The Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur-Torah Reading for 6-6-2020

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Parashah 87–Leviticus 16:1-34–Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur-Torah Reading for 6-6-2020

Father Affirms and Enforces His Holiness

 

(vss. 1 & 2) The transgression of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10) led to Abba re-affirming that the Holy of Holies was not a place where the Cohen Gadol could willy nilly come and go as he so pleased throughout the year. In fact, the Holy of Holies was to be entered by the Cohen Gadol only once each year, on the Day of Atonement (i.e., Yom Kippur) as recorded in Exodus 30:10.

 

The Nadab and Abihu Factor

 

The Holy of Holies, as the name so aptly defines, was the most sacred and holy (qodosh) place on the planet as far as we and Father were concerned. And what Aharon’s sons did back in chapter 10 simply showed man’s propensity to sully and diminish that which Abba has declared to be holy (qodosh) and righteous and sacred on the earth.

 

The Propensity of Men to Challenge Yah’s Holliness

 

Simply look at what the Rabbis and Christians have done throughout history just concerning the Creator’s holy Torah (Rom. 7:12). Orthodox Rabbinic Judaism has taken unto themselves the right to not only decertify sections and aspects of Yah’s Torah, but to also put themselves into positions of authority to create mitzvot (i.e., laws) that supersede, and in some cases, replace Torah. Christians on the other hand have taken it upon themselves to completely decertify and reject Torah altogether.

 

This is what man naturally does when it comes to the holy and righteous ways and things of YHVH. Remember back in Exodus 19 (our first Shavuot actually) when we were at the base of Mount Sinai, how Father had to instruct Moshe twice to keep the people back from and away from the mountain proper (Exodus 19:11, 12, 21), the penalty for crossing the boundaries of the Holy Mountain was death.

 

There was a time when I did not understand why Father did not want the very people He lovingly redeemed and brought out of Egypt unto Himself to draw near to Him on His mountain as He spoke down to them His 10-Words. Well the Spirit finally revealed to me that this was the first time or Father’s first lesson to us on holiness and His requirement that we respect that which He deems as holy. For indeed, Mount Sinai was holy unto YHVH at that time in history. Again, recall back in Exodus 3:5 where YHVH instructed Moshe from the burning bush to remove his sandals as the ground upon which Moshe stood was holy ground.

 

Father Defines What is Holy Not Man

 

We find listed, noted and commanded throughout Torah (as well as in the Apostolic writings) that which YHVH has marked/declared/deemed as holy (i.e., qodosh):

 

  • The weekly Shabbat ( 2:3; Exo. 20:8, 11)
  • Those convocations that He commands to take place during His holy days and during His weekly Shabbat ( 12:16)
  • The place where Yah abides ( 15:13)
  • Yah’s purpose and will for His chosen people ( 19:6)
  • The priestly garments and the implements of the Sanctuary (Exo 28-30)
  • The required and freewill sacrifices and offerings we make unto YHVH ( 30)
  • YHVH Himself as well as us, His elect ( 11:44, 45; 1 Pet. 1:15, 16; 1 The. 4:7)
  • Yah’s name is deemed holy—His authority—His presence—His actual Name ( 20:3, 22:32)
  • The various implements of the Tabernacle (Exo 26-40)

 

Violations of Yah’s Holiness Amounts to the Death of the Offender

 

As we saw stipulated with Father’s prohibition against our crossing the boundaries of His holy mountain back in Exodus 19, any defilement of that which He has declared as holy is punishable by death (cf. Lev. 16:2). In the case of the Holy of Holies, Father explained that His presence rested upon the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, which was housed in the Holy of Holies (Exo. 26:33, 34).

 

Summary of the Reading of the Passage

 

Beginning in verse 3 we see precisely spelled out how Aharon was to approach Father in the Holy of Holies at the appointed time each year. We clearly see in this instruction–this mitzvah–that there is a proper way or manner in which Yah is to be approached and related to.

