In the last two blogs, the Day of Atonement’s unique sin offering traced a storyline ritually acted out by two goats, one for YHWH and one for Azazel. The third actor, the high priest, completed the cast. He became the stage, the offerer, and the offering. In this blog, His performance is scrutinized to search for a fuller understanding of the miracle of atonement, uncovering another thread of the story told by the footsteps of the high priest and his dress.

On the Day of Atonements, the high priest began the day dressed in his elaborate, multi-colored vestments, elsewhere in the Scriptures called “clothed with righteousness” (Psa. 132:9), “clothed with salvation” (Psa. 132:16), or “holy garments” (Exo. 28:2). While Aaron’s sons wore only white linen tunics, trousers, turbans, and sashes, Aaron’s sacred garments were for glory and beauty, representing God’s manifold wisdom of restoring creation with the absence of death.

“And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban [with the holy golden plate on its front (Lev. 8:7)], and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest. Exo. 28:1-4 NKJV

The high priest’s rich clothing matched the tabernacle’s colors, making him a living temple filled with the glory and spirit of God. Yeshua claimed to be this new temple, and His followers, baptized with the Spirit, become temples of God’s glory, mini Edens, showing forth His light and healing.

But more instructive of the priestly identity were Aaron’s garments and anointing. The color and structure of his garments, revealed by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai, corresponded closely to many elements in the likewise-revealed tabernacle design (Exo. 28). Further, Aaron’s anointing with oil (Exo. 40:13), which symbolized the anointing of God’s Spirit, paralleled the infilling of the tabernacle with the glory-Spirit of God (Exo. 40:34). Thus understood, Aaron is seen to be a mini tabernacle, a shorthand version of God’s dwelling place among his people (Poythress).¹

After the morning sacrifice, the high priest divested his beauty-of-holiness robes, bathed, and wore only white linen clothes: a tunic, trousers, a turban, and a sash. After sacrificing a bull as a purification offering for himself and his household, he collected its blood in a basin. Then, taking two identical goats from the congregation of Israel, the high priest presented them before YHWH at the entrance to the tabernacle and cast lots for the “goat for YHWH” and the “goat for Azazel.” After the two goats were marked, he took an incense censor filled with coals from the burnt offering altar, and with his two hands full of incense, he entered the Holy of Holies and put the incense on the coals before YHWH so that a cloud of incense covered the kapporet (Ark lid) lest he die. Aaron left the tabernacle and returned with the basin of bull’s blood, entered the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled it on the east side of the Ark lid and before it seven times. Aaron left the sanctuary once again, killed the goat of the sin offering for the people, collected its blood, brought it inside the Holy of Holies, and repeated the sprinkling rite on the east and front of the kapporet as before. While leaving the tabernacle eastward, he sprinkled the tent of meeting, curtains, and the incense altar with the goat’s blood. When he had exited the tabernacle, he mixed the bull’s blood with the goat’s blood, wiped it on the four horns of the burnt offering altar, and sprinkled it seven times. Thus, the holy of Holies, the holy place, and the brazen altar were purged and reconsecrated by sprinkling blood seven times. Then, facing the congregation, Aaron took the live goat eastward for Azazel and confessed all Israel’s transgressions, sins, and guilt, pressing them upon the goat’s head with both hands. A man standing in readiness led the live goat into a place not inhabited, down the steep ravines of the Kidron Valley, never to return with Israel’s sins. This act completed the Day of Atonement’s purification rite for the high priest, his sons, the tabernacle, and the people of Israel.

While the high priest went into the tabernacle of meeting to change out of his linen garments, bathe, and dress in his royal robes again, the sacrificed bull and goat carcasses of the purification offerings were carried via the miphkad bridge to the Mount of Olives outside the camp and burned in a clean place. When the man who led the live goat away returned, he also bathed before entering the camp of Israel. And the man who burnt the sin offerings bathed before he returned to the camp (Lev. 16:26-28). Then Aaron offered a ram for himself and a ram from the people as ascension offerings with the fat of the sin offerings on the altar before YHWH, showing that the transforming fires of sanctification follow purification. In this way, the holy God restored Israel to meet with and rule with Him. The day closed with the daily evening ascension offering.

Israel’s Day of Atonement’s site and events foreshadowed the New Testament High Priest. Yeshua was the offerer and the two-goat sin offering for His people. He made atonement by His blood, cleansed the new temple, appeasing God’s wrath against our uncleanness and satisfying His justice. He established the altars of incense and burnt offerings with His blood, interceding for us. To complete our purification, He bore away our sins to the place of death, ransoming us from death. And finally, the High Priest put on His robes of glory, beauty, and holiness, displaying His sure victory. With the light of His face, Yeshua continues to dwell in His people because “their sins and their iniquities, I remember no more” (Heb. 10:17). Isaiah 61:10 Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice concludes that we receive the blessing to dwell and fellowship with Him,

I will greatly rejoice in YHWH,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

Takeaway:
God dwelling with us pictures Israel’s tabernacle, a place where humans living outside of Eden and touched by the things that cause death can be made clean and holy. The high priest’s clothing shows the living tabernacle, Yeshua, humbly becoming the human atoning sacrifice that by His blood we are made clean and can, in holiness, enter the blessing of YHWH’s Presence. He carried away our sins to His death and, most importantly, returned as our resurrected High Priest to make intercessions for us daily, guiding us in the path of life. He tabernacled with us so that we become temples of Him.

Fun Factors:
Isaiah 61:10 has 77 letters in 19 words, totaling 4969, the 665^th prime (5 x 7 x 19) and the 327^th Pythagorean prime (3 x 109); 60² + 37², the power of God’s name to bring humanity full circle back to worshiping only Him.