What role does the altar play in the Day of Atonement rituals? The Altar’s Location and Moment in the Ritual • After entering the Most Holy Place and the Holy Place with the atoning blood, the high priest “shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it” (Leviticus 16:18). • The verse speaks of the altar “before the LORD,” understood as the golden altar of incense standing just outside the veil (cf. Exodus 30:6). • The sequence shows the altar as the last interior object to receive cleansing, wrapping up the entire sanctuary’s purification. Why the Altar Needs Atonement • Constant exposure to sin-bearing sacrifices defiled it symbolically (Leviticus 4:7; 6:30). • God’s holiness demands that everything in His dwelling place be spotless (Exodus 29:36-37). • By covering the altar with the same blood that satisfied God in the Most Holy Place, the priest proclaims that every barrier between God and His people is removed. Blood Applied: What the High Priest Actually Does 1. Takes “some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood.” – Bull: atonement for the priesthood (Leviticus 16:6). – Goat: atonement for the people (Leviticus 16:15). 2. Smears it “on all the horns of the altar” (Leviticus 16:18). – Horns represent power and outreach; the blood consecrates every direction. 3. “He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, to cleanse it and to consecrate it” (Leviticus 16:19). – Seven = completeness, claiming total purification. What the Altar’s Cleansing Accomplishes • Re-consecration: the altar is set apart anew for another year of sacrifices. • Corporate unity: one site now stands accepted for priest and people alike, since both bloods are mingled. • Ongoing access: future offerings will be accepted because the altar itself has been declared clean. Echoes in the Rest of Scripture • Exodus 29:37 — first altar consecration: “the altar will be most holy.” • Hebrews 9:21 — “He sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels used in worship.” • Hebrews 13:10-12 — believers “have an altar,” fulfilled in Christ whose blood sanctifies the place of approach. Christ, the Greater Fulfillment • The cross stands as the ultimate meeting place of God’s wrath and mercy—an altar outside Jerusalem where the once-for-all blood was shed (Hebrews 9:12; 13:12). • Just as the golden altar required cleansing despite being inside the sanctuary, the cross—despised by men—becomes holy through the blood of the spotless Lamb (1 Peter 1:19). • Because His blood has purified every “vessel of ministry,” our worship now rises like incense, acceptable and unceasing (Hebrews 10:19-22; Revelation 8:3-4). Key Takeaways to Remember • The altar is not merely a piece of furniture; it embodies the continual access point between a holy God and a forgiven people. • Atonement reaches the altar last, signaling that the entire house of God—high heaven to earthly courtyard—is cleansed. • In Jesus, the cleansing is finished forever, inviting confident, constant approach for all who trust in His shed blood. |
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