“Atonement is my favorite Holy Day!” I was surprised when my friend spoke these words. Then again, I probably should not have been so surprised, had I been focused on the right reason for keeping this day. “It’s the Holy Day on which I feel closer to God than ever,” she explained.

Sandwiched (yes, a food reference, I know) between the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles, Atonement may seem to come and go quickly as travel preparations are underway. But it’s a Holy Day that deserves more of our attention, and not the kind that involves counting down the hours to sunset. There is so much packed into this day, and there are several interesting aspects of what it means for our lives that it would be good to consider.

It’s possible to starve with a full stomach.

We live in an age when it’s quicker and easier to access food than ever before—more efficient ways to grow crops, faster methods of shipping, and technology to preserve food for longer periods of time. This is not to turn a blind eye to the many parts of the world that still suffer from food shortages and starvation or the shocking quantities of food that are routinely wasted in nations that have food to spare. But it is to say that the possibilities are much greater than they have been for much of history. In another, quite crucial way, however, the world is starving, perhaps more than ever.

The world is missing the important nourishment of spiritual food. The hunger pangs are definitely present—the hurt shows up in problems such as hopelessness, hatred and fear to name just a few examples. The Bible describes creation as groaning under the bondage of corruption, along with the firstfruits who eagerly wait for their change to spirit beings (Romans 8:20-23). The world is absolutely starving, and without ever experiencing a full spiritual meal, they have no idea that the pain and heartache that comes from living apart from God’s way is not supposed to be the norm. 

We have been blessed to have access to spiritual food, which can give us a peace that has not yet been revealed to the world as a whole. But is it possible that we have sometimes learned to tune out the hunger pangs in our own lives? Do we ever walk through life consumed with worry, anger or feeling a lack of purpose? These could be the hunger pangs of skipping time with God and His Word.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). The Psalms record a similar promise: The Lord “satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (107:9).

How? God provides the hungry with bread! “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’” (John 6:35).

Going without food and water for the day of Atonement isn’t just about showing us how much we need God to provide our physical needs. It’s not just about clearing our schedule, so we have more time to study God’s word, rather than preparing meals. It’s an object lesson so we understand how spiritual hunger works. If we go too long without food and water, we’ll die of starvation. The same can happen spiritually. We miss something important if we step away from Atonement saying, “that was a really nice day of getting closer to God . . . now, let’s get back to the regular busy schedule!” What we can see is, if missing even one day of physical food is so exhausting and even painful, how much worse is missing even one day of spiritual nourishment?

To return to my opening example, my friend, who mentioned that Atonement brought her closer to God had a good point—but one that should be paired with the reminder that this closeness is something we should seek to cultivate every day. Even if we don’t physically have as many hours available, we should keep that line of connection to God open continually.

Two of Christ’s roles are represented in the ceremony.

Leviticus 16 describes a process in which two goats are selected, one of which is sacrificed. Its blood is sprinkled inside the Holy of Holies, foreshadowing what Christ’s sacrifice does for us. Although God instructed His people to sacrifice a goat (and a bull) each year on the Day of Atonement, they could not take away the people’s sins as Christ’s sacrifice does. “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). However, the animal offering performed in the Old Testament on the Day of Atonement was important because it points to the need for an ultimate sacrifice made by Christ.

However, there is more than one element in this Holy Day that portrays Christ’s role in our reconciliation to God. Not only is Christ the sacrifice for our sins, but He also plays an active role as our High Priest!

“We have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God . . . we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Christ is central to the Day of Atonement, both as the sacrifice for our sins that makes possible our reconciliation and as the High Priest who takes our cause before God, pouring out His blood to pay the price so that we can be spared the death penalty (Romans 5:8, 6:23) and reconciled to God.

It's a day for forgiving each other too.

Fasting is, as we have read, about reconciliation with God, but if that is our only focus, we have missed something truly important. That is, in order to be properly reconciled with God, we must be able to forgive others, following His example. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Christ explained, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Yes, we might remember negative events that have transpired in our lives—and often need to, to learn how to avoid similar situations—but we can’t walk around carrying the weight of hatred or anger towards someone else, as it will hamper our ability to receive God’s forgiveness and worship Him properly.

Christ gave an example of how we should address situations before we come together in worship to God. “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

It needs to be noted that this scripture is not instructing us to put ourselves into dangerous situations just to find closure. In situations like these, forgiveness looks more like a choice to set aside any anger and bitterness and not to seek retaliation, but rather to put that person and situation in God’s hands to recompense if, how and when He sees fit (Romans 12:19-21).

While the Day of Atonement pictures a time when Satan will be put in the bottomless pit, this binding of evil is contrasted with a loosing of the bonds sin and Satan’s rulership brought about. “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6).

After Atonement

When Atonement concludes and you eat your first meal in 24 hours, I hope you are still hungry—for spiritual food. It’s this daily hunger that will bring us back to our Bibles the same way we’ll eventually reach for the refrigerator door, pressed by our appetites.

When Atonement concludes, remember that Christ is the sacrifice for our sins that makes reconciliation possible—but also remember that He is continually active as our High Priest who understands us. So, if you make mistakes over the next year, don’t wait till a big, momentous Holy Day like Atonement to draw close to God—the time to pray is now!

And finally, as we step from the Day of Atonement into the Feast of Tabernacles, we will be able to rejoice more fully if our hearts are not weighed down by the ways others may or may not have wronged us. 

I pray that you will have a blessed and meaningful Day of Atonement!