We are more than a week into the counting of the Omer. Our thoughts are still on the Passover season, and we are now thinking about Shavuot. But our Torah portion is about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement! Leviticus 16 gives the instructions for the High Priest on how to make atonement for the people and cleanse the sanctuary. We see Yeshua in the role of the High Priest, the scapegoat, the Yom Kippur offering, and the sanctuary itself.
But sometimes we overlook the most basic truth of all. It is the fact that God built into the Torah system a way of return. The system of offerings, epitomized in the Day of Atonement sacrifice, demonstrates how much God desires to receive us even after we sin and rebel against him. He built into the worship system a way back.
In Ephesians 2:4–6, we read: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Messiah (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua.” In his unfathomable compassion, God delivered us from a futile state of darkness. He did this because of his great love for us. He does not give a reason for loving us. He just does! He has not only delivered us from darkness, but has made us alive in Messiah! This is a primary truth for all who embrace Yeshua. Yeshua is our Day of Atonement.
As we move forward in counting the Omer, may the eyes of our heart be enlightened to know that God loves us so much that he never gives up on us—and always welcomes us back when we sin. In Luke 15, Yeshua shares a meal with “sinners and tax gatherers.” The Pharisees grumble at this. Yeshua takes the opportunity to tell three stories about his love for those who are outsiders or sinners. The stories are about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. The point of the stories is that God desires and provides for those who have been alienated to return. The Day of Atonement in the Torah and the day of Atonement in Yeshua assure us of his forgiveness, cleansing, and acceptance. May God give us a new sense of appreciation for his deliverance and hope!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard