Sins Against God
Thursday, October 9th, 2008Today is Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. It is traditionally observed among Jews and Messianics as the Holiest Day of the Year. It is not, like much of Biblical tradition, fully comprehended by explanation, so I will not attempt to explain. The event must be experienced in context.
This holy convocation (assembly of the people before God) is called for in Numbers 29:7. During the service in modern times, those assembled collectively confess sins, not against one another, but rather sins committed against the God who has defined sin.
It is this appointment with God that also provides the meaning for the redemptive Passion of the Christ – the ultimate Atonement for God’s people. Pay attention to these Scriptures: Leviticus 16, verses 7-10 and Hebrews 13, verses 11-12.
This time of repentance is actually a culmination of a forty-day period. Although individuals have been directed to reconcile, think again in terms of society. Jesus has paid the supreme sacrifice for each of us, but there is a passage that states
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
The Book of the Bible to study today is Jonah. Read it and then return with comments about how it relates to our current times and the troubles in our land.