 

  1. After bathing (aka Mikvehed) himself, Aharon had to be properly attired in his holy garments ( 4). We should recall from former studies that these garments were deemed by the Most High to be holy. In fact, more than two chapters in Exodus (28-30) were devoted to the creation and use of these priestly garments. And it should be clear to us given the amount of parchment Father required to express this mitzvot, the High Priest’s garments were extremely important to the whole Sanctuary worship system.
  2. Purification offering (aka Sin offering)—Hebrew—”kataw’ah”—a bull for himself and goat (designated “for YHVH) for the nation ( 3, 5, 6, 11).
  3. Burnt Offering—Hebrew—”o’lah”—an offering of dedication and submission to YHVH. A ram for the Cohen Gadol and presumably another ram for the nation ( 3, 5, 24).
  4. Two goats from the congregation would be brought to A.haron. Lots would be cast for the 2-goats. One goat would represent YHVH and the other Azazel ( 5, 8-10).
  5. Aharon was to take a censer filled with burning coals from the Altar of Incense and incense and bring them within the veil of the Holy of Holies. The smoke that would emerge from the censer would envelop the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, providing Aharon protection from the presence of Yah ( 12, 13).
  6. Aharon would then dip his finger into the collected blood of the bull offering–the purification offering—the sin offering–and sprinkle the blood upon the mercy seat on the east side 7-times ( 14). This sprinkling of the bullock’s blood upon the mercy seat was to atone for Aharon’s sins. In like manner Aharon was to take a portion of the blood of the sin offering goat (ie., the goat designated for YHVH) and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat of the Ark to atone for the sins of the people (vss. 15, 16). This would serve to make atonement for the holy place. The holy place would become defiled because of the sins of the congregation. What I find interesting here is that even the very thing that Abba has declared as holy (such as the holy place) was subject to defilement because of sin. And each year, the Holy Place had to be cleansed with the blood of purification. We see back in Exodus 29:36 that each day a bullock was offered as a sin offering to cleanse the Altar of Burnt Offerings. So as long as the holy implements of worship are within the realm of sinful men, they can and are defiled and they must be cleansed.
  7. Aharon would then go out to the Altar of Burnt Offerings and smear the blood of the bullock and the goat upon the horns of the altar followed by a repeat of the sprinkling of the same blood upon the Altar of Burnt Offerings 7-times ( 18, 19). (Note: The focus of sin offerings was not the sacrificed body or carcass of the dead animal, but the blood of the sacrifice altar. Father always requires blood to atone for sins—always has and always will.)
  8. Aharon would lay his hands upon the head of the remaining goat upon which the lot fell representing Azazel and confess over it the iniquities of the nation. Thus the sins of the nation would be conferred upon the animal which would afterward be led into the wilderness by a ready man ( 21, 22).
  9. Aharon shall then disrobe from the sacred garments in the Tabernacle, leaving them there in the tabernacle ( 23).
  10. Aharon would then bathe himself (ie., mikveh himself) in a sacred place and then put on his regular vestments ( 24).
  11. Then Aharon would return to the Tabernacle and offer the burnt offerings for himself and for the nation as well as burn the fat of the sin-offering upon the Altar of Burnt Offering ( 24, 25).
  12. The man that led the Azazel goat out into the wilderness, in order for him to re-enter the camp, he was required to wash his clothes and bathe himself ( 26).
  13. The bullock and goat sin offerings were burnt without the camp ( 27; cf. Exo. 29:14). All sin offerings were to be burned outside the camp. Only the animal’s blood would be taken and sprinkled upon the altar of burnt offering and the Ark of the Covenant (on this Day) and the fat of the sin offering would be burned on the altar. And the Levite that was tasked with burning the sin offerings without the camp was required to wash his garments and bathe himself before being permitted back into the camp (vs. 28).

 

The Day of Atonement A Perpetual Annual Sabbath

 

This ritual was to be performed every year, on the 10th day of the 7th month, perpetually (LXX). Additionally, the nation was required to fast (LEE)–although most every other English translation I consulted refers to the fasting as “afflicting” the souls of the people. No work could be performed throughout the land–there would be no exceptions (vs. 29). For this is the day in which atonement is made on behalf of the nation and the nation would be cleansed from all its sins before YHVH (vs. 30). And we find in verse 31 where this Day of Atonement is the only Feast of YHVH that is referred to by our heavenly Father as a Sabbath–a sabbath of rest where yet again Father stresses it shall be a day of fasting (vs. 31).

