(chap 16) The Day of Atonement was the most important day of Israel’s calendar, for it was then that the idea of atonement for sin reached its highest expression Sin and burnt o erings were part of the day’s ritual Only on this day could the high priest enter into the most holy place of the tabernacle This was the only day of the year for which fasting was required, in bold contrast to the atmosphere of rejoicing that attended the annual feasts On no other day were the Israelites more strongly impressed with the grace of God in forgiving all their sins The gospel of this day was a bright prophetic sign of the coming Gospel of the event of Calvary, when Jesus would sacri ce Himself for the sins of man, once for all Oswald T Allis sees the Day of Atonement as the peak of Leviticus E DAY OF ATONEMENT To understand Calvary, and to see it in its tragic glory, we must view it with all the light of sacred story centred upon it With Isaiah, the “evangelical” prophet of the old dispensation, and with the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, we must turn to Leviticus and read of the great day of atonement, and of the explanation which is given of it there: “For the life of the esh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Lv xvii ii).8 (chaps 23-25) God instituted holy times (cf holi-days) in the calendar of the Israelites so that His people would set aside many days of the year to meditate on who He was and what He had done for them The convocations F HOLY TIMES had a wholesome, positive purpose about them, to emphasize that believers were to be separated unto the Lord, as well as separated from evil And what the Israelites learned and experienced at these holy seasons, they were to practice daily, step by step, throughout their life Chart 19 lists the holidays described in Leviticus 23-25 As you read the Bible text, look for the main purpose of each convocation, and observe the prominent truths revealed by each about God Charts 20a and 20b show how the feasts are distributed in the Hebrew calendar.9 V KEY WORDS AND VERSES Some of the most prominent key words and phrases of Leviticus are “holy” (about ninety times), “blood,” “life,” and “before the LORD” (about sixty times) Key verses suggested for Leviticus are ... Leviticus and read of the great day of atonement, and of the explanation which is given of it there: “For the life of the esh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make... we must view it with all the light of sacred story centred upon it With Isaiah, the “evangelical” prophet of the old dispensation, and with the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, we must turn... for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Lv xvii ii).8 (chaps 23-25) God instituted holy times (cf holi-days) in the calendar of the Israelites so that His