Levítico 23

Levítico 23

Meyer - Leviticus 23:27, 29, 32 Ye shall afflict your souls. Whilst Aaron was making the solemn atonement for the people, confessing their sins on the victims and sending them away, the camp was pervaded with the atmosphere of the Sabbath rest. No servile work was done on penalty of death. Probably for the most part the people abode in their tents. No sound was heard save sighs, and groans, and cries of penitence. The people afflicted themselves for their sins. Sin is forgiven by God, but it should not be forgotten by us. — We should remember it, in order to refresh our memory of God’s great grace in putting it away; in order to deepen our sense of gratitude and to promote our self-humiliation; in order to make us watchful and careful in our daily walk and conversation. Holding the hand of our Savior, we need not dread to look down into the abyss from which He has redeemed us. We shall turn from it to Him with tenderer love and gratitude. Repentance is once for all; penitence is perennial. — We repent when we turn from the kingdom of darkness to that of God’s dear Son; it is the act of the will, the utter reversal of the course we had been pursuing. But we are penitent after we have seen the face of Jesus: it is the act of the emotions; the sense of Christ’s love and of our unworthiness together makes us weep, as the forgiven sinner did at his feet. Penitence does not purchase forgiveness, but accompanies and follows it. — Could our tears for ever flow, they could not bring God’s pardon into our souls. That is secured by the offering of our Substitute on Calvary. But being forgiven, we wash his feet with our tears, we break our alabaster boxes on his head, and love much. Leviticus 23:28 "You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. Lev 16:34 Isa 53:10 Da 9:24 Zec 3:9 Ro 5:10,11 Heb 9:12,26 Heb 10:10,14 1Jn 2:2 1Jn 4:10 1Jn 5:6 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DAY OF ATONEMENT (YOM KIPPUR) This passage describes the Day of Atonement which is described in detail in Leviticus 16 (see commentary). Here in Leviticus 23, the stress is upon sorrow and repentance of Israel. Make atonement (03722)(kapar) means to make atonement, to make reconciliation (to reconcile), to purge, to make propitiation (to propitiate), to pacify, to cancel. There are two main ideas regarding the meaning of kapar - (1) Kapar means to cover over sin (2) A number of resources however favor the idea that kapar means to wipe away. These ideas are discussed more below. Richards notes that "It is often said that the idea expressed (in kapar) is one found in a possibly related Arabic root that means “to cover or conceal.” Atonement would then denote a covering that conceals a person’s sin and makes it possible for him to approach God. Although this relationship is possible, the language link is not at all certain. What is certain is the role that atonement played in the religion of Israel—a role given to atonement by God to carry a vital message about our faith." As might be surmised the verb kapar is found most often in the Pentateuch, especially in Leviticus. In Leviticus, kapar is especially prominent in Leviticus 16, occurring 16 times in the great chapter that describes the annual Day of Atonement. Vine writes that "Most uses of kapar involve the theological meaning of “covering over,” often with the blood of a sacrifice, in order to atone for some sin. It is not clear whether this means that the “covering over” hides the sin from God’s sight or implies that the sin is wiped away in this process." Mounce writes that while kapar can mean "to cover, to ransom, or to wipe clean/purge, it is the last one that seems most appropriate in the OT." (1) When kāpar is used in verses not connected with Israel’s sacrificial system, it has the nuance of wiping something clean or appeasing someone. Jacob attempts to appease Esau’s anger (i.e., to wipe the anger off his face) by the enormous gift he has sent on ahead of his actual encounter with him (Gen 32:20). Similarly, a wise man knows how to wipe away a king’s wrath (Pr 16:14). (2) In Israel’s religious ceremonies other than the Day of Atonement, kāpar usually refers to God’s wiping away our sins through various sacrifices (cf. Lev 1:4; 4:20, 26, 31). Note especially the parallel lines of Jer 18:23: “Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight.” To forgive sins is to blot them out and wipe them clean. As Ps 65:3 attests, when we come to God overwhelmed by our sins, God wipes them clean (KJV, “will purge them away”; NIV “forgave”; cf. Ps 78:38 where "forgave" = kapar). (3) As described in Lev 16 (kāpar occurs 16x), the Day of Atonement was a day of purging sins from the holy sanctuary. All throughout the year, the priest sprinkled the blood of sacrificial animals in front of the curtain of the sanctuary (e.g., Lev 4:6) and thus symbolically transferred the sins of God’s people into his Holy Place. By the end of the year, that place was, as it were, filled up with all their sins. Something had to be done in order to “clean house”; this was the purpose of the Day of Atonement. Note how in the final stage of this ceremony, the sins of God’s people were placed on the head of the live goat, who then carried them far away into the desert, never to be seen again. There was now “room” for another year’s worth of sin in the Most Holy Place. Jesus, of course, has by his sacrifice taken away our sins once for all (Heb 9–10). See NIDOTTE, 2:699–702. (Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words) The NET Bible Note (these are usually very good, even if a bit technical) states that the primary sense of the kapar is "to wipe [something off (or on)]" (see esp. the goal of the sin offering, Lev 4, "to purge" the tabernacle from impurities), but in some cases it refers metaphorically to "wiping away" anything that might stand in the way of good relations by bringing a gift (see, e.g., Ge 32:20, "to appease; to pacify" as an illustration of this). The translation "make atonement" has been retained in Leviticus 1:4 because, ultimately, the goal of either purging or appeasing was to maintain a proper relationship between the LORD (Who dwelt in the tabernacle) and Israelites in whose midst the tabernacle was pitched. Swanson defines kapar - (1) (piel) make atonement, make amends, pardon, release, appease, forgive, i.e., remove the guilt from a wrongdoing for any length of time (Ex 29:36); (nitpael) atoned for (Dt 21:8); (pual) be atoned for (Ex 29:33; Nu 35:33; Pr 16:6; Isa 6:7; 22:14; 27:9); (hitp) allow for atonement (1Sa 3:14); (2) (piel) ransom, i.e., pay an amount of money as a gift, with a quid pro quo of so being allowed to keep one’s freedom (Isa 47:11) (3) (pual) be annulled, i.e., have a relationship or agreement broken (Isa 28:18); 4. LN 57.178–57.185 (piel) (4) pacify, give a gift, formally, cover the face, i.e., give a gift of tribute which will establish some level of relationship, possibly implying reconciliation (Ge 32:20) (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew) Stephen Renn explains that "kapar refers to the process by which the barrier between Yahweh and his people may be removed, or appeasing God’s wrath. For his wrath is the inevitable divine response to the violation of his law. This “appeasement” is synonymous with the concept of “propitiation.” Divine wrath is set aside, however, only if the sacrifice of atonement is offered with a true sprit of repentance and sorrow for sin. Kapar means “to make atonement,” and is almost exclusively confined to the context of worship — where reconciliation with Yahweh is sought through sacrificial offering. Kapar refers to sacrifices for the sins of the priests (Lev 1:4); the Levites (Nu 8:12); the entire Israelite community or nation (Lev 4:20; 10:17; Nu 8:19; 16:47; 1Chr 6:49; 2Ch. 29:24; Neh. 10:33); and the high priest (Lev. 9:7; 16:6ff.). The latter passage is especially significant in that it involves the crucial atoning sacrifices for the ritual leader of the nation as he prepares to offer the sacrifice for the Israelite people on the Day of Atonement. (Expository Dictionary) The Septuagint - Lxx translates every use of kapar in Leviticus with the verb exilaskomai which means to propitiate, to make atonement, to appease. Thayer says that exilaskomai is used "When one endeavors to attain the goodwill of another, the word can be rendered," meaning to appease. We find such a sense in Ge 32:20 where Jacob seeks to appease his brother Esau (whom he had cheated out of the blessing of the first-born). On the other hand, the Septuagint - Lxx translates every use of kapar in Exodus with the verb hagiazo which means to sanctify, set apart, make holy. Here are the cognate (related) words: Make Atonement (03722) kapar כָּפַר Atonement (03725) kippur/kippurim כִּפֻּרִים Mercy Seat (03727) kapporet כַּפֹּרֶת Ransom (03724) koper ATONEMENT — the act by which God restores a relationship of harmony and unity between Himself and human beings. The word can be broken into three parts that express this great truth in simple but profound terms: “at-one-ment.” Through God’s atoning grace and forgiveness, we are reinstated to a relationship of at-one-ment with God, in spite of our sin… Although Old Testament believers were truly forgiven and received genuine atonement through animal sacrifice, the New Testament clearly states that during the Old Testament period God’s justice was not served: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). Atonement was possible “because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (Rom. 3:25). However, God’s justice was served in the death of Jesus Christ as a substitute: “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant” (Heb. 9:15).(Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary) ATONEMENT. The word ‘atonement’ is one of the few theological terms which derive basically from Anglo-Saxon. It means ‘a making at one’, and points to a process of bringing those who are estranged into a unity… Its use in theology is to denote the work of Christ in dealing with the problem posed by the sin of man, and in bringing sinners into right relation with God. (New Bible dictionary) ATONEMENT - The English word atonement is derived from the two words “at onement” and denotes a state of togetherness and agreement between two people. Atonement presupposes two parties that are estranged, with the act of atonement being the reconciliation of them into a state of harmony. The theological meaning is the reconciliation between God and his fallen creation, especially between God and sinful human beings. Atonement is thus a solution to the main problem of the human race-its estrangement from God stemming from the fall of Adam and Eve. (Dictionary of biblical imagery) ATONEMENT - The root meaning in English, “reparation,” leads to the secondary meaning of reconciliation, or “at-one-ment,” the bringing together into harmony of those who have been separated, enemies. (New International Bible Dictionary) ATONEMENT In Christian thought, the act by which God and man are brought together in personal relationship. The term is derived from Anglo-Saxon words meaning “making at one,” hence “at-one-ment.” It presupposes a separation or alienation that needs to be overcome if human beings are to know God and have fellowship with him. As a term expressing relationship, atonement is tied closely to such terms as reconciliation and forgiveness. (Tyndale Bible dictionary) ATONEMENT - Primarily in the Old Testament, atonement refers to the process God established whereby humans could make an offering to God to restore fellowship with God. Such offerings, including both live and dead animals, incense, and money, were required to remove the bad effects of human sin. (Atonement - Holman Bible Dictionary) English word - Appease = To make quiet; to calm; to reduce to a state of peace; to still; to pacify; as, to appease the tumult of the ocean, or of the passions; to appease hunger or thirst. [This word is of a general application to every thing in a disturbed, ruffled or agitated state.] (Webster - 1828) English word - Propitiate = To conciliate; to appease one offended and render him favorable; to make propitious. PROPITIATION, 1. The act of appeasing wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person; the act of making propitious. 2. In theology, the atonement or atoning sacrifice offered to God to assuage his wrath and render him propitious to sinners. (Webster - 1828) English word - Atonement = Agreement; concord; reconciliation, after enmity or controversy. Expiation; satisfaction or reparation made by giving an equivalent for an injury, or by doing or suffering that which is received in satisfaction for an offense or injury; with for. In theology, the expiation of sin made by the obedience and personal sufferings of Christ. (Webster - 1828) English word - Expiation - The act of atoning for a crime; the act of making satisfaction for an offense, by which the guilt is done away, and the obligation of the offended person to punish the crime is canceled; atonement; satisfaction. Among pagans and Jews, expiation was made chiefly by sacrifices, or washings and purification. Among Christians, expiation for the sins of men is usually considered as made only by the obedience and sufferings of Christ. 2. The means by which atonement for crimes is made; atonement; as sacrifices and purification among heathens, and the obedience and death of Christ among Christians. 