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Yeshua-focused Study of Parashah 87

 

Father Has a Prescribed Manner in Which He is to be Approached

 

Yah was emphasizing to Aharon that there was a prescribed manner in which He was to approach YHVH in the course of his duties as Cohen Gadol. There was only one sanctioned way Abba was to be approached and worshiped. And any deviation from that established manner would not be tolerated. Humans would not be the ones to determine how Yah was to be worshiped and approached. In particular, atonement for sins could only be accomplished through the stipulated ritual or manner.(Which should alert us to assess how we approach Yah in this Spirit and Truth dispensation. Way to many of us take advantage of the Freedom that has been afforded us by Yeshua’s sacrifice. So many of us approach Yah in ways and manners that are not always appreciable of the Holiness of our Father.)

 

Foreshadow of Perpetual Atonement

 

Indeed, the events that our Parashah foreshadowed the perpetual atonement that would be mediated on our behalf by our current and eternal Cohen Gadol, Yahoshua HaMashiyach. Yah appointed Yeshua to be our mediator and Cohen Gadol and Yeshua has served as the ultimate mediator between Yah and man. He fulfills the established-precise manner in which Yah is to be approached and worshiped.

 

No Tolerance for Screw-ups

 

Yah stipulates also in His instructions to Aharon that by Aharon’s strict adherence to the established procedures for worship and atonement that Father laid out to Him would Aharon escape death. And this of course hearkens right back to Nadab and Abihu taking on themselves a way to worship Yah that was contrary to the way Father established. So this parashah begins with an admonishment to Aharon that he was not to enter at any time into the holy place, but only at the appointed time and perform the ritual exactly as Father laid out to them; otherwise Aharon and his descendants faced death (vss. 1, 13).

 

The Plan of Salvation Foreshadowed in Yah’s Feasts

 

The entirety of the annual feasts of YHVH brilliantly paints for the true  Child of the Most High a broad brush picture of the Plan of Salvation/Redemption/Restoration. And although the Feasts are to be kept by us each year as a memorial of what Abba has and will do for us, that memorial drills down to the one-time-for-all-time work of the Mashiyach, Yeshua, to redeem us from the evil one; atone for our sins and restore paradise lost and restore us to the Land of Promise where we will fulfill our originally intended role of being a royal kingdom of priests and a holy nation unto YHVH our Elohim (Galatians 4:4, 5; Hebrews 9:12; 10:10).

 

The Yom Kippur Atonement Ceremony brilliantly foreshadowed the work of Mashiyach. Yeshua’s spilled blood would atone for our sins (represented by the blood of the purification sacrifices or sin offerings that were sprinkled on the east side of the Ark of the Covenant) and the perpetual intercessions our exalted Master makes on our behalf each and everyday (represented by the smoke from the burning incense that emanatedfrom the High Priest’s censer, the smoke thereof filling the Holy Place and covering over the Ark of the Covenant).

 

Yah has always required blood to atone for the sins of man. Thus the blood of Yeshua our Messiah atones for our sins—it imputes unto us righteousness—and justifies us before a holy and righteous God. And because of the atoning work of Yeshua on our behalf, we can now stand uncondemned before the Creator of the Universe.

 

The smoke that came from Aharon’s censer (the result of the burning coals from the altar of incense and 2-handfuls of incense Aharon would place upon the burning embers in his censer) represents the prayers of Yah’s elect and His righteous ones and they rise up to the nostrils of YHVH as a sweet and pleasant aroma (Revelation 8:4—John describes the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints, rose before Yah from the hand of an angel). These two elements: blood for the atonement and smoke for the intercession serve to bring us to a place of right standing before our holy and just God. These elements serve to save us from death—both physical and spiritual death.

 

So under the current Spirit and Truth dispensation Yeshua’s blood sacrifice cleanses us from all unrighteousness—all impurities. If we sin or become impure we simply confess our sins to the Father and He is then faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (But this provision is in no way a license to sin. We must get sin under control in our lives. There is a limit to Father’s forgiveness.)

 

The High Priest’s Holy Garments

 

Indeed, the Cohen Gadol’s (i.e., Aharon’s) garments were holy and set-apart from all other garments to be worn by the people of the nation. So whenever we look at the shadow of what such sacred garments represent, we are looking at an individual’s or the child of Yah’s behavior and deportment—how he or she conducts him/herself in the world. That’s why throughout scripture  we are in one way or another encouraged to put on white garments which represent holy and righteous, undefiled lives (Ecc. 9:8; Rev. 3:4, 5, 18; 4:4). 

 

The Cohen Gadol’s garments represented his perfect and holy deportment before a holy and righteous God. That’s why we, the redeemed of the Most High, although our sins have been atoned for by Yeshua, must keep our garments undefiled–that is, we must keep ourselves in a state of purity and righteousness at all times, especially when approaching the throne of the Most High during our intercessory prayer. The practice of intentional and unintentional sin in our lives sullies our spiritual garments. Thus we must tap Yah’s Holy Spirit to assist us in keeping our spiritual garments in a state of purity before YHVH at all times. We never want to be found wearing filthy or soiled garments before YHVH. We want to be in an undefiled, acceptable state before YHVH at all times.

 

So before donning the sacred garments, Aharon had to enter into a state of extreme ritual purity. Jewish tradition as stipulated in the Mishna and Gemara record that the seven-days leading up to Yom Kippur the Cohen Gadol was to be removed from his family’s home and put into seclusion from the rest of the nation in preparation for the big day. Tradition states that throughout this week the Cohen Gadol rehearsed over and over again the precise order and manner of the ritual. Additionally, tradition states that the Cohen Gadol was kept awake throughout the night preceding the day so as to ensure that the priest did not sustain any nocturnal emissions which would make Him ritually impure and disqualify him from carrying out the atonement ceremony. (Bear in mind that this is all Jewish tradition and not necessarily mitzvot from Torah. But these traditions certainly help us to understand just how serious this ritual purity was to the Day.

 

Now, again, all this should be viewed by us from a Yeshua-centric standpoint. Yeshua proved Himself to be ritually pure and acceptable to YHVH as both our sin sacrifice as well as our intercessor. Master did the hard work in securing our atonement and purity before YHVH. It then falls to us to keep our spiritual garments clean and white at all times.

Aaron–A Type of Messiah

 

Certainly the Cohen Gadol’s holy garments hold significant spiritual significance and application for the Torah Observant Disciple of Yeshua (ie., purity; cleanliness; holiness; etc., all personal and spiritual attributes that the Child of the Most High must constantly strive to maintain through the assistance of the Holy Spirit operating in his/her life). However, I believe the spiritual focus of this Torah Reading is more about the foreshadowing of the High Priestly work of Yeshua Messiah: (1) His earthly atonement work; and (2) His heavenly intercessory work. Both aspects of Yeshua’s ministry carried with it themes of purity, sacrifice, atonement, intercession and obedience. Aharon’s High Priestly atoning duties were temporal in nature and had to be repeated each year–both for himself and for the nation. Yeshua’s atoning duties were permanent and eternal.

 

The other thing is, like Aharon’s intercessory work, Yeshua’s intercessory work is a perpetual work on behalf of Yah’s people in the heavenly Mishkan (ie., the Temple in heaven). That being said, one can safely say that indeed, Aharon was a type of Mashiyach–a foreshadowing if you will—of Yeshua Messiah. Yet Aharon, flawed human that he and his descendants were, were not qualified to make the ultimate, permanent sacrifice (that was accomplished by Yeshua) on behalf of Himself and the people that would solve the sin problem once and for all. This ceremony had to be repeated each and every year and it had to be done precisely as YHVH laid out in His Torah.

 

As Messianic teacher Tim Hegg described, Aharon was “an imperfect representation of the Coming One Who would offer Himself as atonement for His people, but Who was Himself pure and without need for personal atonement.”

 

The writer of Hebrews stated of this Aharon-Yeshua connection:

 

Hebrews 7:14-21—14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.17 For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath,21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.'” (Heb 7:14-21 ESV)

 

What did the writer mean by Yeshua’s appointment was rendered by “word of the oath” in verses 20 and 21 ? Well, it’s the appointment of Yeshua our Messiah by YHVH our Elohim by fiat (ie., a formal decree). Torah appointed the High Priest based primarily on Aharon’s lineage (i.e., only a direct descendant of Aharon could be a Levitical Priest and High Priest). Yeshua being a Jew–of the Tribe of Judah–could not ever qualify to be a Levitical Priest (much less Cohen Gadol) according to Torah. Why? Because Yeshua was not of the Tribe of Levi.

