The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur): Foreshadowing Christ’s Perfect Sacrifice (Leviticus 16:6-10, 20-22, 29-34)

Aaron shall offer the bull, his purification offering, to make atonement for himself and for his household. 7 Taking the two male goats and setting them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 8 he shall cast lots to determine which one is for the Lord and which for Azazel.  9 The goat that is determined by lot for the Lord, Aaron shall present and offer up as a purification offering. 10 But the goat determined by lot for Azazel he shall place before the Lord alive, so that with it he may make atonement by sending it off to Azazel in the desert.

20 When he has finished purging the inner sanctuary, the tent of meeting and the altar, Aaron shall bring forward the live goat. 21 Laying both hands on its head, he shall confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and their trespasses, including all their sins, and so put them on the goat’s head. He shall then have it led into the wilderness by an attendant. 22 The goat will carry off all their iniquities to an isolated region.

29 This shall be an everlasting statute for you: on the tenth day of the seventh month every one of you, whether a native or a resident alien, shall humble yourselves and shall do no work. 30 For on this day atonement is made for you to make you clean; of all your sins you will be cleansed before the Lord. 31 It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you, on which you must humble yourselves—an everlasting statute. 32 This atonement is to be made by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to the priesthood in succession to his father. He shall wear the linen garments, the sacred vestments, 33 and purge the most sacred part of the sanctuary, as well as the tent of meeting, and the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and all the people of the assembly. 34 This, then, shall be an everlasting statute for you: once a year atonement shall be made on behalf of the Israelites for all their sins. And Moses did as the Lord had commanded him.

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was the most solemn day in the liturgical calendar of Israel, instituted as an annual observance for the purification of the people and the sanctuary from sin.  Aaron, the high priest, was to offer a bull as a sin offering for himself and his household (v 6), acknowledging his own need for atonement before interceding for the people.  Two goats were designated for the community: one was sacrificed as a sin offering, and the other, the “scapegoat” (Azazel), was sent into the wilderness bearing the sins of Israel (vv 7-10, 20-22).  By laying his hands on the scapegoat, the high priest symbolically transferred Israel’s sins onto the animal before sending it away, signifying the complete removal of sin from the community.

The observance was to be held on the tenth day of the seventh month (Tishri), during which the people were to afflict themselves—interpreted as fasting and penitence (vv 29-31).  This day provided atonement for all of Israel’s sins, emphasizing purification through both blood sacrifice and the symbolic removal of sin.  The purification extended to the sanctuary itself, acknowledging that the people's sins defiled even the holy place.  The rite was to be an eternal statute (v 34), signifying God’s ongoing provision for reconciliation with His people.  

The Day of Atonement emphasizes the necessity of atonement, as sin estranges humanity from God.  To restore fellowship with Him, God instituted sacrificial offerings as a means for Israel to expiate sin and seek reconciliation (Lev. 17:11).  The sacrificed goat signifies the necessity of a vicarious offering for sin, pointing to Christ, who bore the penalty for humanity’s transgressions (Is. 53:4-6).  Meanwhile, the scapegoat symbolizes the removal of sin, foreshadowing Christ’s atoning death and the expiation of sin (Ps. 103:12).

The high priest alone could enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the people (vv 32-34).  This foreshadows Jesus, the true High Priest, who enters not a man-made sanctuary but the heavenly Holy of Holies, presenting His own blood before the Father (Heb. 9:11-12).  This sacred day was for the purification of both the people and the sanctuary, illustrating that atonement involves not only ritual purification but also the interior renewal of the heart (Ezek. 36:25-26; Heb. 10:22).

The Letter to the Heb. (9:11-14) presents Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, accomplishing what the Levitical sacrifices could only foreshadow.  Christ, the true High Priest, enters not an earthly sanctuary but the heavenly one, offering His own blood in place of animal sacrifices, securing eternal redemption rather than temporary atonement (Heb. 9:12).

Unlike the Levitical priests, who had to offer sacrifices annually, Jesus' sacrifice is perfect and sufficient for all time (Heb. 10:10, 14).  The blood of Christ purifies the conscience, whereas animal sacrifices could only cleanse externally (Heb. 9:13-14).  Jesus, like the scapegoat, bears and removes sin (John 1:29), but unlike the scapegoat, He also offers Himself as the perfect sacrifice (1 Peter 2:24), achieving true and final atonement.

The Day of Atonement foreshadows God's ultimate plan of salvation in Christ.  Just as the sacrificial goat was slain to atone for Israel’s sins, Jesus, the true Lamb of God, was sacrificed to take away the sins of the world (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 2:2).  Like the scapegoat that symbolically carried away Israel’s sins, Jesus bore our sins and was led outside the city to suffer and die (Heb. 13:12-13; Mt. 27:31-33).

The repeated observance of the Day of Atonement highlighted its inability to fully remove sin, whereas Christ’s sacrifice establishes a new covenant of eternal redemption (Jer. 31:31-34; Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:6-13).  Through Christ’s atoning work, believers now have direct access to God, as symbolized by the tearing of the temple veil at His death (Mark 15:38; Heb. 10:19-22).

Almighty God, in Your mercy, You provided atonement for sin, foreshadowing the perfect sacrifice of Christ, our true High Priest, who entered not an earthly sanctuary but the heavenly one, offering His own blood to cleanse us forever.  Wash us, Lord Jesus, in Your redeeming grace, and draw us into the holiness You desire.  This we pray in Your name.  Amen!

                                                       

Sources

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• Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
• Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
• Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
• Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
• Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.