3. Among ancient heathens, an act by which the threats of prodigies were averted. (Webster - 1828) John Walvoord in a discussion of atonement writes that "Etymologically the English verb “to atone” and the noun “atonement” signify the process and/or result of two estranged persons becoming “at one,” that is, in agreement or reconciled. Biblically the word is used mainly in the OT to describe the result of various Levitical animal sacrifices. “To atone” is a translation of the Hebrew word kápar, “to cover,” and signifies God's temporary dealing with the sins of His people Israel corporately or individually. The sacrifices Israel offered anticipated God's final and permanent dealing with human sin in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross." Resources on Atonement/Day of Atonement: What is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)? American Tract Society Atonement Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Day of atonement Atonement Baker Evangelical Dictionary Day of Atonement Atoning Sacrifice Atonement Charles Buck Dictionary Atonement Easton's Bible Dictionary Atonement Fausset Bible Dictionary Atonement Holman Bible Dictionary Day of Atonement Atonement Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Day of Atonement Atonement Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Atonement (2) Atonement Day of Atonement Vines' Expository Dictionary Atonement International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Day of Atonement Atonement Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Atonement Atonement day of The Jewish Encyclopedia Atonement Baker writes that "At its most basic level, kapar conveys the notion of covering but not in the sense of merely concealing. Rather, it suggests the imposing of something to change its appearance or nature. It is therefore employed to signify the cancellation or “writing over” of a contract (Isa 28:18); the appeasing of anger (Ge 32:20[21]; Pr. 16:14); and the overlaying of wood with pitch so as to make it waterproof (Ge 6:14) The word also communicates God’s covering of sin. (Ed: See R Laird Harris' comments below on the concept of "covering"). Persons made reconciliation with God for their sins by imposing something that would appease the offended party (in this case the Lord) and cover the sinners with righteousness (Ex. 32:30; Ezek. 45:17; cf. Da 9:24). In the Old Testament, the blood of sacrifices was most notably imposed (Ex. 30:10). By this imposition, sin was purged (Ps. 79:9; Isa. 6:7) and forgiven (Ps 78:38). The offenses were removed, leaving the sinners clothed in righteousness (cf. Zech. 3:3, 4). Of course, the imposition of the blood of bulls and of goats could never fully cover our sin (see Heb 10:4-note), but with the coming of Christ and the imposition of His shed blood, a perfect atonement was made (Ro 5:9–11-note). Kapar - 94v translated - appease(1), appease*(1), atone(3), atoned(2), atonement is made(1), atonement shall be made(1), atonement was made(1), atoning(1), canceled(1), expiation can be made(1), forgave(1), forgive(4), forgiven(5), made atonement(3), make atonement(71), makes atonement(2), making atonement(1), pardon(1). Ge 6:14 Ge 32:20; Exodus 29:33, 36,37; Ex 30:10, 15, 16; 32:30; Leviticus 1:4; 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:6, 10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7, 30; 7:7; 8:15, 34; 9:7; 10:17; 12:7, 8; Leviticus 14:18-21, 29, 31, 53; 15:15, 30; Leviticus 16:6, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 20, 24, 27, 30, 32, 33,34; 17:11; 19:22; 23:28; Nu 5:8; 6:11; 8:12, 19, 21; 15:25, 28; 16:46f; 25:13; 28:22, 30; 29:5; 31:50; 35:33; Deut 21:8; 32:43; 1Sa 3:14; 2Sa 21:3; 1Chr 6:49; 2Chr 29:24; 30:18; Neh 10:33; Ps 65:3; 78:38; 79:9; Pr 16:6, 14; Isa 6:7; 22:14; 27:9; 28:18; 47:11; Jer 18:23; Ezek 16:63; 43:20, 26; 45:15, 17, 20; Da 9:24 Gen 6:14 "Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover (kapar) it inside and out with pitch (koper)." The NAS Concordance does not list Ge 6:14 for the classic sense of to atone or make atonement and distinguishes the use of kapar there as a different word than the other 93 uses in the OT. The following note by Harris attempts to explain the logic, but I must confess (not being a Hebrew scholar) that is a difficult, somewhat technical point. R Laird Harris (TWOT) feels that the Hebrew verb kapar used here in Ge 6:14 while having the same spelling as the uses of kapar in the following passages, is a separate and distinct Hebrew word with a different derivation. Harris explains that "This denominative verb (kapar) is used only in Ge 6:14 in the waterproofing of the ark. The cognate word is used in the Babylonian flood story." Harris goes on distinguish between kapar as used in Ge 6:14 and kapar as used in the 93 other OT verses beginning in Ge 32:30 below explaining that kapar (as used in Ge 32:20, Lev 1:4, etc, etc - see all uses below) "should probably be distinguished from kapar “to smear with pitch" (the sense of the word in Ge 6:14)." Harris goes on to explain that "There is an equivalent Arabic root meaning “cover,” or “conceal.” On the strength of this connection it has been supposed that the Hebrew word means “to cover over sin” and thus pacify the deity, making an atonement (so Brown-Driver-Briggs' A Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament). It has been suggested that the OT ritual symbolized a covering over of sin until it was dealt with in fact by the atonement of Christ. There is, however, very little evidence for this view. The connection of the Arabic word is weak and the Hebrew root is not used to mean “cover.” The Hebrew verb is never used in the simple or Qal stem, but only in the derived intensive stems. These intensive stems often indicate not emphasis, but merely that the verb is derived from a noun whose meaning is more basic to the root idea." Okay, I realize this is very technical (at least it is to me). So what is the point? The point is that the classic understanding of kapar in the many Leviticus uses may not mean "cover over sin" so that God cannot see it (so to speak). Harris then adds that kōper which is translated pitch is "noun, from which the above verb (koper - to waterproof) was doubtless derived. Pitch, bitumen, asphalt was used in early antiquity as an adhesive to hold inlays into statues. It was a logical material for caulking the ark as specified both in the Bible and the Babylonian flood story." NET Bible Note - The Hebrew term kapar, "to cover, to smear" [= to caulk] appears here in the Qal stem with its primary, non-metaphorical meaning. The Piel form of kapar is kipper, which has the metaphorical meaning "to atone, to expiate, to pacify," is used in Levitical texts. Some authorities (Ed: I think they are alluding to R Laird Harris) regard the form in Ge 6:14 as a homonym (each of two words having the same spelling but different meanings and different origins) of the much more common Levitical term. The Greek translation (Septuagint - Lxx) of Genesis 6:14 would tend to support the premise of Harris that Kapar in this passage might not have the meaning of "to cover" because the corresponding Greek verb is asphaltoo which means to smear with pitch or cover with tar and is used only here in Scripture. The Hebrew noun koper translated pitch in Ge 6:14 is translated in the Septuagint - Lxx with the Greek noun asphaltos which means asphalt, bitumen, tar, a kind of petroleum. This Greek word is used in Ge 11:3 and Ge 14:10 in both passages translating chemar, the Hebrew word for tar, asphalt, bitumen. Gen 32:20 and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease (Lxx = exilaskomai) him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” Ex 29:33 “Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made (Lxx = hagiazo = sanctified, set apart, make holy - translated = "by which they have been set apart by") at their ordination [and] consecration; but a layman shall not eat [them,] because they are holy. Ex 29:36 “And each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement (kippur), and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement (kapar; Lxx = hagiazo translated "when you perform consecration for it" [for the altar]) for it; and you shall anoint it to consecrate it. Ex 29:37 “For seven days you shall make atonement (Lxx = hagiazo) for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, [and] whatever touches the altar shall be holy. Ex 30:10 “And Aaron shall make atonement (Lxx = verb exilaskomai = propitiate, make atonement) on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement (kippur) once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.” Ex 30:15 “The rich shall not pay more, and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the LORD to make atonement (Lxx = verb exilaskomai = propitiate, make atonement) for yourselves. Ex 30:16 “And you shall take the atonement money (kippur) from the sons of Israel, and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement (Lxx = verb exilaskomai = propitiate, make atonement) for yourselves.” Ex 32:30 And it came about on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement (Lxx = verb exilaskomai = propitiate, make atonement) for your sin.” Lev 1:4 ‘And he shall lay (resting or support oneself on the animal = worshiper identifies with the animal as his substitute) his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement (Lxx = verb exilaskomai = propitiate, make atonement) on his behalf. Lev 4:20 ‘He shall also do with the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven. Lev 4:26 ‘And all its fat he shall offer up in smoke on the altar as [in the case of] the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he shall be forgiven. Lev 4:31 ‘Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. Lev 4:35 ‘Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven. Lev 5:6 ‘He shall also bring his guilt offering to the LORD for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin. Lev 5:10 ‘The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him. Lev 5:13 ‘So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has committed from one of these, and it shall be forgiven him; then [the rest] shall become the priest’s, like the grain offering.’” Lev 5:16 “And he shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing, and shall add to it a fifth part of it, and give it to the priest. The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it shall be forgiven him. Lev 5:18 “He is then to bring to the priest a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his error in which he sinned unintentionally and did not know [it], and it shall be forgiven him. Lev 6:7 and the priest shall make atonement (Lxx = exilaskomai) for him before the LORD; and he shall be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt.” Lev 6:30 ‘But no sin offering of which any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement (Lxx = exilaskomai) in the holy place shall be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. Lev 7:7 ‘The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is one law for them; the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. Lev 8:15 Next Moses slaughtered [it] and took the blood and with his finger put [some of it] around on the horns of the altar, and purified the altar. Then he poured out [the rest of] the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it, to make atonement for it. Lev 8:34 “The LORD has commanded to do as has been done this day, to make atonement on your behalf. Lev 9:7 Moses then said to Aaron, “Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as the LORD has commanded.” Lev 10:17 “Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place? For it is most holy, and He gave it to you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD. Lev 12:7 ‘Then he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears [a child, whether] a male or a female. Lev 12:8 ‘But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.’” Lev 14:18 while the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s palm, he shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the LORD. Lev 14:19 “The priest shall next offer the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Then afterward, he shall slaughter the burnt offering. Lev 14:20 “And the priest shall offer up the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean. Lev 14:21 “But if he is poor, and his means are insufficient, then he is to take one male lamb for a guilt offering as a wave offering to make atonement for him, and one-tenth [of an] [ephah] of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil, Lev 14:29 “Moreover, the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s palm he shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement on his behalf before the LORD. Lev 14:31 “[He shall offer] what he can afford, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. So the priest shall make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the one to be cleansed. Lev 14:53 “However, he shall let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.” Lev 15:15 and the priest shall offer them, one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the LORD because of his discharge. Lev 15:30 ‘And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before the LORD because of her impure discharge.’ Leviticus 16:6 "Then Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. 10 "But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. 11 "Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 16 "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. 17 "When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 "Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides. 20 "When he finishes atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat. 24 "He shall bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes, and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 27 "But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire. 30 for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 32 "So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father's place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33 and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 "Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year." And just as the LORD had commanded Moses, so he did. Leviticus 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.' Leviticus 19:22 'The priest shall also make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed, and the sin which he has committed will be forgiven him. Leviticus 23:28 "You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. Numbers 5:8 'But if the man has no relative to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution which is made for the wrong must go to the LORD for the priest, besides the ram of atonement, by which atonement is made for him. Numbers 6:11 'The priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him concerning his sin because of the dead person. And that same day he shall consecrate his head, Numbers 8:12 "Now the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 19 "I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary." 21 The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. Numbers 15:25 'Then the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they will be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their error. 28 'The priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven. Numbers 16:46 Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from the LORD, the plague has begun!" 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. Numbers 25:13 and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.'" Numbers 28:22 and one male goat for a sin offering to make atonement for you. 30 also one male goat to make atonement for you. Numbers 29:5 'Offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, Numbers 31:50 "So we have brought as an offering to the LORD what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD." Numbers 35:33 'So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. Deuteronomy 21:8 'Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O LORD, and do not place the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.' And the bloodguiltiness shall be forgiven them. Deuteronomy 32:43 "Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people." 1 Samuel 3:14 "Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever." 2 Samuel 21:3 Thus David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" 1 Chronicles 6:49 But Aaron and his sons offered on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. 