 

But YHVH set into motion this perpetual High Priest Office that Yeshua would fulfill (the Melchezedekian Priesthood) at the very beginning of time and YHVH declared this to the heavenly council as an oath:

 

Psalm 110:4–Psa 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

 

Yeshua was the only one who proved Himself worthy and qualified to perform the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf because of His flawless obedience to Father’s Torah and Will. Thus, Father appointed Yeshua to fill the Melchezedekian High Priesthood role, even before Yeshua had completed His earthly assignment.

The Sacrifices Point to Yeshua’s Crucifixion

 

Now that’s spiritual understanding related to the office and work of the Cohen Gadol on Yom Kippur. The other aspect that we must look at here are of course the sacrifices.

 

We were instructed to bring to the Tabernacle/Sanctuary 2-goats and one ram from the “congregation of the sons of Israel.”

 

 

The Two-Goats of Yom Kippur

 

Let’s talk about the 2-goat offerings: the goat where the lot fell to represent YHVH was designated as the sin offering; and the goat where the lot fell to represent Azazel was to be led into the wilderness by an able man (I’m guessing priest, but it’s not clear). Here’s something to consider regarding the two goats: a portion of the blood of the sin offering goat would be sprinkled upon the Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies and a portion of the blood smeared upon the horns of the Altar of Burnt Offering as well as sprinkled upon the same altar. The Azazel goat on the other hand did not shed any blood. It was led into and abandoned in the wilderness by an able-bodied man selected from the people. (Some Jewish traditions declare that the Azazel goat or “for azazel (aka Scapegoat) was actually led to a precipice by the able-bodied man and either pushed or tossed off, resulting in the scapegoat’s death. But this is tradition and not certified by Scripture. So I won’t go there with this discussion.)

 

The Scapegoat

 

Regarding the Azazel goat (aka the scapegoat; “for azazel”; LXX has it as “for the one carrying away evil” and “the goat determined for dismissal” in verse 26; or “the goat that departs”). Some modern commentators have focused upon the name Azazel in their understanding of this goat. It is supposed that the name or term azazel refers to a pagan or demonic entity that resides in the wilderness. This pagan or demonic entity has been depicted or viewed as a goat by some. And thus, one, according to these modern commentators, can easily ascertain that Father in giving this mitzvah was bringing to the Hebrew’s conscience the requirement that paganism could not reside in the camp; it had to be vanquished. And thus the representation of this goat that the text names as Azazel is a direct reference to hasatan or one of the enemy’s many manifestations.

 

Now given my personal, heavy focus on things of the Spirit, I tend to agree with these modern commentators as it relates to the pagan-demonic connection associated with this goat ritual, despite the more conservative teachers’ stance that this was simply a representation of Yah requiring evil be sent away from the nation. I believe this is indeed a true understanding, but I also believe we cannot dismiss the spiritual connection here.

 

The other thing we must recognize as well as that this azazel goat also seems to foreshadow the vanquishing of hasatan from the earth for 1,000-years. Now, this was the only understanding I had for the azazel goat for many of my early years in this Faith. But as you can see I’m opened to an expanded understanding of the significance and meaning of the azazel goat. Interestingly, along this line of thinking (ie., the azazel goat being hasatan being vanquished from the earth for 1,000-years), some have concluded and believe that the Day of Atonement is entirely about the vanquishing of hasatan in the Millennium.

 

 

Now, we see this clearly revealed in the following Revelation passage:

 

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. (Rev 20:1-3 ESV)

 

We can certainly garner some spiritual understanding simply from the “scapegoat” title or name that is bestowed upon this goat. For when taken with this eschatological image as a backdrop, we see how hasatan in the World Tomorrow is blamed for the mess that mankind finds itself in. So terrible and prevalent is the influence that hasatan presents to man’s opportunity to receive and follow Yah’s Words and Way of Life, that the Creator requires that hasatan be locked away in an abyss for a millennia. This is done, according to John the Revelator “so that he (hasatan/the enemy/the deceiver/the dragon) might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended” (Rev. 20:3). So we can certainly view this ritual of the azazel goat as a foreshadowing of this end time event.

