as filth before the Almighty. Shame and disgrace
ought to cover us every time we open our Bibles. We have sullied the very
parchment of Torah with our sins and trodden on the shed blood of Messiah. Our
worthy deeds are utterly eclipsed by our transgressions and sins. Yom Kippur
reminds us that this is a real problem. The writer of the book of Hebrews says
that "in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year"
(Hebrews 10:3).
The Day of Atonement reminds us that salvation and relationship
with God cannot be attained by being good enough or scoring points with God.
You cannot keep the Torah well enough. You can try keeping the commandments
perfectly and working tirelessly for the kingdom and running from one good deed
to the next, but in the final judgment, it will still be inadequate.
The Day of Atonement teaches that we cannot be good enough
to merit salvation, to win God's favor or to earn a reprieve from punishment.
We have no worthy deeds before Him, and our sin is like uncleanness before Him.
Sin forces us out of His presence. We cannot get past the veil to enter the
Holy of Holies. "When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished
and said, 'Then who can be saved?'" (Matthew 19:25).
Salvation and relationship with God depend on a person
acknowledging that he cannot make the distance. A man needs atonement. He needs
a sacrifice for purification.
On Yom Kippur, the high priest set out to cross the distance
between us and God by entering the Holy of Holies. The book of Hebrews teaches
that, in the heavenly Temple, the death and resurrection of Messiah was the
equivalent of the high priest's entrance into the Holy of Holies on earth.
For Messiah did not enter a holy place made with hands, a
mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us. ... He has been manifested to put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself. (Hebrews 9:24-26)
God has made a way of redemption for us through the death
and resurrection of His righteous Son. For everyone who places faith in Him,
there is redemption, salvation and the forgiveness of sins. This is the hope of
our faith: the forgiveness of sins through faith in Yeshua. To experience this
forgiveness, we need to have a saving relationship with God through Yeshua, His
Son.
-First Fruits of Zion