2 Chronicles 29:24 The priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood to atone for all Israel, for the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel. 2 Chronicles 30:18 For a multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD pardon Nehemiah 10:33 for the showbread, for the continual grain offering, for the continual burnt offering, the sabbaths, the new moon, for the appointed times, for the holy things and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. Psalm 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You forgive (Lxx = hilaskomai = to be merciful, make reconciliation for, be propitious, be favorably inclined, to forgive) them. Psalm 78:38 But He, being compassionate, forgave (Lxx = hilaskomai = to be merciful, make reconciliation for, be propitious, be favorably inclined, to forgive) their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath. Psalm 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive (Lxx = hilaskomai = to be merciful, make reconciliation for, be propitious, be favorably inclined, to forgive) our sins for Your name's sake. Proverbs 16:6 By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil. 14 The fury of a king is like messengers of death, But a wise man will appease it. Isaiah 6:7 He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven (Lxx = perikatharizo = to clean or purge away entirely; used to translate "circumcise" in Dt 30:6 a prophecy of the end-times when a believing remnant of the nation will be saved - Ro 11:25-27)." Isaiah 22:14 But the LORD of hosts revealed Himself to me, "Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven (Lxx = aphiemi) you Until you die," says the Lord GOD of hosts. Isaiah 27:9 Therefore through this Jacob's iniquity will be forgiven (Lxx = aphaireo); And this will be the full price of the pardoning of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones like pulverized chalk stones; When Asherim and incense altars will not stand. Isaiah 28:18 "Your covenant with death will be canceled (Lxx = aphaireo), And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place. Isaiah 47:11 "But evil will come on you Which you will not know how to charm away; And disaster will fall on you For which you cannot atone (Lxx = katharos= not be free from); And destruction about which you do not know Will come on you suddenly. Jeremiah 18:23 Yet You, O LORD, know All their deadly designs against me; Do not forgive (Lxx = athooo - [do not] hold guiltless, let go unpunished) their iniquity Or blot (Hebrew = machah = to wipe, wipe out; Lxx = exaleipho as in Acts 3:19) out their sin from Your sight. But may they be overthrown before You; Deal with them in the time of Your anger! Ezekiel 16:63 so that you may remember and be ashamed and never open your mouth anymore because of your humiliation, when I have forgiven (Lxx = exilaskomai = propitiate) you for all that you have done," the Lord GOD declares. Ezekiel 43:20 'You shall take some of its blood and put it on its four horns and on the four corners of the ledge and on the border round about; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement (Lxx = exilaskomai = propitiate) for it. 26 'For seven days they shall make atonement (Lxx = exilaskomai = propitiate) for the altar and purify it; so shall they consecrate it. Ezekiel 45:15 and one sheep from each flock of two hundred from the watering places of Israel-- for a grain offering, for a burnt offering and for peace offerings, to make atonement (Lxx = exilaskomai = propitiate) for them," declares the Lord GOD. 17 "It shall be the prince's part to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the drink offerings, at the feasts, on the new moons and on the sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel; he shall provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering and the peace offerings, to make atonement (Lxx = exilaskomai = propitiate) for the house of Israel." 20 "Thus you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who goes astray or is naive; so you shall make atonement (Lxx = exilaskomai = propitiate) for the house. Daniel 9:24-commentary "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement (Lxx = exilaskomai = propitiate) for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. Andrew Trotter (Atonement - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology) - That the Bible's central message is atonement, that is, that God has provided a way for humankind to come back into harmonious relation with him, is everywhere apparent in Scripture. From the first stories in Genesis to the last visions of Revelation, God seeks to reconcile his people to himself. Atonement, however, cannot be usefully discussed in this way, and translators have settled on it, and its cognate expressions, as a translation for a relatively circumscribed number of nouns and verbs in the Bible. The Old Testament - In the Old Testament atonement, and related phrases, such as sacrifice of atonement, most often translates the Hebrew piel verb kipur [ כִּפֻּרִים ] and two related nouns, one, kippurim, found always in the plural and signifying the noun equivalent of kipur [ כִּפֻּרִים ], and the other, kapporeth [ כַּפֹּרֶת ], meaning the so-called mercy-seat or the place where the sacrifice of atonement happens. These occur with meanings related to atonement around 140 times, almost always in the context of the cults, as a sacrifice for sins and to provide reconciliation to God. The breadth of the use of the concept in the Old Testament is striking. Atonement is provided for inanimate objects such as a mildewing house, the altar in the temple, the sanctuary (i.e., the Holy of Holies within the Tent of Meeting), the holy place, and the tent of meeting/temple itself. In one place atonement is also provided for an animal, the scapegoat used in the atonement rituals found in Leviticus 16 . Sacrifice accomplishes atonement "for sins" in many places, though these passages always mean atonement for people "because of" their sins rather than atonement "on behalf of" sins, as if sins were being personified and therefore in need of redemption. Of course, the majority of all the references are to atonement on behalf of people, either individually or as members of the community of Israel. Atonement for inanimate objects is found twelve places in the Old Testament: Exodus 29:36-37; 30:10; Leviticus 8:15; 14:53; 16:10,16 , 18,20; Ezekiel 43:20,26; 45:20 . Eleven of these passages refer to cleansing either the tent/temple, one of its rooms, or the altar inside it. The lone exception refers to the cleansing of a contaminated house. In one of the stranger passages of the Law, God instructs Moses and Aaron about the purification rites they are to apply to a house that has "a spreading mildew" and declares that, if a house responds to the treatment, then it can be declared clean (Leviticus 14:33-53 ). The priest cleanses the house by sacrificing a bird, and dipping cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet yarn, and a live bird in the blood of the dead bird, then sprinkling the blood on the house seven times. He then is to release the live bird into the open fields outside the town. "In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean" (Leviticus 14:53 ). The entire passage significantly echoes the preceding passage in which a human being undergoes the same investigations and purifications for infectious skin diseases, and it anticipates the important regulations of Leviticus 16 concerning the Day of Atonement, the most important sacrifice of all, when sacrifice is made for the cleansing of the sins of all the people. The point is apparently that the surface of the skin can demonstrate a deeper sickness underneath as can the surface of a house; both need to be cleansed of that deeper sickness as does the human heart of its sin. Far more important are the references to the atonement of the Tent of Meeting, the temple, the holy place, the sanctuary, and the altar. These take place in the contexts of the ordination of priests (Exodus 29:35-37; Leviticus 8:15 ), God's instructions for the building of the eschatological temple in the later chapters of Ezekiel (Ezek 43:20,26; 45:20), and the Day of Atonement itself (Leviticus 16:16,18,20 ). The need for cleansing the buildings, the altar and the sanctuaries is due to the fact that these are the meeting places of the divine Holy One with his people. The holiness and purity of God are so emphasized that not only does He and the one who approaches Him have to be pure, but even the means of their communication and relationship must be covered by the blood of an atoning sacrifice because of its contamination by sin. It is perhaps important that this cleansing of inanimate objects, with the lone exception of the house (which seems to serve as an analog to human cleansing), is limited to the house of God and its parts. There is no sense that the world is God's place of meeting and in need of a cleansing sacrifice of atonement, but rather that the special cultic and covenantal relationship that God has with his people is what is in need of purification. This is not to deny that the world has been infected by sin, just that the particular relationship of redemption that God has with his covenant people is not extended to the whole world, but simply to the people of Israel, and even that is vicarious, that is, through the priests and their cultic duties. Primary among the objects of atonement in the Old Testament are the people of God, but the means of atonement can vary. Goats, sheep, and birds are listed among the acceptable animals to be sacrificed, but there were also grain, oil, and drink offerings. Ransom money can provide atonement for the lives of the people; God commands at least one census to be made of the people at which each participant pays the same amount to buy his life and the lives of his family from God, who promises no plague will harm them when they do pay (Exodus 30:11-16 ). Significantly, the money is to be used to support the services of the Tent of Meeting, hence tying it to the sacrifice of blood for atonement, if only in a tangential way. The other non-animal sacrifices are often equally tied to atonement by blood. Certainly the most frequently mentioned means of atonement in the Old Testament were the blood sacrifices, dominating the use of the term by constant reference in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. Atonement needed to be made for everything from heinous crimes like idolatry (Numbers 16:47 ) to mistakes of intent, when the only sin was ignorance or error, not willful disobedience (Numbers 15:22-29 ). Perhaps the heart of the Old Testament teaching on atonement is found in Leviticus 16 , where the regulations for the Day of Atonement occur. Five characteristics relating to the ritual of the Day of Atonement are worthy of note because they are generally true of atonement as it is found throughout Scripture: (1) the sovereignty of God in atonement; (2) the purpose and result of making atonement; (3) the two goats emphasize two different things, and the burning another, about the removal of sin; (4) that Aaron had to make special sacrifice for himself; (5) the comprehensive quality of the act. Atonement is clearly the action of God and not of man throughout the Bible, but especially in Leviticus 16 . Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu, had been recently put to death by the Lord for disobeying his command by offering "unauthorized fire" before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-3). Here God gives Aaron precise instructions concerning how he wants the sacrifices to be made, down to the clothes Aaron is to wear, the bathing rituals in which he is to engage, and the types of sacrificial animals he is to bring. His sovereignty is further emphasized by the fact that the lot is used to choose which goat will be sacrificed and which goat will serve as the scapegoat. The purpose for the ritual is made very clear in several places. It is to cleanse you "from all your sins" (Leviticus 16:30). Other passages make it clear that such cleansing results in saving the life of the participant (cf., e.g., Leviticus 17:11). The restoring of pure relationship is an important result, too, since the atonement is for all "uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been" (Leviticus 16:16). Thus Israel is reunited in purity to its God by the atoning sacrifice for sins. The symbolic import of the sacrifices is so detailed that three different actions were necessary to display everything that God apparently intended us to understand about the way he was to deal with sin. The sacrificial death of the first goat showed clearly that the offense of sin requires the punishment of death (Ezekiel 18:4). The sending of the second goat into the wilderness with the sins laid on the top of its head emphasizes that sin will be removed from the person and the community "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12). The burning of the sacrifice so that it is consumed shows the power of God over sin, completely destroying it so that it can bother the supplicant no more. Particularly important for the full biblical picture of atonement as it is found in Christ is the sacrifice Aaron makes for himself and his family (Leviticus 16:11-14). Everyone, even the high priest, is guilty and needs atonement that can only be provided by God himself. The author of Hebrews emphasizes this point to make clear his doctrine of the purity of Christ as both the true and perfect sacrifice and the true and perfect priest who performs the ritual of atonement (8:3-6; 9:6-15). The Old Testament sacrifices are shown to be but shadows of the real sacrifice of Christ on the cross by the fact of Aaron's sinfulness; an imperfect high priest cannot offer a true sacrifice, just as the blood of bulls and goats could never truly pay for the offense of human sin or substitute for the shedding of human blood. Lastly, atonement covers all the sins—intentional, unintentional, heinous, trivial of those for whom it is intended. No one was to enter the Tent of Meeting until the ritual was over because what was taking place there was for the whole of the community of Israel (Leviticus 16:17), presumably because any interference with the sovereign action of God's cleansing might bring an impurity into the equation that would nullify the purificatory act. The comprehensive nature of the sacrifice of atonement prefigures the comprehensiveness of the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross, but it limits its effects in the same way the Old Testament limits the effects of its sacrifice on the day of atonement to the people whom God has elected to call his own and them alone. (Atonement - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology) - Mercy Seat (3727) (kapporet) always refers to the golden cover of the sacred chest in the Holy of holies. Recall that it was here (above the mercy seat) that God had promised to meet with men (Nu 7:89). The word is derived from the root "to atone." The word is derived from the root kaphar (from koper - to ransom) meaning to "to atone" or to atone by offering a substitute. The kapporet was central point at which Israel, thru high priest, could come into presence of God. Later rabbinic writings describe the kapporet as the throne of God on earth. The Greek equivalent in the Lxx is usually hilasterion, "place or object of propitiation," a word which is applied to Christ in Romans 3:25. The translation "mercy seat" does not sufficiently express the fact that the lid of the ark was the place where the blood was sprinkled on the day of atonement. "Place of atonement" would perhaps be more expressive. This slab of gold represented the throne of God and symbolized His real presence in the worship shrine. W E Vine - "mercy seat; throne of mercy." This noun form of kāpar has been variously interpreted by the English versions as "mercy seat" (kjv, rsv); "cover" (neb); "lid" (tev); "throne of mercy" (jb); and "throne" (Knox). It refers to a slab of gold that rested on top of the ark of the covenant. Images of two cherubims stood on this slab, facing each other. This slab of gold represented the throne of God and symbolized His real presence in the worship shrine. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sin offering on it, apparently symbolizing the blood's reception by God. Thus the kappōret was the central point at which Israel, through its high priest, could come into the presence of God. This is further seen in the fact that the temple proper was distinguished from its porches and other accompanying structures by the name "place of the mercy seat (kappōret)" (1Ch 28:11). The Septuagint refers to the mercy seat as a "propitiary" (hilasterion). (Vine's Expository Dictionary) R Laird Harrison notes that "kippūr. Atonement. kapporet. Mercy seat. These two nouns are derived from the verb as used in the intensive stem: The first is used today in the name of the Jewish holiday yom kippur "day of atonement" (used only in the plural in the OT) which was the tenth day of the seventh month, Tishri. This solemn day was the only day of fasting prescribed for Israel. It was celebrated by a special sin offering for the whole nation. On that day only would the high priest enter within the inner veil bearing the blood of the sin offering (cf. Hebrews 9:7). A second goat was released as an escape goat to symbolize the total removal of sin (see ʿăzāʾzēl "scapegoat"). kappōret. Mercy seat. This noun is used twenty-seven times and always refers to the golden cover of the sacred chest in the inner shrine of the tabernacle or temple. It was from above the mercy seat that God promised to meet with men (Numbers 7:89). The word, however, is not related to mercy and of course was not a seat. The word is derived from the root "to atone." The Greek equivalent in the LXX is usually hilastērion, "place or object of propitiation," a word which is applied to Christ in Romans 3:25. The translation "mercy seat" does not sufficiently express the fact that the lid of the ark was the place where the blood was sprinkled on the day of atonement. "Place of atonement" would perhaps be more expressive. (online Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) KAPPORET - 22v - Always translated "Mercy Seat" Exod. 25:17; Exod. 25:18; Exod. 25:19; Exod. 25:20; Exod. 25:21; Exod. 25:22; Exod. 26:34; Exod. 30:6; Exod. 31:7; Exod. 35:12; Exod. 37:6; Exod. 37:7; Exod. 37:8; Exod. 37:9; Exod. 39:35; Exod. 40:20; Lev. 16:2; Lev. 16:13; Lev. 16:14; Lev. 16:15; Num. 7:89; 1 Chr. 28:11 What is the Ark of the Covenant? What does it mean that God is the King of glory? What is the ark of the testimony? What is the throne of God? Does God literally have a throne? ISBE - Mercy Seat Fausset Bible Dictionary Mercy Seat Holman Bible Dictionary Mercy Seat Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Mercy Seat Morrish Bible Dictionary Mercy Seat Vines' Expository Dictionary Mercy Seat Wilson's Bible Types Mercy seat Watson's Theological Dictionary Mercy Seat Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words on hilasterion = "the lid or cover of the ark of the covenant," signifies the Propitiatory, so called on account of the expiation made once a year on the great Day of Atonement, Hebrews 9:5 . For the formation see Exodus 25:17-21 . The Heb. word is kapporet, "the cover," a meaning connected with the covering or removal of sin (Psalm 32:1 ) by means of expiatory sacrifice. This mercy seat, together with the ark, is spoken of as the footstool of God, 1 Chronicles 28:2; cp. Psalm 99:5; 132:7 . The Lord promised to be present upon it and to commune with Moses "from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim," Exodus 25:22 (see CHERUBIM). In the Sept. the word epithema, which itself means "a cover," is added to hilasterion; epithema was simply a translation of kapporet; accordingly, hilasterion, not having this meaning, and being essentially connected with propitiation, was added. Eventually hilasterion stood for both. In 1 Chronicles 28:11 the Holy of Holies is called "the House of the Kapporet" (see RV , marg.). Through His voluntary expiatory sacrifice in the shedding of His blood, under Divine judgment upon sin, and through His resurrection, Christ has become the Mercy Seat for His people. See Romans 3:25 , and see PROPITIATION , B, No. 1. (Mercy Seat - Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words) Ransom (03724)(koper) is a masculine noun which refers to the ransom payment, but in several OT contexts assumes the sense of a bribe. A ransom is the price required to redeem a person. See all uses below for discussion of the meaning of ransom or bribe in each passage. Ransom (English word) - 1. The money or price paid for the redemption of a prisoner or slave, or for goods captured by an enemy; that which procures the release of a prisoner or captive, or of captured property, and restores the one to liberty and the other to the original owner. 2. Release from captivity, bondage or the possession of an enemy. They were unable to procure the ransom of the prisoners. 3. In law, a sum paid for the pardon of some; great offense and the discharge of the offender; or a fine paid in lieu of corporal punishment. 4. In Scripture, the price paid for a forfeited life, or for delivery or release from capital punishment. 5. The price paid for procuring the pardon of sins and the redemption of the sinner from punishment. The Son of man came—to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45. (Webster-1828) Bribe (English word) - 1. A price, reward, gift or favor bestowed or promised with a view to pervert the judgment, or corrupt the conduct of a judge, witness or other person. A bribe is a consideration given or promised to a person, to induce him to decide a cause, give testimony, or perform some act contrary to what he knows to be truth, justice or rectitude. It is not used in a good sense, unless in familiar language. 2. That which seduces. (Webster-1828) Note that some concordances (NAS) do not include the use of koper in Ge 6:14 as they interpret it as a different word than in the remaining uses. The KJV concordance does include it in the list of verses with koper. The Lxx translates koper with the Greek noun lutron/lytron which refers to the ransom price or the payment which is necessary to free a slave from bondage (or a prisoner from captivity) giving them liberty. Koper - translated in NAS - bribe(1), bribes(1), ransom(11). Koper - 17v (KJV) - Ge 6:14; Ex 21:30; 30:12; Num 35:31-32; 1Sam 6:18; 12:3; Job 33:24; 36:18; Ps 49:7; Pr 6:35; 13:8; 21:18; Song 1:14; 4:13; Isa 43:3; Amos 5:12 Ge 6:14 “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch (Heb - koper; Lxx - asphaltos = asphalt, tar). Ex 21:30 (Context - Ex 21:28-29) “If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him. NET Note - The family of the victim would set the amount for the ransom of the man guilty of criminal neglect. This practice was common in the ancient world, rare in Israel. If the family allowed the substitute price, then the man would be able to redeem his life. Ex 30:12 (Context - Ex 30:11-16) “When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. NET Note - The “ransom” is כֹּפֶר (kofer), a word related to words translated “atone” and “atonement.” Here the noun refers to what is paid for the life. The idea is that of delivering or redeeming by a substitute – here the substitute is the money. If they paid the amount, their lives would be safe (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:473). Comment: Note that in this context the ransom is for each of the sons of Israel over 20 years of age, so that no plague might come on them (Ex 30:12) that the ransom is half a shekel, a contribution to the LORD (Ex 30:13-14), to make atonement (Ex 30:16 - verb kapar) with the "atonement money." (Ex 30:16 - noun - kippur/kippurim). Num 35:31 ‘Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. 32 ‘And you shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest. Eugene Merrill - The reason for such strict measures was the fact that bloodshed in murder pollutes the land and the only “cleansing” agent was the blood of the murderer himself (Gen. 4:10; 9:6). It was not fitting that Israel and the LORD, who lived in Israel’s midst, should occupy a polluted land. So blood vengeance was not an option but a theological necessity. (The Bible Knowledge) Job 33:24 Then let him be gracious to him, and say, ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom’; Roy Zuck - The angel’s interceding work (in contrast with angelic “messengers of death,” Job 33:22) was based on his providing a ransom for the sick person. The “ransom,” while not specified, means something that can be regarded as a consideration or reason for the sufferer to be relieved from his illness. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) Job 36:18 “[Beware] lest wrath entice you to scoffing; And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. Roy Zuck - Bribe may be rendered “ransom or recompense,” as in 33:24. Perhaps it means here “the large price Job is paying by his suffering.”) As many people have learned, money and accomplishments cannot buy a person out of distress. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) The angel’s interceding work (in contrast with angelic “messengers of death,” Job 33:22) was based on his providing a ransom for the sick person. The “ransom,” while not specified, means something that can be regarded as a consideration or reason for the sufferer to be relieved from his illness. Ps 49:7 No man can by any means redeem [his] brother, Or give to God a ransom for him– Comment: Every rich person in the world needs to emblazon this proverb on their heart (while they still have time - 2Cor 6:2). If you are in Christ, you are immeasurably rich forever!!! Pr 6:35 He (See context = Pr 6:32-34) will not accept any ransom, Nor will he be content though you give many gifts. Comment: The idea here is that he will refuse a bribe, no matter how great! Why? Presumably because it was money paid to cover up a crime or as we might say today it was "hush money!" (See comment on Amos 5:12) NET Note: The word rendered “compensation” is כֹּפֶר (cofer); it is essentially a ransom price, a sum to be paid to deliver another from debt, bondage, or crime. The husband cannot accept payment as a ransom for a life, since what has happened cannot be undone so easily. As the word “ransom” (כֹּפֶר, cofer) indicates, the rich are susceptible to kidnapping and robbery. But the poor man pays no attention to blackmail – he does not have money to buy off oppressors. So the rich person is exposed to legal attacks and threats of physical violence and must use his wealth as ransom. Buzzell - Bribery is frequently condemned in Proverbs (6:35; 15:27; 17:8), in the Law (Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19; 27:25), and elsewhere (e.g., Job 36:18; Ps. 15:5; Ecc. 7:7; Isa. 33:15). (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) Pr 13:8 The ransom of a man’s life is his riches, But the poor hears no rebuke. NET Note: As the word “ransom” (כֹּפֶר, cofer) indicates, the rich are susceptible to kidnapping and robbery. But the poor man pays no attention to blackmail – he does not have money to buy off oppressors. So the rich person is exposed to legal attacks and threats of physical violence and must use his wealth as ransom. Pr 21:18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, And the treacherous is in the place of the upright. NET Note: The Hebrew word translated “ransom” (כֹּפֶר, kofer) normally refers to the price paid to free a prisoner. R. N. Whybray (Proverbs [CBC], 121) gives options for the meaning of the verse: (1) If it means that the wicked obtain good things that should go to the righteous, it is then a despairing plea for justice (which would be unusual in the book of Proverbs); but if (2) it is taken to mean that the wicked suffers the evil he has prepared for the righteous, then it harmonizes with Proverbs elsewhere (e.g., 11:8). The ideal this proverb presents – and the future reality – is that in calamity the righteous escape and the wicked suffer in their place (e.g., Haman in the book of Esther). Buzzell - This verse does not mean that the wicked redeem the righteous. Instead it may mean that the wicked who have caused the righteous to suffer will themselves suffer and will thereby “set free” (become a ransom for) the righteous, for the godly will no longer suffer at the hands of the wicked. (Bible Knowledge Commentary) Song 1:14 “My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms In the vineyards of Engedi.” Song 4:13 “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates With choice fruits, henna with nard plants, Isa 43:3 “For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. John Martin - As a ransom or reward for releasing the Jewish captives, Persia was enabled by God to conquer Egypt … Cush (modern-day southern Egypt, all of Sudan, and northern Ethiopia), and Seba, possibly the same as Sheba in southern Arabia (cf. 60:6; Job 6:19; 1 Kings 10:1–13) where the Sabeans lived (cf. Job 1:15; Isa. 45:14; Ezek. 23:42; Joel 3:8). (Bible Knowledge Commentary) Amos 5:12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, [You] who distress the righteous [and] accept bribes, And turn aside the poor in the gate. NIDOTTE - Bribery always results in someone’s losing the meaning of life or life itself. Wolff comments, “Bribery leads to declaring the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent” (248). This explains why Amos charges the Israelite aristocracy with the sins of greed and injustice, “For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes (כֹּפֶר) and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts” (Amos 5:12; see also 1 Sam 12:3)." QUESTION - What is the mercy seat? | GotQuestions.org ANSWER - The writer to the Hebrews talks about the arrangement of the tabernacle of the Old Testament. The tabernacle was the portable sanctuary used by the Israelites from the time of their wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt to the building of the temple in Jerusalem (see Exodus 25–27). Within the tabernacle was the ark of the covenant which included the mercy seat (Hebrews 9:3-5 NKJV). The ark of the covenant, the chest containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, was the most sacred object of the tabernacle and later in the temple in Jerusalem, where it was placed in an inner area called the Holy of Holies. Also within the ark were the golden pot of manna, such as was provided by God in the wilderness wanderings (Exodus 16:4) and Aaron’s almond rod (Numbers 17:1-13). On top of the ark was a lid called the mercy seat on which rested the cloud or visible symbol of the divine presence. Here God was supposed to be seated, and from this place He was supposed to dispense mercy to man when the blood of the atonement was sprinkled there. In a manner of speaking, the mercy seat concealed the people of God from the ever-condemning judgment of the Law. Each year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood of animals sacrificed for the atonement of the sins of God’s people. This blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat. The point conveyed by this imagery is that it is only through the offering of blood that the condemnation of the Law could be taken away and violations of God’s laws covered. The Greek word for “mercy seat” in Hebrews 9:5 is hilasterion, which means “that which makes expiation” or “propitiation.” It carries the idea of the removal of sin. In Ezekiel 43:13-15, the brazen altar of sacrifice is also called hilasterion (the propitiatory or mercy seat) in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) because of its association with the shedding of blood for sin. What is the significance of this? In the New Testament, Christ Himself is designated as our “propitiation.” Paul explains this in his letter to the Romans: “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (Romans 3:24-25 NKJV). What Paul is teaching here is that Jesus is the covering for sin, as shown by these Old Testament prophetic images. By means of His death, and our response to Christ through our faith in Him, all our sins are covered. Also, whenever believers sin, we may turn to Christ who continues to be the propitiation or covering for our sins (1 John 2:1, 4:10). This ties together the Old and New Testament concepts regarding the covering of sin as exemplified by the mercy-seat of God. (See also What was the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant?) QUESTION- What