Unparalleled Access
By Benjamin Siens
The Day of Atonement was the pinnacle of the Jewish Levitical system; it was a day unparalleled in ritual spectacle and ceremony. It is the apex of the book of Leviticus, the peak to which the entire book points. But beyond being the literary climax of the book of Leviticus, it was also the spiritual climax. Why? It was the one and only day each year that a singular human being had access to the very presence of God himself.
Leviticus 16:6-10 give a very succinct (thankfully) and helpful outline of the day’s events. This was a complex affair with many moving parts outlined in the rest of the chapter.
I. First, Aaron, the high priest, would offer a bull as a sin offering for the sins of himself and those of his family (Leviticus 16:6).
II. Second, he would take two goats and would cast lots to determine which would be offered as a sin offering and which would be the scapegoat (Leviticus 16:7-8).
A. The goat determined for a sin offering would be offered for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:9).
B. The goat determined to be the scapegoat would bear the sins of the people away into the wilderness, making reconciliation with God possible (Leviticus 16:10).
As has already been mentioned, this is a very succinct outline that leaves out all of the ritual details. The Day of Atonement was a day filled with blood, fire, smoke, incense, sacrifice, and spectacle. The whole day culminated in the high priest laying his hands on a goat and symbolically transferring the sins of the people onto the goat as he confessed them; the goat was subsequently led far into the wilderness where it would presumably die, never to return. All of this was to the end that the people of Israel might be reconciled and have access to God, but even so, this access was only available indirectly through the high priest and only once a year.
This was a woefully insufficient system, and thankfully, this all pointed to a better way. The author of Hebrews, after himself summarizing the Day of Atonement, wrote a wonderful “but” in Hebrews 9:11. “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:11-12). Christ came, not as a product of fallen creation but from outside of it. Christ entered the presence of God as our high priest, not by the blood of bulls and goats but by his own blood. And this he did once and for all, not annually in perpetuity. Christ obtained for us an eternal redemption by which we have unlimited access to God himself through our perfect mediator, Jesus Christ! What an unbelievable privilege: unlimited, unhindered access to God!
“How might any one of our lives look different if we actually recognized what we have access to and approached the throne of God with reckless abandon?”
The question now becomes, are we taking advantage of it, or are we taking it for granted? Do we look more like the Christians we are, those who have unparalleled access to God, or do we look more like ancient Jews, those who basically had no access except very indirectly and only once a year? The breathtaking reality of our unparalleled access is what prompted the author of Hebrews to write, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
When we actually stop and consider what we have access to, it’s incredible. If an ancient Jew wanted to receive forgiveness and grace from God, he had to go through all of this rigamarole and a high priest, and he could only do so once a year. We Christians, on the other hand, have direct access to God to ask him for forgiveness and grace to help us through life. No Christian has to go through life bearing guilt and shame; we can boldly approach him without fear of judgment and ask for forgiveness. We can maintain and cultivate a close relationship with our Creator that is pure and free of shame. As if that was not enough, we actually have access to supernatural help—help to live above our condition and be better people.
We have unparalleled access to God himself, access an ancient Jew could never fathom. Are we taking it for granted? How might any one of our lives look different (i.e. immeasurably better) if we actually recognized what we have access to and approached the throne of God with reckless abandon? I, for one, would like to find out.