What is the meaning of Leviticus 23:28? On this day • Leviticus 23:28 fixes the Day of Atonement to a single, calendar-specific “tenth day of the seventh month” (Leviticus 16:29). • God Himself marks the day; Israel doesn’t pick it. That underscores divine initiative, echoing “Today, if you hear His voice” (Psalm 95:7). • Numbers 29:7 restates the timing, showing consistency throughout Torah. you are not to do any work • The command is absolute—no work of any kind. It mirrors the Sabbath rest (Exodus 20:10), yet it stands apart as a unique holy convocation. • By ceasing activity, the people acknowledge that forgiveness is God’s work, not human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9). • Leviticus 16:31 calls it “a Sabbath of complete rest,” reinforcing the total reliance on God’s provision. for it is the Day of Atonement • This day climaxes the entire Levitical sacrificial system (Leviticus 16). • Hebrews 9:7-12 identifies the Day of Atonement as the earthly shadow of Christ’s once-for-all offering. • Its annual repetition highlighted the need for a perfect, final atonement (Hebrews 10:1-4). when atonement is made for you • “Atonement” points to substitutionary sacrifice: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood… it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Leviticus 17:11). • The high priest carried the blood behind the veil, symbolically covering sin (Leviticus 16:15-16). • Isaiah 53:5 foretells the Servant who would be “pierced for our transgressions,” fulfilling the type. • Romans 5:11 affirms believers now “boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” before the LORD your God • Atonement happens “before” God—in His very presence (Leviticus 16:2). The location stresses that sin is primarily an offense against Him (Psalm 51:4). • Exodus 25:22 pictures God meeting with His people above the mercy seat—exactly where the blood was sprinkled. • Through Christ we now “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16), yet still on His terms of holiness. summary Leviticus 23:28 commands a sacred, work-free day because God Himself appoints an atoning act that humanity cannot perform. The verse safeguards the truth that forgiveness flows solely from God’s initiative, through a divinely provided sacrifice, administered in His presence. The Day of Atonement foreshadows the perfect, final atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ, inviting us to rest from self-effort and trust wholly in His completed work. |
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