is the ark of the covenant? | GotQuestions.org ANSWER - God made a conditional covenant with the children of Israel through His servant Moses. He promised good to them and their children for generations if they obeyed Him and His laws, but He always warned of despair, punishment, and dispersion if they were to disobey. As a reminder of His covenant, the Lord had the Israelites make a box, according to His design, to house the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. This box, or ark, was to be kept in the inner sanctum of the wilderness tabernacle and eventually in the temple when it was built in Jerusalem. This chest is known as the ark of the covenant. Moses instructed Bezalel, God’s anointed craftsman, to build the ark of the covenant (see Exodus 37:1–9; 25:10–22). The “sacred chest” was to be a rectangular wooden box made from acacia wood, overlaid “inside and out with pure gold,” measuring approximately “45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high” (Exodus 37:1–2, NLT). The chest was fitted with two pairs of gold rings on either side in which permanent poles were inserted for transporting the ark. No one was allowed to touch the ark out of reverence for God’s holiness. The poles were also fashioned with acacia wood and overlaid with gold. The ark of the covenant was built to contain the two tablets of the law given to Moses by God (Exodus 25:16, 21). These tablets were also known as “the testimony,” and thus, the ark was also called “the ark of the testimony” (see Numbers 4:5, Joshua 4:16, ESV). In the original Hebrew, the word translated as “testimony” refers both to the terms of God’s covenant with Israel as written on the tablets of stone and to the covenant itself. Later, Moses had Aaron place inside the ark a jar of manna to remember God’s faithfulness in providing miraculous bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4, 33) and Aaron’s staff that had budded as a warning against rebellion (Numbers 17:1–13; Hebrews 9:4). A lid called the “mercy seat” or “the place of atonement” was constructed for the box (see Exodus 25:17). The mercy seat was made of pure gold and covered the entire length and width of the chest. Bezalel crafted two cherubim from hammered gold and molded them atop each end of the mercy seat so that the whole lid was one solid piece of gold. The cherubim faced each other and looked down on the mercy seat with their wings spread wide, overshadowing and protecting it. The real significance of the ark of the covenant involved the mercy seat. The Hebrew word for “mercy seat” meant “cover, appeasement, or place of atonement.” Once a year, the high priest entered the holy of holies where the ark of the covenant was kept, and here he atoned for his sins and the sins of the Israelite people (Leviticus 16:2–16). Seven times, the priest sprinkled the blood of sacrificed bulls and goats onto the mercy seat. This atonement on Yom Kippur appeased God’s wrath and anger for past sins committed. The lid of the ark of the covenant was termed a “seat” because this sacred place was considered God’s holy throne (see Psalm 99:1). Here, the Lord spoke to Moses from between the winged cherubim (Numbers 7:89). Here, where the sacrificial blood was sprinkled and God’s mercy was dispensed, was the only place in the world where atonement could take place. The mercy seat on the ark was a symbolic foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice for all sin—the blood of Christ shed on the cross for the remission of sins (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12–14; 1 Peter 1:18–19). The apostle Paul, a former Pharisee and one familiar with the Old Testament, knew this concept quite well when he wrote about Christ being our covering for sin in Romans 3:24–25: “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.” Just as there was only one place for atonement of sins in the Old Testament—the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant—so there is also only one place for atonement in the New Testament—the cross of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:2; 1 Peter 3:18). As Christians, we no longer look to the ark but to the Lord Jesus Himself as the One who covers, cleanses, cancels, and atones for our sins (1 John 4:10). As the Israelites traveled from Mount Sinai to Canaan, the ark of the covenant was to be carried before them through the wilderness as a constant reminder of God’s holy, living presence (Numbers 10:33–36). The ark played a central role in Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:3, 6, 15–16; 4:9; 6:4–16) and the life of God’s people there (Joshua 8:33; Judges 20:26–28). Eventually, Israel lost sight of the ark’s true significance. In 1 Samuel 4, the nation was battling the Philistines. When the Israelites suffered a loss, rather than deal with the real problem—sin—they fetched the ark and took it into battle. They viewed the ark as little more than a talisman or ceremonial token that would ensure God’s help. As a result, they suffered another defeat, and God allowed the ark to be captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:1–11, 17–22; 5:1–12). But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the Philistines, so they returned the ark (1 Samuel 6:1–3, 10–15, 19; 7:1–2). Much later, King David had the ark brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1–12, 17), and when his son Solomon completed the temple, the ark and all the tabernacle furnishings were placed inside the temple (1 Kings 8:1–12). The Bible doesn’t say precisely when the ark of the covenant was lost to history. Some speculate it was destroyed or potentially removed during various raids (see 1 Kings 14:25–28; 2 Kings 14:8–14). The last time the location of the ark is mentioned in Scripture is when King Josiah ordered the caretakers of the ark to return it to the Jerusalem temple (2 Chronicles 35:1–6; cf. 2 Kings 23:21–23). The ark is not cited in the list of temple spoils that Nebuchadnezzar took to Babylon when Jerusalem was sacked (2 Kings 25:13–17; Jeremiah 52:17–23). The origins of Israel’s ark of the covenant are as mysterious and fascinating as its current whereabouts and final destiny. Archeologists and treasure hunters have sought to find it for centuries. In Revelation 11:19, John sees the ark of the covenant as part of the future heavenly temple. However, this is probably not the same ark Moses built; instead, the heavenly ark is more likely a symbolic representation of God’s holy presence. QUESTION - What is the ark of the testimony? | GotQuestions.org ANSWER - The first mention of the ark of the testimony is in Exodus 25:10. God gave Moses specific instructions for building a tabernacle as they traveled in the wilderness. The tabernacle would be the place where the glory of God would dwell among His people (Exodus 25:8–9). Among hundreds of other descriptive instructions for this tabernacle, God told Moses to build an ark of the testimony, also called the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:21–22). The words testimony and covenant both refer to the conditional agreement made between God and the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. An ark is, literally, a box or chest. So the ark of the testimony is the “box of the agreement.” The ark of the testimony was a wooden box, covered in gold inside and out. It had four exterior rings through which poles could be attached for carrying. No one but the high priest could touch the ark (Numbers 4:15). To do so would result in instant death, as happened with a man named Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:1–7). God was beginning to teach His people about His holiness and their unworthiness. He demonstrated to them that His commands were not suggestions to be negotiated. He wanted to teach them to obey Him in all things, whether or not they understood the reason for the rules. The lid of the ark was also made of gold and formed a seat between two cherubim, called the mercy seat. It was there that God would meet with His people (Exodus 25:22). Inside the ark of the testimony, Moses placed the tablets of the Law that God gave him on the mountain. The ark was placed inside the tabernacle in the most holy place, where only the high priest could go once a year (Exodus 26:34). Through it all, God was painting a picture to help us understand what is required for sinful man to come into the presence of a holy God. The ark of the testimony got its name from the fact that it would be the housing for God’s testimony to His people. His Law was not only verbal, but written, etched in stone (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 5:22), so there could be no excuse for disobedience. Hebrews 9:4 tells us that, later, the Israelites added to the stone tablets within the ark of the testimony a jar of manna (Exodus 16:32–33) and Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17:8–10). The ark of the testimony represented the presence of God with His people, and His power went with them wherever they took the ark (Joshua 3:6; Numbers 10:33–35). The enemies of Israel, the Philistines, stole the ark once (1 Samuel 5:1), hoping its power would help them. They set it in their idol’s temple and waited for the good luck it would bring. But calamity broke out among the Philistines, until they begged their leaders to send the ark back to Israel (1 Samuel 5:4, 6, 9, 11–12). God demonstrated that He was not a good-luck charm whose power could be had by whoever captured His ark. The power was not in the ark of the testimony itself; the ark only represented the presence of God with His people. Since the death and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 14:9), God no longer uses an ark of the testimony to dwell with His people. We are under a new testament or covenant. At Pentecost, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell every believer (Acts 2:1–4, 38–39). We become His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). When we have been born again by faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:3, 16), we take God with us everywhere we go. It did the Philistines no good to harbor the ark, because the ark had no power in itself if God was not on their side. Likewise, we do not need physical items—crosses, images, holy relics—to carry the power of God with us because He already abides in us. That awareness of His presence, called the fear of the Lord (Psalm 19:9; Proverbs 15:33), helps us make decisions that honor Him. Related Resource: What happened to the ark of the covenant? What was inside the ark of the covenant? Why did God strike Uzzah dead for touching the ark of the covenant? Leviticus 23:29 "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. will: Lev 23:27,32 Isa 22:12 Jer 31:9 Eze 7:16 he shall be: Ge 17:14 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. WHEN HUMILITY IS REJECTED, SEPARATION FOLLOWS "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. - This verse describes the cost of refusing to humble oneself. Self-exaltation extracts a high price of exclusion from God's people! Leviticus 23:29 underscores the solemnity of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the holiest day in Israel’s calendar. God required His people to “humble themselves” (literally, afflict their souls)—a phrase that conveys fasting, repentance, and self-denial before His holy presence. Failure to do so brought the severest consequence: being “cut off” from the covenant community. This warning highlights the seriousness of approaching God with humility and brokenness, acknowledging sin and seeking His mercy through the atoning sacrifice. It points forward to Christ, who fulfilled the meaning of Yom Kippur, calling all who would be reconciled to God to approach in true humility and faith. 🙏 THOUGHT - How important is humility to God? That's a rhetorical question of course. Cut off from His people is at least ex-communication (but look at the punishment in the next passage - the implication is that the person in verse 30 has refused to humble himself and obey God's clear instruction!) It is an inviolable principle that pride obstructs the flow of grace, while humility opens the floodgates! Grace always flows in a "downward direction." James says God "arrays Himself against" (like ancient armies did in battle!) the pride person! In contrast, He gives grace to the humble! (James 4:6+) Leviticus 23:30 "As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. Lev 20:3,5,6 Ge 17:14 Jer 15:7 Ezek 14:9 Zep 2:5 1Co 3:17 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DESTRUCTION DECREED FOR DEFYING DIVINE COMMAND As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. - One might subtitle this verse ironically as "when work brings death instead of rest!" Holiness means separation from the profane, and it cannot be partial. Partial obedience is, in reality, disobedience cloaked in outward compliance. God is serious about holiness and does not accept 90% acquiescence. 🙏 THOUGHT - Do we, in 21st-century America—and especially within the evangelical church—truly grasp God’s desire for His people to be holy, just as He is holy? As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey and passive voice = divine passive) holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” 17If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey and passive voice = divine passive) yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; (1Pe 1:14-17) 🙏 THOUGHT- What is the measure of your fear of the Lord? Do you live each day with a deep reverence for His holiness, or have you grown casual with His commands? You can mark it down that the measure of our fear of the Lord often reveals the measure of our obedience. Is your fear of the Lord vibrant and guiding your steps, or has it been dulled by the godless noise of this passing world? Do I shrink back from sin because I fear hurting the Lord (cf Ezek 6:9+), or do I toy with the deceptiveness of sin (Heb 3:13+), presuming on His grace? Leviticus 23:31 "You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. A SACRED PAUSE A DAY WITH NO WORK The phrase “You shall do no work at all” (לֹא־תַעֲשׂוּ כָל־מְלָאכָה, lo ta’asu kol melakah) is absolute. Unlike regular Sabbaths or other feasts where only “customary work” was forbidden, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) required complete rest from every kind of labor. This ensured the people’s undivided attention on repentance, self-denial, and atonement. “Perpetual statute” (חֻקַּת עוֹלָם, chuqat olam) = a lasting ordinance, intended for all successive generations of Israel. It stressed that this was not a temporary ritual but a God-ordained rhythm of worship that shaped Israel’s relationship with Him year after year. On this day, Israel was reminded that reconciliation with God is not earned by human labor. It is wholly the result of God’s grace, God's provision and acceptance of blood sprinkled on the kapporet (mercy seat). This was a foreshadowing of Christ for Hebrews 9–10 shows that the Day of Atonement pointed to Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice. Just as Israel was commanded to “do no work,” so salvation in Christ is “not by works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Rest from labor symbolizes the rest of faith—trusting in Christ’s finished work, the repeated exhortation in Hebrews 3 and Hebrews 4 TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME Hebrews 3:7+ Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, 8 DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, 9 WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. 