Yom Kippur is just a few days away. Yom Kippur, a day of fasting. Why? It doesn’t say to fast on this appointed time…. this Moed…. which is one of the High Holy days of Scripture. What it says is: ‘you shall afflict your soul.’ 27 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your soul….”
What does that mean? One way to interpret that passage is that we must "deny ourselves" as we seek to focus on God. Fasting is the most readily available means of denying ourselves. Other ways…. of Fasting: from work, from TV, from the internet, from the telephone, from playing with legos. There are many ways to ‘afflict your soul’ on the day of Yom Kippur. Once again….. take the focus off of you and put it on the God who, by grace and faith saved you…. is what we should be about.
Plan to spend this holy, separate, different-from-any-other-day, focusing on the One who saved you. It is Your day at His table; Your day in His Court Room. It’s a day to celebrate your relationship with Yeshua. It is not punishment!!
This day…. is one that the LORD has made; we should rejoice and be glad in it. This one day is when the chief Priest took off his colorful clothing, made of wool, and dressed only in white linen. He bathed ... after each offering.... and each time dressed in clean linen. Linen, elsewhere, represents the righteous acts of the saints.
The priest took blood from a bull, for himself and his family, and then blood from a ram for the entire nation and brought the blood into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle upon the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. This is the only time the Priest could enter that space…once a year…. on Yom Kippur. The blood of bulls and goats is no longer necessary!
No longer is there a curtain between the altar-of-incense (your prayers) and the mercy seat. The veil has been rent and the way of mercy is obtainable and available to one and all. While it is good to deny our ‘fleshly-selves’ on this Day of Atonement, we also can celebrate and honor the day that the blood of Yeshua has atoned for our sin and we have obtained His Mercy and Grace in our lives. In fact, we can celebrate that we have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb and daily we can plead the blood of Yeshua over our lives.
So, give some thought about how you will spend this special day with the LORD. It is your time to spend. How will you spend it?
Read Psalm 112-114
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+111&version=TLB
112 Praise the Lord! For all who fear God and trust in him are blessed beyond expression. Yes, happy is the man who delights in doing his commands. 2 His children shall be honored everywhere, for good men’s sons have a special heritage. 3 He himself shall be wealthy, and his good deeds will never be forgotten. 4 When darkness overtakes him, light will come bursting in. He is kind and merciful— 5 and all goes well for the generous man who conducts his business fairly.
6 Such a man will not be overthrown by evil circumstances. God’s constant care of him will make a deep impression on all who see it. 7 He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him. 8 That is why he is not afraid but can calmly face his foes. 9 He gives generously to those in need. His deeds will never be forgotten.[a] He shall have influence and honor.
10 Evil-minded men will be infuriated when they see all this; they will gnash their teeth in anger and slink away, their hopes thwarted.
What does that mean? One way to interpret that passage is that we must "deny ourselves" as we seek to focus on God. Fasting is the most readily available means of denying ourselves. Other ways…. of Fasting: from work, from TV, from the internet, from the telephone, from playing with legos. There are many ways to ‘afflict your soul’ on the day of Yom Kippur. Once again….. take the focus off of you and put it on the God who, by grace and faith saved you…. is what we should be about.
Plan to spend this holy, separate, different-from-any-other-day, focusing on the One who saved you. It is Your day at His table; Your day in His Court Room. It’s a day to celebrate your relationship with Yeshua. It is not punishment!!
This day…. is one that the LORD has made; we should rejoice and be glad in it. This one day is when the chief Priest took off his colorful clothing, made of wool, and dressed only in white linen. He bathed ... after each offering.... and each time dressed in clean linen. Linen, elsewhere, represents the righteous acts of the saints.
The priest took blood from a bull, for himself and his family, and then blood from a ram for the entire nation and brought the blood into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle upon the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. This is the only time the Priest could enter that space…once a year…. on Yom Kippur. The blood of bulls and goats is no longer necessary!
No longer is there a curtain between the altar-of-incense (your prayers) and the mercy seat. The veil has been rent and the way of mercy is obtainable and available to one and all. While it is good to deny our ‘fleshly-selves’ on this Day of Atonement, we also can celebrate and honor the day that the blood of Yeshua has atoned for our sin and we have obtained His Mercy and Grace in our lives. In fact, we can celebrate that we have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb and daily we can plead the blood of Yeshua over our lives.
So, give some thought about how you will spend this special day with the LORD. It is your time to spend. How will you spend it?
Read Psalm 112-114
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+111&version=TLB
112 Praise the Lord! For all who fear God and trust in him are blessed beyond expression. Yes, happy is the man who delights in doing his commands. 2 His children shall be honored everywhere, for good men’s sons have a special heritage. 3 He himself shall be wealthy, and his good deeds will never be forgotten. 4 When darkness overtakes him, light will come bursting in. He is kind and merciful— 5 and all goes well for the generous man who conducts his business fairly.
6 Such a man will not be overthrown by evil circumstances. God’s constant care of him will make a deep impression on all who see it. 7 He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him. 8 That is why he is not afraid but can calmly face his foes. 9 He gives generously to those in need. His deeds will never be forgotten.[a] He shall have influence and honor.
10 Evil-minded men will be infuriated when they see all this; they will gnash their teeth in anger and slink away, their hopes thwarted.