God explains the nature of the Day of Atonement as far as the people are concerned. On the tenth day of the seventh month (Tishri), six months after the Passover celebration, the Israelites were to observe a solemn ceremony in which sins of accident or omission were removed from the nation. Ordinary work was prohibited, and the people were required to humble themselves, perhaps by fasting. The sacrificial ritual at which Aaron was High Priest officiated is described in Leviticus 17. A bullock and a goat were offered as sacrifices, and their blood sprinkled ceremonially on the mercy seat and the projections of the golden altar of incense. The observance was marked by considerable tension in the congregation since Moses would be struck dead if the ritual procedures undertaken in the Most Holy Place were not followed according to God’s instructions. All this ceremony points us to the majestic and righteous God who wants us to enjoy His fellowship through the cleansing of sin.
Taken from The Devotional Daily Bible
“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord. You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God. If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath.””
Leviticus 23:26-32
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