The first occurrence of “atonement” in the biblical text defines that which consecrates and sanctifies Aaron and his sons into the priesthood service of the Tabernacle. The sacrificial ritual tells a story. After offering a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering, Moses took the blood of a peace offering ram and anointed Aaron and his sons on their right ears, thumbs, and…

Most Biblical topics have their roots in Genesis 1-3. In the first chapter, the Spirit of God moves, creating order out of chaos and sacred space in a garden on a mountain, the Garden of Eden. After separating, setting in order, and filling the spaces with life, God resided on His throne of victory with the humans in the Garden on the seventh day. Heaven and earth were…

The five books of the Pentateuch have a core of three scrolls knit closely together at their seams by terminology and themes. While Genesis and Deuteronomy form bookends with matching final poetry and exhortations, the center document is the Levitical Book of Holiness embraced by Exodus and Numbers on either side. Exodus and Numbers mirror each other in…

In Blog 2, I showed that the creation week (Genesis 1-2:3) bore time signatures on day 1, day 4, and day 7. On creation days 2 and 3, God created inhabitable spaces supporting life, reversing tohu. God filled the spaces with life on creation days 5 and 6, reversing bohu. Situated at the center, day four’s lamps in the raqia divided the day from…

The Bible narrates the story of humanity’s genesis as God’s images, how we failed to trust our Creator, and our subsequent exile from His life-giving Presence. Our history shows violence pervading our societies, for without God, we lose our identity and purpose, severed from the Source of life. Our failing to serve creation in God’s image is…

Leviticus 16 is centered as the nineteenth in the Book of Leviticus’s thirty-seven divine speeches. A central position emphasizes the core or essential element that drives the plot forward, resolving the conflict’s trajectory to the desired outcome. The Levitical theme defines how a majestically holy God came to dwell among morally bankrupt and…

The offerings on Yom Kippur may be grouped into three categories. First, the morning and evening daily sacrifices represented Israel’s posture of a continual fiery ascension offering (including its grain and drink offering), the constant trust of one’s entire life to YHWH to transform into a new creation. Specific to the festival, offerings for the high priest, the priesthood, and…

The second half of the two-goat sin offering executed on Yom Kippur involved the goat for Azazel. While the priest carried the life of the goat for YHWH into the Holy of Holies, purifying YHWH’s throne and His dwelling place from Israel’s uncleanness, a strong man led the live goat for Azazel, burdened with Israel’s sins, into the wilderness, the dwelling place of…

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…