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Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins at sundown on Sunday, September 20, 2026, and concludes at sundown on Monday, September 21. It is the holiest day of the Jewish year — a day of stillness, fasting, and reflection. But what if this ancient observance was never meant to be the destination? What if every part of it was a shadow, cast forward by something greater still to come?
In this episode of Faith Hope and Life Devotionals, we open Leviticus 16 and step behind the curtain into the Holy of Holies — the place where, once a year and only once a year, the high priest entered the very presence of God. He came not in gold and jewels but in plain linen, carrying incense and blood: first a young bull for his own sin, then a goat for the sins of the people. Everything depended on the blood.
Then came the two goats. One was sacrificed. The other — the scapegoat, tied to the word azazel — had the sins of the nation confessed over its head before being sent away into the wilderness, carrying the guilt far from the people. And they did it again the next year, and the year after that. Hebrews 9:9 tells us plainly that these sacrifices "were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper." The blood of bulls and goats was a good and God-given shadow — never the substance.
Because the shadow had a substance, and His name is Jesus of Nazareth.
We look at how Yom Kippur is observed today: the 25-hour fast, the white kittel, the haunting prayer of Kol Nidre, the confessions, Yizkor for those we have lost, and Neilah, the closing of the gates — and then the final blast of the shofar. Every bit of it leans forward like an arrow toward a target.
And the New Testament declares that the target has been hit. Hebrews 9:12 says, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." Once for all. Not once a year. Not with borrowed blood. His own.
Jesus is the sacrifice. Jesus is also the scapegoat, carrying our guilt away. Isaiah saw it centuries early: "He was pierced for our transgressions... by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). John the Baptist named Him: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). And from the cross came one word: "It is finished" (John 19:30).
In this episode we also sit with the contrast of Romans 6:23 — "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" — and with the invitation of Hebrews 4:16 to approach God's throne of grace with confidence. Not arrogance. Confidence — opened by His blood, not our performance. At the moment Jesus breathed His last, the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. Not by human hands. Heaven opened it.
Key Scriptures: Leviticus 16 and 23, Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 27:51, John 1:29, John 19:30, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 4:16, Hebrews 9, 1 John 1:7.
This week's challenge: set aside a quiet window — twenty minutes, maybe an hour — and come honestly before God. No polished words, just honest ones. Rest in the finished work of Christ. Let the silence do its work. If a stone of guilt comes to mind, hand it over; the scapegoat has already carried it into the wilderness, and you don't need to go chasing it back.
Faith Hope and Life is a devotional podcast helping you anchor your home to Christ and live with Kingdom purpose. If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who needs to hear that the veil is torn and the way is open.
Next time, we continue our study on the Kingdom of Heaven. Until then, rest in the finished work of the cross. Walk in grace. Shalom.
Scripture quotations marked NIV.
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