45 - The Day of Atonement

Sometimes God’s grace may seem too good to be true. Our ears hear sermons and songs about His forgiveness, but doubts still linger in the back of our mind. Is that really the way God is or are people merely telling me what they hope is true? Maybe these promises of mercy have been taken out of context and really don’t mean what we think they mean. After all, it’s hard to believe anyone could forgive and forget things as awful as the ones I’ve done. So, as we look at the events which took place on the Day of Atonement those doubts should be answered once and for all. Using very powerful symbols God declared He would accept a substitute’s death, rather than punish those who repent and trust Him to forgive. That day declared that their  sins would be “ransomed” and “carried away.” And when we turn to the New Testament we see that Jesus Christ was the One to whom those prophetic symbols pointed. The blood of bulls and goats was never intended to pay the debt humans owe to God (Heb 10:4). They were meant only as symbols reminding Israel that a day was coming when Someone would die for them, and also giving them the opportunity to hear and believe afresh. They became a focal point for Israel’s faith… just as the bread and cup do for us today.