10 “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; 11 AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’” 12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, 15 while it is said, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.” In All Your Dwelling Places - It was not limited to the tabernacle/temple site. Every Israelite, no matter where they lived, was required to observe this day. It was a nationwide pause, uniting the people under God’s covenant grace. Leviticus 23:32 "It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath." sabbath Lev 16:31 Mt 11:28-30 Heb 4:3,11 humble: Lev 23:27 Ps 35:13 Ps 51:17 Ps 69:10,11 Ps 126:5,6 Isa 57:15,18,19 58:3-7 Isa 61:3 Mt 5:4 1Co 11:31 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Sabbath means intermission or rest so one might paraphrase it as "It is to be a rest of complete rest"! Humble your souls - This is not to be an external ornament one puts on for show. God is looking at our hearts, not what we wear. He is interested in the internal, not the external. It's easy for us to "do" something to appease (that we think will appease) God, but God is primarily interested for us to "be" someone! Being should always proceed doing. In this context, being calls for humility and doing is keeping sabbath. Norman Geisler - LEVITICUS 23:32—Was the feast observed on the ninth day or on the tenth day? PROBLEM: According to this verse the fast associated with the Day of Atonement was to begin on the “ninth day of the month.” But earlier in Leviticus 16:29 they were to begin fasting on the “tenth day of the month.” SOLUTION: This fast began on the ninth day and extended over to the tenth day (cf. Lev. 23:27). Hence, it was appropriate to speak of it as being either day. There are several other problems of a similar nature. For example, in like manner the feast was both seven days (Ex. 12:15) or six days (Deut. 16:8). God ended His work of creation on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2) and yet did it in six days (Ex. 20:11). Also, “after eight days” means the next Sunday (John 20:26; cf. 20:19). (When Critics Ask) Leviticus 23:33 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying Leviticus 23:34 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. fifteenth: Ex 23:16 34:22 Nu 29:12 Dt 16:13-15 Ezr 3:4 Ne 8:14 Zec 14:16-19 John 1:14 7:2 Heb 11:9,13 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FEAST OF INGATHERING FEAST OF TABERNACLES FEAST OF BOOTHS Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD - Bush comments "This festival is termed in Hebrew חג הסכות ’hag hassukoth, feast of tents, or booths, but by the Chal. is called ‘the shade of clouds,’ in allusion to the shadow of the divine protection in the pillar of cloud that attended the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness. The Feast of Tabernacles was instituted in memory of the journey through the Arabian wilderness, and therefore the people, during its continuance, dwelt in booths. This lasted seven days, from the 15th to the 22d of the seventh month, Tisri (October). It is usual to state that another object of this feast was as a Feast of In-gathering, to return thanks, and to rejoice for the completed vintage and gathering in of the fruits. But a close examination will make it probable that this was the separate object of the eighth day, which was added to the seven: for it was only during the seven days that the people were to dwell in booths. Being thus closely connected, they got to be regarded as one festival, and the names were confounded and interchanged, as in the analogous case of the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Instead, therefore, of regarding this as one festival of eight days, with two names and two objects, it seems best to regard it as a union of two festivals with different names and objects, the one of seven days, and the other of one day. As in the other festivals of a week’s duration, the first and last days were to be observed as Sabbaths, with the exception that only servile labor was interdicted. On the other five days any kind of work might be executed. During all the seven the people were to live in booths made of branches of several sorts of trees, which, as mentioned in Lev. 23:40, are the palm, the willow, and two others, which seem to denote ‘beautiful trees,’ and any ‘thick or bushy wood,’ rather than any particular species. Those named in Nehem. 8:15, are different, and it seems reasonable to conclude that it was not the intention of the law to compel the use of any particular species, but only such as were suitable for the purpose and could be easily procured. It is not expressly said in the law that the booths were to be made with those branches, though the language of the text with the context, obviously leads to that conclusion. It was so understood in the time of Nehemiah. But the Sadducees and Pharisees, in later days, split on this point; the former understanding that the booths were to be made of the boughs, while the latter contended that they were to be borne rejoicingly in the hands. The latter practice prevailed in the time of Christ, as it does to this day. The Karaites, however, follow the interpretation of the Sadducees, which seems to be the right one, although it must be confessed that the Israelites did not, in the Arabian wilderness dwell in green booths, but in cents. It seems that the people often made their booths on the flat roofs of their houses. More public sacrifies were to be offered on this festival than on any of the others, as may be seen in Num. 29:12–39. This feast was celebrated with more of outward glee than any others, though without intemperance, to which the Hebrews as a nation, do not appear to have been ever much addicted. The ceremonies of parading in procession with branches, chanting hosannas, and of drawing water from the pool of Siloam, to pour out, mixed with wine, on the sacrifice as it lay on the altar, existed in the time of Christ, and before; but they rest rather upon tradition than upon any express law of Moses. The eighth day, which we regard as the proper Feast of In-gathering, was kept as a Sabbath (and sometimes must actually have been one) like the first of the tabernacle feasts. Notwithstanding its being a distinct festival, the sacrifices for it were less than those of any of the preceding seven days. See Jesus' great invitation to all who are thirsty to come and drink, this invitation given at the end of the feast of Booths - John 7-37-39 Commentary (See Excursus on the feast) Bramer on Booths (hassukot)—This specific feast is referred to in Leviticus only here. In the rest of the Pentateuch it is mentioned by name only in Deut 16:13, 16; 31:10. Its four other mentions in the OT occur in 2 Chr 8:13; Ezra 3:4, and Zech 14:16, 18. Zechariah describes this feast as being the required one for non-covenant nations to participate in during the coming Kingdom Age (Ed: Aka the "Millennium") to show their acknowledgment of the true God and the nation He delivered from Egypt. In the NT this feast is referred to only in John 7:2. It is also described, though not designated by the phrase gib' at yamim, in Ex 23:16b; Ex 34:22b (both times called the "Feast of Ingathering"); Nu 29:12-34. The function of this feast may be related in part to the fall ingathering of fruit as the references in Exodus seem to indicate. However, the other biblical passages seem merely to relate it to living in temporary shelters as the Israelites did during their wilderness wanderings. These tabernacles or booths were made of boughs and would remind God's people of all that He did in giving them both a permanent place to live and a land that produced bountifully. [sukka] (Bible Knowledge Key Word Study) Scofield: The Feast of Tabernacles, or Ingathering, Lev 23:34-44, is, like the Lord's Supper for the Church, both memorial and prophetic - memorial as to redemption out of Egypt (v. 43); prophetic as to the kingdom-rest of Israel after her regathering and restoration, when the feast again becomes memorial, not for Israel alone, but also for all nations (Ezra 3:4; Zech 14:16-21; cp. Rev 21:3). This festival, its name derived from the fact that during its observance the Israelites dwelt in booths or tabernacles (Lev 23:42-43), began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Tishri, and lasted for one week. QUESTION - What is the Feast of Tabernacles / Booths / Sukkot? ANSWER - The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths and Sukkot, is the seventh and last feast that the Lord commanded Israel to observe and one of the three feasts that Jews were to observe each year by going to “appear before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose” (Deuteronomy 16:16). The importance of the Feast of Tabernacles can be seen in how many places it is mentioned in Scripture. In the Bible we see many important events that took place at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. For one thing, it was at this time that Solomon’s Temple was dedicated to the Lord (1 Kings 8:2). It was at the Feast of Tabernacles that the Israelites, who had returned to rebuild the temple, gathered to celebrate under the leadership of Joshua and Zerubbabel (Ezra 3). Later, the Jews heard Ezra read the Word of God to them during the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8). Ezra’s preaching resulted in a great revival as the Israelites confessed and repented of their sins. It was also during this Feast that Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–39). The Feast of Tabernacles takes place on the 15th of the Hebrew month Tishri. This was the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar and usually occurs in late September to mid-October. The feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement and at the time the fall harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness. As one of the three feasts that all “native born” male Jews were commanded to participate in, the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned multiple times in Scripture, sometimes called the Feast of the Ingathering, the Feast to the Lord, or the Feast of Booths (Exodus 23:16; Deuteronomy 16:13). As one of the pilgrim feasts (when Jewish males were commanded to go to Jerusalem), it was also the time when they brought their tithes and offerings to the Temple (Deuteronomy 16:16). With the influx of people coming to Jerusalem at that time, we can only imagine what the scene must have been like. Thousands upon thousands of people coming together to remember and celebrate God’s deliverance and His provision, all living in temporary shelters or booths as part of the requirements of the feast. During the eight-day period, so many sacrifices were made that it required all twenty-four divisions of priests to be present to assist in the sacrificial duties. We find God’s instructions for celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23, given at a point in history right after God had delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. The feast was to be celebrated each year on “the fifteenth day of this seventh month” and was to run for seven days (Leviticus 23:34). Like all feasts, it begins with a “holy convocation” or Sabbath day when the Israelites were to stop working to set aside the day for worshiping God. On each day of the feast they were to offer an “offering made by fire to the Lord” and then after seven days of feasting, again the eighth day was to be “a holy convocation” when they were to cease from work and offer another sacrifice to God (Leviticus 23). Lasting eight days, the Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a Sabbath day of rest. During the eight days of the feast, the Israelites would dwell in booths or tabernacles that were made from the branches of trees (Leviticus 23:40–42). The Feast of Tabernacles, like all the feasts, was instituted by God as a way of reminding Israelites in every generation of their deliverance by God from Egypt. Of course, the feasts are also significant in that they foreshadow the work and actions of the coming Messiah. Much of Jesus’ public ministry took place in conjunction with the Holy Feasts set forth by God. The three pilgrim feasts where all Jewish males were commanded to “appear before the Lord in the place he chooses” are each very important in regards to the life of Christ and His work of redemption. We know with certainty that the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are symbolic of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. Likewise, we know that Pentecost, which marked the beginning of the Feast of Weeks, was the time of Jesus’ bodily ascension. And most scholars would agree that the Feast of Tabernacles is symbolic of Christ’s Second Coming when He will establish His earthly kingdom. There are also some who believe that it was likely during the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus was born. While we celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25, most scholars acknowledge that this tradition was begun in the fourth century AD by the Roman Catholic Church and that the exact day of Jesus’ birth is unknown. Some of the evidence that Jesus might have been born earlier in the year during the Feast of the Tabernacles includes the fact that it would be unlikely for shepherds to still be in the field with their sheep in December, which is in the middle of the winter, but it would have been likely they were in the fields tending sheep at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. The strong possibility that Jesus was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles is also seen in the words John wrote in John 1:14. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The word John chose to speak of Jesus “dwelling” among us is the word tabernacle, which simply means to “dwell in a tent.” Some believe it is very likely that John intentionally used this word to associate the first coming of Christ with the Feast of Tabernacles. Christ came in the flesh to dwell among us for a temporary time when He was born in the manger, and He is coming again to dwell among us as Lord of Lords. While it cannot be established with certainty that Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles, some believe there is a strong possibility the Feast of Tabernacles not only looks forward to His second coming but also reflects back on His first coming. The Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a special Sabbath day of rest. During the days of the feast all native Israelites were “to dwell in booths” to remind them that God delivered them out of the “land of Egypt” and to look forward to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would deliver His people from the bondage of sin. This feast, like all of the feasts of Israel, consistently reminded the Jews and should remind Christians as well that God has promised to deliver His people from the bondage of sin and deliver them from their enemies. Part of God’s deliverance for the Israelites was His provision and protection of them for the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, cut off from the Promised Land. The same holds true for Christians today. God protects us and provides for us as we go through life in the wilderness of this world. While our hearts long for the Promised Land (heaven) and to be in the presence of God, He preserves us in this world as we await the world to come and the redemption that will come when Jesus Christ returns again to “tabernacle” or dwell among us in bodily form. GotQuestions.org Leviticus 23:35 'On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. Lev 23:7,8,24,25 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Holy Convocation - 14x/14v - Lev. 23:3; Lev. 23:7; Lev. 23:8; Lev. 23:21; Lev. 23:24; Lev. 23:27; Lev. 23:35; Lev. 23:36; Num. 28:18; Num. 28:25; Num. 28:26; Num. 29:1; Num. 29:7; Num. 29:12 No laborious work - 9x/9v - Lev. 23:21; Lev. 23:35; Lev. 23:36; Num. 28:18; Num. 28:25; Num. 28:26; Num. 29:1; Num. 29:12; Num. 29:35 Leviticus 23:36 'For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work. Seven: Nu 29:12-38 eighth: 2Chr 7:8-11 Ne 8:18 John 7:37 assembly: Heb. day of restraint, Dt 16:8 Joel 1:14 Joel 2:15 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See related discussion of this feast in John 7 where Jesus stood up on the last day and cried out asking if any was thirsty? See John 7-37-39 Commentary (See Excursus on the feast) For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work - Bush on it is an assembly. - Heb. עצרת הוא atzereth hi, rendered in the margin a day of restraint. This is a new term, which does not occur previously in reference to any of the feasts here mentioned, and is of somewhat difficult interpretation. As the verbal root עצר âtzar signifies to shut up, to close, Theodoret renders it το τελος των εορτων conclusion of the feast. So also the Gr. of the LXX. has εξοδιον, outgoing, or close. The term is applied to the last or concluding day of the feast of unleavened bread, Deut. 16:8, and Josephus remarks, that the feast of Pentecost, which was kept at the end of seven computed weeks, was called ασαρθα, asartha, evidently from the Heb. original. This, therefore, as it was the last, so it was the great day of the feast, as it is termed by the Evangelist, John 7:37. From this it would seem that any great solemnity or assemblage is called by this name of עצרת atzereth, as 2 Kings 10:20, Joel 1:14; although Gesenius maintains that the noun derives the meaning of assemblage from that sense of the root which he renders to stay, restrain, constrain; which is equivalent to the explication of the Jewish doctors, who make it as implying restraint or detention, inasmuch as they were detained at Jerusalem one day longer than on any other, festival, none of which lasted more than seven days. It is one of the cases where the import of the original is unavoidably left doubtful. Holy Convocation - 14x/14v - Lev. 23:3; Lev. 23:7; Lev. 23:8; Lev. 23:21; Lev. 23:24; Lev. 23:27; Lev. 23:35; Lev. 23:36; Num. 28:18; Num. 28:25; Num. 28:26; Num. 29:1; Num. 29:7; Num. 29:12 No laborious work - 9x/9v - Lev. 23:21; Lev. 23:35; Lev. 23:36; Num. 28:18; Num. 28:25; Num. 28:26; Num. 29:1; Num. 29:12; Num. 29:35 Leviticus 23:37 'These are the appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the LORD--burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each day's matter on its own day-- feasts: Lev 23:2,4 Dt 16:16,17 each: Ec 3:1 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Appointed times (04150)see notes above on moed Our Refuge God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. —Psalm 46:1 Today's Scripture : Leviticus 23:37-43 Most homes are built to keep its inhabitants safe from ill effects of the weather, but not the dwellings built for Succoth. During this Jewish holiday, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, worshipers live in dwellings made of leaves and branches. One requirement is that the stars must be visible through the “roof.” Obviously, this dwelling provides little protection from inclement weather. And that’s the point. Living in this vulnerable shelter reminds the Jews of their dependency on God. During the days of the prophet Isaiah, the people bragged about a very different kind of dwelling place; they had made lies their refuge and falsehood their hiding place (Isa. 28:15). Because of the Israelites’ dependence on ungodly things, the Lord said to them through the prophet, “Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place” (v.17). Succoth calls us to examine our lives to make sure that our security rests not on lies but on God’s truth. The Feast of Tabernacles reminds us that all of life is sustained by God’s goodness. No storm can shake my inmost calm While to that refuge clinging; Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, How can I keep from singing? —Lowry God is a safe dwelling place in life's storms. Leviticus 23:38 besides those of the Sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts and besides all your votive and freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD. Sabbaths: Lev 23:3 Lev 19:3 Ge 2:2,3 Ex 20:8-11 besides: Nu 29:39 Dt 12:6 1Chr 29:3-8 2Chr 35:7,8 Ezra 2:68,69 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Leviticus 23:39 'On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day. when: Lev 23:34 Ex 23:16 Dt 16:13 on the first: Lev 23:24,36 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Bush on the fifteenth day, &c. - There is here no new injunction, but merely a reiteration and enforcement of what was said before. It is simply an amplification of the particulars of the feast of tabernacles. The particle ‘also’ therefore should be rendered ‘surely’ ‘truly,’ or something equivalent. Freeman - The Feast of Ingathering, more generally known as the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths), (Lev. 23:34,) was instituted to remind the people that their fathers dwelt in tents in the wilderness, (Lev. xxiii, 43 ;) and also to be an annual thanksgiving after all the products of the earth corn, fruit, wine, and oil were gathered for the year. Lev. 23:39. It was held in the seventh month, Tizri, or Ethanim, corresponding to our October, and lasted for eight days; during which time the people dwelt in booths made of the branches of palm, willow, and other trees. Lev. 23:39-43. On each day there were offered in sacrifice two rams, fourteen lambs, and a kid for a burnt-offering. During the continuance of the feast seventy bullocks were offered, thirteen on the first day, twelve on the second, eleven on the third, and so on, the number being diminished by one on each day until the seventh day. when only seven were offered. The eighth day was a day of peculiar solemnity, and had for its special offerings a bullock, a ram, and seven lambs for a burnt-offering, and a goat for a sin-offering. Nu 29:12-38. On the Sabbatical year, the Feast of Tabernacles was still further celebrated by a public reading of the law. Dt. 31:10-13. Whether this was intended to include the whole law, or only certain portions, and if so, what portions, is matter of dispute. Other ceremonies than these, originally instituted, were afterward added. See John 7:37. These festivals at the gathering of harvests were not peculiar to the He brews, but were in use among many Gentile nations. "The ancient sacrifices, assemblies, and conventions for sacrifices, were made at the gathering in of the fruits and productions of the earth, as the season of greatest lei sure and rest." ARISTOTLE, cited by MAIMONIDES, Reasons, etc., p. 257. (Manners and Customs 1875) Leviticus 23:40 'Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. foliage: Ne 8:15 Mt 21:8 palm trees: Ps 92:12 John 12:13 Rev 7:9 rejoice: Dt 16:14,15 Isa 35:10 66:10 John 16:22 Ro 5:11 Php 3:3 4:4 1Pe 1:8 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Deuteronomy 16:10“Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the LORD your God blesses you; 11 and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite who is in your town, and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name. 12 “You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes. Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees - Bush - "Heb. פרי עץ הדר, peri ëtz hâdâr, the fruit of the tree of goodliness, or honor; implying probably that branches were taken with the fruit as well as the leaves upon them, wherever such could be conveniently obtained. Otherwise common fruitless boughs were doubtless to be made use of. Their booths were a kind of arbors. Maimonides, the oracle of the Jews, following the Jerusalem Targum, contends that the citron or pome-citron, is the particular tree whose loughs were taken on this occasion; and so firm in this persuasion are even the modern Jews, that they fancy the feast cannot be duly celebrated without such branches. Numbers, therefore, of the German Jews send annually into Spain, to procure a quantity of branches with the citrons upon them; and when the feast is over they distribute them as a gift of great value to their friends." palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook - Bush - " These branches, as also the others mentioned in this connexion, the Sadducees understood to be for making their booths, but the Pharisees contend that they were to be carried in their hands; which is the practice of the modern Jews to this day. They tie together one branch of palm, three branches of myrtle, and one of willow. This they carry in their right hands, and in their left they have a branch of citron with its fruit, whenever they can procure it. With these they make a procession in their synagogues every day of the feast, that is, for seven days, around their reading desks, as their ancestors did around the walls of Jericho, in token of the expected downfall of their enemies. While making this procession, they sing ‘Hosannah,’ whence the feast itself is sometimes called by the Rabbins ‘the Hosannah;’ and sometimes the branches are called by the same name. On the last great day, which they call ‘Hosannah Rabbah,’ or ‘the great Hosannah,’ they make the procession seven times together, in memory of the siege of Jericho. The form of the Hosannah in their ritual, which they sing on this occasion, is remarkable:— For thy sake, O our Creator, Hosannah. For thy sake, O our Redeemer, Hosannah. For thy sake, O our Seeker, Hosannah. This would seem to be a virtual calling upon the blessed Trinity to save them and send them help. Another distinguishing ceremony on this occasion was the pouring out of water, the manner of which was as follows:—One of the priests, with a golden flagon, went to the pool of Siloam or Bethesda, where, filling it with water, he returned to the court of the priests by the gate on the south side of the court of Israel, thence called the Water Gate; and no sooner did he appear, than the silver trumpets sounded to announce his arrival. He continued to advance and went directly to the top of the altar, to the two basons that stood, the one with the wine for the ordinary drink-offering, the other for the water which he had brought; where, pouring the water into the empty bason, he mixed the wine and water together, and afterwards poured out both together by way of libation. There is nothing said about this part of the ceremonies in the law of Moses, but the Jews pretend to find authority for it in Is. 12:3, ‘With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.’ The conjecture of Patrick is far more probable, that it was in memory of the water which followed them during all the time of their sojourning in the wilderness. It is supposed that our Savior alludes to this custom, where it is said, John 7:37, 38, ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’ This was a season of so much rejoicing, that it passed into a common proverb, that ‘he that never saw the rejoicing of drawing water, never saw rejoicing in his life.’ and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Disciple's Study Bible - The Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles or Ingathering) was a time of high rejoicing. The expression "before the LORD'' is a reminder that we live in full knowledge of God's watchful eye. See Ge 19:27. Prayer expresses our joy and celebration in God's presence. rejoice before the LORD Lev. 23:40; Deut. 12:12; Deut. 12:18; Deut. 16:11; Deut. 27:7 Not A Killjoy Take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, . . . and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. —Leviticus 23:40 Today's Scripture : Leviticus 23:33-44 Contrary to what many believe, God is not a killjoy who frowns on His people having fun. The Old Testament Feast of Tabernacles is one evidence of this. The week-long festival came 5 days after the annual Day of Atonement, a day of fasting when Israelites expressed sorrow for their sins (Leviticus 23:26-32). The tabernacles were booth-like structures reminding Israel of the temporary dwellings they had in the wilderness. Also known as “The Feast of Ingathering” (Exodus 23:16), it pictured God’s blessing on their harvest, as well as the final rest and harvest planned for them in the future. Everyone who was able joined in a week of worship, rejoicing, and celebration (Deuteronomy 16:13-14). Imagine children greeting playmates they hadn’t seen for a year, feasts with plenty of food for all, bonfires under the starry sky, families feasting, and the nation celebrating forgiveness and freedom together. God takes delight when we rejoice In all that He has done; And when we see the love of Christ Our joy has just begun. —D. De Haan God wants to paint your life with joy. Rejoice Before The Lord! The common tradition in Christian worship is to worship God in a somber, solemn manner. Praise is solemn (“Do you not understand the Lord is to be feared?”). Prayer is solemn (“To approach God with quietness is to show God dignity!”) Communion is solemn (“Do you not realize this is about death—not victory!”) Preachers who make people laugh do not take God’s word seriously! From Christian worship one might get the impression that God always has been offended by any worship approach that was less than solemn. In Deuteronomy 16:9-12 Moses wrote worship instructions for the Feast of Weeks. It was to be celebrated seven weeks from the beginning of harvest. It was to be an occasion when they gave God freewill offerings of their harvest. It was one of the three assemblies of the year in which all the men of Israel were to gather in one place and worship God as a nation (Deuteronomy 16:16). Hopefully everyone (including males, females, and servants) could gather on this occasion. It was to be a happy occasion when everyone rejoiced before the Lord. They were to rejoice for two reasons: (1) God blessed them in harvest! (2) God delivered them from slavery! Why do we assume that any tribute to God must be a solemn occasion? From the origins of worship in Israel, God was not offended by the joy of His people. Instead, He was honored that His people found reason for joy in Him. God’s blessings call for celebration! Celebration calls for expressions of joy! Only the person who credits himself or herself for God’s blessings finds no reason to rejoice before the Lord. After the first baptisms into Christ, Jewish Christians were together daily expressing gladness and sincerity (or simplicity) of heart. To suggest that people who knew for generations how to “rejoice before the Lord,” who expressed gladness daily were solemn in all worship gatherings is quite a stretch! If ever there was a generation who had reason to rejoice before the Lord, they were it! They knew forgiveness as it had never been known before! They existed in the assurance of resurrection! That is the knowledge of joy! The hope of the gospel (good news) is NOT found in this statement: “Are you miserable as a sinner? Come to Christ and we will show how to live a life of greater misery!” Instead, it IS found in this understanding: “In Christ, your sin is a solved problem and your forgiveness is continuing (1 John 1:5-10)! In Christ, Your resurrection is certain! Rejoice in the Lord! Be happy, and express your joy to God! Are you in Christ? Do you find joy in that? Is it a joy the opposition of ungodliness cannot destroy? Have you expressed your happiness to God? If you are a Christian, let your joy be evident—even to God! (Snippets from David) Lehman Strauss - A Time to Rejoice This final feast was further a time of rejoicing before the Lord. "Ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days" (Leviticus 23:40). Don't miss the orderly progression here: first the Day of Atonement, then the Feast of Tabernacles. On the Day of Atonement, they expressed affliction of soul (23:27, 29, 32), a deep sorrow over their sins. Until their sins had been cleansed and forgiven, they could not rejoice. Sin always prevents joy; joy always follows cleansing and forgiveness. When David sinned, he lost his joy. Hear him as he pleads with God: "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (Psalm 51:12). He did not lose his salvation, but he did lose his joy. When we walk in unbroken fellowship with our Lord and keep our confessions up to date, the heart remains joyful. The Feast of Tabernacles was the most joyous of the annual Jewish feasts. Notice God's words to His people in the following passage: "Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice" (Deuteronomy 16:13-15). It was the Lord's intention that this final feast be a time of great rejoicing. "Thou shalt rejoice... thou shalt surely rejoice." How can we account for the extraordinary joy which accompanied the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles? What precipitated the joyful attitude of the Israelites when the toil and trials of this life were forgotten and their thoughts went back to the past? The answer to these questions is not far removed from us. By a careful review of the first four feasts, in their application to all believers in Christ, a joyous spirit should fill our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 5:16+ - Rejoice always (Leviticus 23:40 you shall rejoice before the LORD your God) This is a command to make this our lifestyle, our daily practice. Are you rejoicing as your read this note? What would happen if we began our day rejoicing in the Lord and to the Lord and again I will say, rejoice! (Php 4:4-note)? The other question of course is how is this even possible? Beloved, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE! At least not in dependence upon our own human strength, our rotten, fallen flesh. The last thing the fallen flesh will impel us to do is to rejoice -- To criticize? Yes. To complain? Yes. To withhold forgiveness? Yes. To hold a grudge? Yes. But to rejoice? No! But what is IM-possible is HIM-possible. The Holy One in us is continually energizing us, giving us the desire and the power to rejoice always (see Php 2:13NLT-note). Will you surrender your will this morning to the sweet will of the Spirit of Jesus in you? He, and He Alone, can enable supernatural rejoicing from a heart filled with/controlled by Him (note), by His Spirit. Believe it beloved. If necessary...Confess. Repent. Forget what lies behind. Walk forth rejoicing, because no matter the circumstances today, our tomorrow is as bright and certain and joy filled as the Scars on the eternal inscribed on the hands of our Redeemer Jesus Christ (cf Rev 5:6+; Rev 5:12+, Isa 49:16+). S Aldridge - There were three great festivals for the Israelites, the dates for which were plainly marked, and at which times it behooved the males of the nation as far as possible to be present at the sanctuary. It is the last of these we are about to consider. The regulations for its observance were enunciated in fullest detail. Were not the people thus reminded that they assisted in the celebration of the ceremonies of a royal court? The Christian Church has its festivals, prominent among which are its gatherings on the Lord's day, and the observance of the Lord's Supper. Much of what can be said with reference to the Israelitish feasts is applicable also to the latter. I. THIS WAS THE MOST JOYOUS OF THE FESTIVALS. "Ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God." 1. See God's delight in the happiness of his people. He loves to witness their rejoicing. Religion was never intended to be synonymous with gloom or moroseness. 2. This was the crowning festival of the year, and therefore ought to be its climax of joy. For the child of God better days are ever in store; he need never pine for the past to return; each festival shall surpass the preceding. Jesus keeps the best wine till the last; not so with the world's pleasures. 3. It took place five days after the solemn Day of Atonement, when the national sin was purged, and Israel's communion with its God re-established. To empress sin and obtain pardon is the fitting preparation for gladness of heart. No man who has not experienced the feeling of relief from the burden of guilt and the emotion caused by restoration to his heavenly Father's favour, knows the meaning of real joy. Compared with this the delights of sense and. intellect are flavourless. 4. Joy reaches its highest expression in the presence of God. "Rejoice before the Lord," even the holy righteous God who searches the heart and tries the reins. We may without pride know that we have done what was right, and that the Being of beings approves our conduct and graces the festival with the light of his countenance. There is none of the secret misgiving that attends sinful banquets, where the laugh is hollow and the gaiety forced, from a conviction that conscience is being silenced and moral law violated. Cf. the rejoicing of the people, and the terror of Adonijah and his guests (1 Kings 1:40, 49). David danced for glee before the Lord when the sacred ark was brought into the city of David. "Rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for thy king cometh unto thee." We would fain have the children glad when it is said, "Let us go unto the house of the Lord." II. THIS WAS A FESTIVAL OF GRATITUDE FOR RECENT BLESSINGS. 1. Another name for it was the Feast of Ingathering. All the produce of the ground had been garnered, the Lord had blessed them in all their increase - corn, oil, and wine; daily food and luxuries abounded; the booths were constructed of fruit trees and leafy palms. God's bounteous bestowment was acknowledged. Spiritual and temporal mercies had enriched the people and evoked manifestations of thanksgiving. So visibly dependent is man upon God for the germinating and maturing of the grain and fruit, that a harvest thanksgiving seems peculiarly appropriate, and again at the storing of the harvest, when the work for the year is practically ended, a festival is of evident fitness. The compassions of the Lord, "new every morning," furnish ample matter for devout meditation and praise. 2. This feature of the festival was a reason why all should share in it, not only the wealthy, high-born Israelites, but the strangers, the fatherless, the widow, and the poor (Deuteronomy 16:14). God allows his sun to shine and rain to descend upon all, and he expects those who receive his lavish gifts to invite others to participate in the enjoyment thereof. Anticipating our Lord's directions to summon to a feast the poor and maimed and blind, the Israelites were accustomed to "send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared." Selfish exclusion was thus prevented, and universal rejoicing made possible. 3. An offering to God from each was essential. "They shall not appear before the Lord empty; every man shall give as he is able" (Deuteronomy 16:17). Speech and sentiment without deeds are rightly deemed insincere. It is true of all converts from heathendom that when they give of their substance to God we may infer that they have first given him their hearts. The priests and Levites were in part supported by these national free-will presentations. If we esteem the Master, we shall treat his servants well for his sake. III. THIS WAS A COMMEMORATION OF FORMER BLESSINGS. During seven days the Israelites dwelt in booths made of green boughs to remind them of the days when they sojourned in the wilderness (verse 43). 1. Previous experience may well be remembered. If it pass into oblivion, its lessons have not been graven on the mind, and our state has not proved the discipline it was designed to be. Stand, O believer, upon the mount of present station, and survey the path with all its windings by which you have ascended to this lofty summit. Much a review will be profitable in the extreme, it will produce deepened humility and thankfulness. Keil says, "the recollection of privation and want can never be an occasion of joy." Surely he forgets the Latin Nine, "haec olim meminisse juvabit." Contrast ever heightens joy, a danger successfully surmounted is one of the most pleasing of memories. 2. The exhibition of God's protecting grace and love demands particular recollection. Not the might and resources of the Israelites, but the watchful, provident care of Jehovah, had led them safely through the desert. He had been to them "a booth for a shadow in the daytime from the beat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain" (Isaiah 4:6). The honour of God was concerned in having a permanent; memorial of Israel's stay in the wilderness, and this institution was adapted to preserve the continued confidence of the people in him and consequent freedom from boastful self-assertion. In many ways, "the joy of the Lord is our strength." 3. The deliverances wrought for our forefathers in olden days should excite gratitude to God in our breasts. Can we recall unmoved the triumphs of the early Christians, or the heroism which God's Spirit enabled martyred Protestants to evince? The wonders of our age become the heirlooms of the ages that follow. CONCLUSION. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ commemorated in the Lord's Supper was the Passover of the Church; the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost marked the era of the Church's Feast of Weeks; the Feast of Tabernacles yet waits its due counterpart, when the elect shall be gathered into the kingdom from every land, to celebrate the cessation of earthly toil, to exult in the complete removal of sinful stain, and to enter upon the undimmed, undying gladness of the eternal sabbath. Not one of God's people shall be missing through illness or distance of abode, and a retrospect of the pilgrimage of earth shall enhance the bliss of heaven. - S.R.A. Sidlow Baxter - There can be no rejoicing in the curse of the Law; but we may well rejoice at the altar which sets us free from the curse. That altar speaks of Calvary. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us" (Gal 3:13). As the Law testified to sin, so the sacrifices on that Mount Ebal altar testified to grace - to the provision of mercy, which lay within the Covenant, for the covering of guilt. Without this provision of grace Israel's position under the Law would obviously have been a mockery. When Israel later fouled the Covenant, she not only disobeyed the writing on Ebal's memorial pillars, she forsook the Lord's altar also, and offered to strange gods. Moreover, the approach to the Lord's own altar was often insincere or unintelligent, as the Lord Himself testifies against Israel through His prophets. Yet that altar spoke with comforting eloquence of grace to cover man's failure, if only faith and sincerity came thither. The peace-offerings and burnt-offerings speak of peace made for us with God, through Christ, and of God's perfect delight in the sacrifice of His Son, whereby we become fully accepted with Him. Oh, well may we "rejoice before the Lord our God" at that altar! The old dispensation pronounces curse, yet is made to point to the new dispensation in Christ, which administers blessing. Under the old-curse. Under the new-blessing. Thank God, the old has given place to the new! (Explore the Book) Free from the Law, oh, happy condition! Jesus hath bled, and there is remission! Cursed by the Law, and bruised by the Fall, Grace hath redeemed us, once for all! Leviticus 23:41 'You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Nu 29:12 Ne 8:18 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Perpetual statute - Exod. 27:21; Exod. 29:9; Exod. 30:21; Lev. 3:17; Lev. 10:9; Lev. 23:14; Lev. 23:21; Lev. 23:31; Lev. 23:41; Lev. 24:3; Num. 10:8; Num. 15:15; Num. 18:23; Num. 19:10; Num. 19:21 Leviticus 23:42 'You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, Ge 33:17 Nu 24:2,5 Ne 8:14-17 Jer 35:10 2Co 5:1 Heb 11:13-16 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Nehemiah 8:14-17 They found written in the law how the LORD had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month. 15So they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.” 16So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing. 'You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths - Bush - " Heb. בסכת תשבו besukkoth tëshebu, ye shall sit (abide) in booths. These were afterwards, in Jerusalem, constructed on the tops of their houses, in their court-yards, and in the streets. Neh. 8:16. They were made of the branches of various trees, as before remarked, v. 15, and the Hebrew canons affirm that they were not to be covered with any kind of cloth, or any thing that had not grown out of the earth, or with aught that was faded or withered, or that had an ill savor, or that was in any way unclean. Maimonides observes that this feast was fixed to that season when the people could dwell in booths with the least inconvenience, as the weather was then moderate, and they were not wont to be troubled either with heat or with rain." Norman Geisler - LEVITICUS 23:42–43—Did Israel dwell in booths or in tents? PROBLEM: Here the people of Israel are told to “dwell in booths.” But earlier in Exodus 16:16, it speaks of everyone being “in his tent.” SOLUTION: Since the people moved throughout the wilderness for 40 years, their homes were tents. However, the Leviticus passage does not speak of their homes in the wilderness, but about later instructions for celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) in Jerusalem. Since it was only for a week, they were instructed to make temporary booths in which to live while at the feasts. There was, after all, no Holiday Inn in Jerusalem at the time. (When Critics Ask) Leviticus 23:43 so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'" Ex 13:14 Dt 31:10-13 Ps 78:5,6 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Deuteronomy 31:10-13 Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, 11when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. 12“Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the LORD your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. 13“Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.” Leviticus 23:44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD. Lev 23:1,2 Lev 21:24 Mt 18:20 Leviticus 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries APPOINTED TIMES DECLARED BY MOSES So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD. Appointed times (04150)see notes above on moed C H McIntosh - The feasts of the Lord. This was their true character, their original title; but in the Gospel of John, they are called “feasts of the Jews.” They had long ceased to be Jehovah’s feasts. He was shut out. They did not want Him; and hence, in John 7., when Jesus was asked to go up to “the Jews’ feast of tabernacles” He answered, “My time is not yet come”; and when He did go up it was “privately,” to take His place outside of the whole thing, and to call upon every thirsty soul to come unto Him and” drink. There is a solemn lesson in this. Divine institutions are speedily marred in the hands of man; but, oh! how deeply blessed to know that the thirsty soul that feels the barrenness and drought connected with a scene of empty religious formality, has only to flee to Jesus and drink freely of His exhaustless springs, and so become a channel of blessing to others.