 

But we can also look at this thing from the standpoint that vicariously the azazel goat carries away from the camp the sins of the people. For we see in verse 21 of our Torah Reading that Aharon was to lay both his hands on the head of the live goat (ie., the azazel goat) and confess over it the iniquities—the transgressions; the sins of the nation just before the goat is led away into the wilderness by the able-bodied man. This is a vicarious act on the part of Aharon whereby the iniquities, transgressions and sins of the nation are transferred from Aharon onto the body of the azazel goat. Thus, one could certainly picture the crucifixion of our Messiah being foreshadowed by the azazel goat. The sins of the world were placed upon Yeshua who was then taken outside the gates of Jerusalem for crucifixion. (Just another perspective to consider. None of this is doctrine mind you. It’s all about YHVH painting for us as full and brilliant an understanding of His Plan of Salvation/Restoration/Redemption. The more spiritual colors and textures the Ruach (ie., the Spirit) reveals to us about Yah’s set-apart Feasts, the better we understand that which YHVH has, and is, and will do for us, His elect. Amein.

 

I personally can see all these spiritual applications being conferred upon the azazel goat and I leave open the understanding to the leading of the Holy Spirit. For as much as I continue to believe the Day of Atonement and the scapegoat foreshadow this vanquishing of hasatan in the Millennium, I believe there’s so much more to be gain spiritually from Yom Kippur and the scapegoat pointing to Yeshua Messiah’s work.

 

The Remains of the Sin Offerings

 

The carcasses of these various sin offerings were not to be burned upon the Altar of Burnt Offerings. They were, as Father commanded, taken outside the camp to be burned in an acceptable place. Because the sins of the nation were vicariously conferred upon the animals deemed as sin offerings, Father required their remains be treated as refuse. We know that these sacrifices all point in one way or another to Yahoshua’s atoning sacrifice. And we know, historically speaking that is, Yeshua was crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem on our behalf. The writer of the Book of Hebrews aptly commented on this:

11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. (Heb 13:11-13 ESV)

 

In a sense, the sin-riddled bodies of the sacrifices (symbolically and spiritually speaking) were an affront to YHVH. This is why Father turned His back upon His only begotten Son as He hung from the execution stake prompting Yeshua to quote a well-known Psalm:

 

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mat 27:46 ESV; cf. Psalm 22:1)

 

Final Thoughts

 

Before I close this out I want to make something very clear: Yeshua is not the goat nor the ram sacrifice that led to our salvation or atoned for the sins of the world. This thinking which has turned into teachings in some ministries has led to criticism of our Faith by Jews (not that criticism matters). For these criticizers are quick to grab hold of such inaccurate teachings and will make it their mission in life to scripturally show Yeshua was none of these sacrifices. So this only adds support to these individuals’ efforts to deny the Messiahship of Yeshua. These criticizers have primarily been of the Jewish persuasion—Jews who are hostile towards Messianics let’s just say.

 

Well, Scripturally speaking these criticizers are correct. If one had to absolutely pin which animal sacrifice Yeshua embodied or exemplified, it would more accurately be the Passover (ie., the Paschal) lamb. For the blood of the Paschal lamb served to stave and cause death to pass over us affording us salvation, redemption and restoration.

 

But what these criticizers fail to recognize is the spiritual connections and applications and types that are intricately and inextricably connected to Torah and the various Feasts of Yah. This has been the bane of the Jew’s spiritual existence for centuries as it relates to their blindness towards Yahoshua as their Messiah. They can’t see past the pages of their scriptures. They can only see the rote instructions. We on the other hand have been given eyes to see and ears to hear that which YHVH has given in His Word. And we, having received the Ruach HaKodesh (ie., the Holy Spirit), have come to recognize and understand how to employ the concept of types and shadows to the various commandments and feasts of Yah. We know, for instance, that the Levitical High Priest was a foreshadowing of Yeshua in His person, ministry, responsibilities, etc. We recognize that the various sacrifices and Tabernacle rituals that were performed throughout the sacred calendar year foreshadowed the sacrificial and intercessory work of Yahoshua HaMashiyach. We see in these various sacrifices atonement for sins, purification from defilement, peace between the offerer and YHVH: all foreshadows of the work that Yeshua has completed and continues to perform on our behalf. In fact, Yeshua’s ultimate sacrificial and intercessory work embodies aspects of every type and form of sacrifice and worship Father instituted in His Torah. Halleluyuah.

 

Bottom line: the ultimate sacrifice of Yeshua is the overriding theme of this amazing reading.