Mercy

For most of the world, and sadly for most of the Church, today is like any other day. It is a typical Monday morning, except of course for the pandemic, the fires, the hurricanes, the political enmity and turmoil, desperate outcries against racism and injustice, and the huge increase in violence and murder. However, today is not like every other day to God. This is a very solemn day to God. It is a day of life and death, and the provision of mercy. It is a day when He looks at His Throne of Judgement, and sees the blood of His Son poured out upon it, crying out to Him. In His Word, He makes clear that this should be a most solemn day for us as well. Today is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Today is not a day for "normal" activities. It is a day when some will be cut off, and some will live. For many in the Church, Yom Kippur is "Old Testament". Now that we have Christ, they think, we are saved, and the issue is moot for us. They argue that it is understood that Christ is our Atonement, and we have already been covered in that blood. However, the Book of Hebrews makes very clear that the Day of Atonement, while fulfilled by Christ, is a Day in which all of the people of God, especially the believers in Christ, should actively participate. It even says within the context of the whole explanation of the Day of Atonement of previous chapters: "...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace." (Heb. 10:25-29). These words of the Book of Hebrews were written to the Church, the sanctified believers, the partakers of the covenant sealed by the blood of Christ. The writer of Hebrews is saying that to ignore this Day is like trampling the blood of Christ underfoot, and thereby becoming an adversary of God. It is like treating the atoning blood as a common, everday, business as usual thing to which we are automatically entitled. The Day of Atonement is very much a solemn Day that applies to those who, having been saved by the grace of God through Christ, may partake in by faith the opportunity presented by this Day to avail ourselves of the atoning blood that covers our continuing sins. The provision has been made. Why would we ignore it? Why would we despise it? "Kippur" is from the Hebrew word kaphar, which means atonement, reconciliation, merciful, cleansed, forgive, pardon, purge (away), to cover, cover over, to overspread, pacify, propitiate. On the occasion of this feast, the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies with the sacrifical blood of animals, and poured it upon the Mercy Seat which covered the Ark. Not only has Christ fulfilled this feast by entering into the Holy of Holies in heaven as our High Priest, according to the Book of Hebrews, but He covered the Mercy Seat, not with the blood of animals for a temporary relief, but with His own blood, providing an everlasting covering. Though we who are in Christ are saved, there is no doubt that we all continue to sin. This is the place to which we can go to have our continuing sins covered and purged away. We approach the Mercy Seat of the atoning blood of Christ by faith, in the promise of God in this Day, which He has set apart, a Day in which He has provided an appointed time and place for us to partake of His provision of mercy. It is a provision that was appointed for us before the foundations of the world, when the Lamb was slain. This Day is associated with the Lamb's Book of Life. The Father told His people in the Book of Leviticus that he who does not avail himself appropriately of the atonement provision of this day, with an attitude worthy of the Day, shall be cut off from his people (Lev. 23:26-32). The Book of Hebrews says that this Day is still part of the commandments of God. The provision is there for us. The word of God clearly tells us the importance of this Day to Him for our sakes. It is a Day that proclaims life or death. The blood of the Lamb is crying out to His Father on our behalf from God's Mercy Seat, which is the Throne of the presence of God. That blood is crying out, "Atonement! Reconciliation! Mercy! Cleansing! Covering! Propitiation!" Why would we want to ignore that blood or this Day? Our Father has proclaimed the Day of Atonement for His people. "May you be written in the Lamb's Book of Life!"