（利16）赎罪日与安息日 (Leviticus 23) The Day of Atonement and the Sabbath

(ChatGPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）

When we calculate how many weeks there are in a year, we find that the number of weeks is not exact; it is 52 weeks plus one extra day: 365 = 364 + 1 = 52 * 7 + 1.

In the Bible, each week commemorates the Creator’s six days of creation and His rest on the seventh day. Thus, the Ten Commandments establish a Sabbath at the end of each week, during which the Israelites were to cease all work. Although a year consists of roughly 52 weeks, the actual number of Sabbaths, when no work is allowed, is 52 + 1 = 53. Each year, there is one day that does not depend on the seven-day cycle during which the Israelites also cease all work—this is the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 16:29-31 instructs:

“This shall be a statute for you forever: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.”

There are many other annual festivals in the Bible, such as the Feast of Trumpets and the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. However, these festivals only prohibit laborious work (e.g., cooking a meal for the day is permitted) for the Israelites. Only the Day of Atonement, like the weekly Sabbath, mandates that no work whatsoever be done. This naturally raises the question: Why?

One interpretation I offer is that the prohibition against work commemorates the completion of the work itself. The weekly Sabbath commemorates the completion of the Creator’s work of creation (see Genesis 2:2: “By the seventh day, God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work”). The Sabbath rest on the Day of Atonement, however, symbolizes the completion of the work of redemption.

Jews have discovered through the numerical value of a Hebrew word that the power of Satan is ineffective on the Day of Atonement. https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/124359/satan-does-not-work-on-yom-kippur

Christians can further understand the significance of the Day of Atonement by comparing the Old and New Testaments. Leviticus 16 and Hebrews 9 both describe the Day of Atonement as the day when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, the innermost part of the temple, once a year (Hebrews 9:7: “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance”). This prefigures Christ taking on humanity’s sins and dying on the cross, at which point the curtain separating the Holy of Holies was torn apart. Mark 15:37-38 records, “With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” What appears to be a mere accident is, according to Hebrews 9:11-12, likely a symbol that “when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 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.” Note the phrase “thus obtaining eternal redemption,” indicating that the work of redemption was completed. Therefore, I believe that the rest on the Day of Atonement signifies the completion of the work of redemption.

The loud cry that Jesus uttered as He breathed His last, recorded in the Gospel of Mark, could very well be His declaration of the completion of the work of redemption. John 19:30 says: “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Notice the verb used here: “It is finished.”

The work of redemption being “finished,” is as important as the work of creation was “completed,” because after humanity’s fall into sin, God’s original purpose for creation was violated. The work of redemption “is finished,” meaning that the power of sin is defeated, and the original intent of creation is set to be restored. The fact that both the annual Day of Atonement and the weekly Sabbath are prescribed as days of complete rest, with no work whatsoever, commemorates the fact that the purpose of creation is destined to “be completed.” This connection seems truly fitting.

（利16）赎罪日与安息日

当我们计算每年多少个礼拜时会发现，每年的礼拜个数不是完整的，而是五十二周多出来一天：365=364+1=52*7+1。

在圣经里，每个礼拜纪念的是造物主六日创世，第七日安息，所以圣经的十诫规定，每周末有个安息日，以色列人在这天什么工都不可作。一年虽然大约是52周，但这样的什么工都不可作的安息日，平均每年却有52+1=53个。每年有一个不依赖于7日周期的一天，以色列人也是什么工都不可作，这是每年一次的安息日，这一天是赎罪日。

利未记16:29-31教导， “每逢七月初十日，你们要刻苦己心，无论是本地人，是寄居在你们中间的外人，什么工都不可作，这要作你们永远的定例。因在这日要为你们赎罪，使你们洁净。你们要在耶和华面前得以洁净，脱尽一切的罪愆。这日你们要守为圣安息日，要刻苦己心，这为永远的定例。”

圣经里还有很多其他每年一次的节日，比如吹角节，住棚节的首日，等等，但这些节日只禁止以色列人作劳碌的工（比如可以烧当天要吃的饭），唯独每年的赎罪日和每七天的安息日一样，什么工都不可作。我们不仅要问为什么。

我有一种理解，规定什么工都不作，是为了纪念工作已经都完成了。每七天的安息日，是纪念造物主创世的工已经完成了。（参见创世记2:2 “到第七日， 神造物的工已经完毕 ，就在第七日歇了他一切的工，安息了。” ）而赎罪日的安息日，则预表救赎的工已经完成了。

犹太人通过希伯来文所代表的数字发现，撒旦的权势在赎罪日失效了https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/124359/satan-does-not-work-on-yom-kippur

而基督徒则可以通过结合新旧约，来进一步认识赎罪日。利未记16章和希伯来书9章都描写，赎罪日是旧约大祭司每年一次经过幔子的阻隔，进入至圣所的日子（希9:7“至于第二层帐幕，惟有大祭司一年一次独自进去，没有不带着血，为自己和百姓的过错献上。”）这预表基督担负人类的罪死在十字架上，那时，遮住至圣所的幔子开了：马可福音15:37-38记载，“耶稣大声喊叫，气就断了。殿里的幔子，从上到下裂为两半。” 这个看似偶然的事故，根据希伯来书9:11-12，很可能象征 “但现在基督已经来到，作了将来美事的大祭司，经过那更大更全备的帐幕，不是人手所造也不是属乎这世界的。并且不用山羊和牛犊的血，乃用自己的血，只一次进入圣所， 成了永远赎罪的事。” 注意这里用的动词， “成了永远赎罪的事。” 所以我认为赎罪日的安息，表示救赎的工完成了。

马可福音里所记载的耶稣断气时的大声喊叫，有可能就是在宣告这救赎之工的完成。约翰福音19:30记载:“耶稣尝（原文作受）了那醋， 就说，成了。 便低下头，将灵魂交付神了。” 注意这里的动词是： “成了”。

救赎的工“成了”，这和创造的工“已经完毕”，是一样的重要，因为人类犯罪后，违背了造物主创世的初衷。救赎的工“成了”，就彻底击败了罪的权势，注定将要恢复创世本来的目的。旧约里把每年一次的赎罪日与每七天的安息日，都规定成什么工都不可作的安息日，就可以纪念创世的目的已经确定会“成了”，这的确很合适。