WHERE THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD MEETS THE LEVITICAL THE JEWISH POSITION • Jews often suggest that: • The Tanakh does not prophesy that Yeshua would be sacrificed for man. • A man can’t be a sacrifice or atone for another man’s sins. • There were other means of atonement. 2 THE JEWISH POSITION • In response to these ideas, this presentation will discuss: • How God reveals His plans to His people • Atonement in the Scriptures • Godly and evil altars • The Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods • 3 HOW GOD REVEALS HIS PLANS TO MAN • The Tanakh says that God would provide atonement for His people. • However, God does not plainly reveal His exact plans to His people in order to keep Satan and his kingdom in ignorance, as well as win the spiritual war. 4 HOW GOD REVEALS HIS PLANS TO MAN • When God speaks to His people, God uses various methods. • YHVH uses symbols in dreams and visions to communicate; this requires us to investigate their meanings. • Yeshua spoke in parables that contained symbols; His disciples sometimes needed their full meanings to be explained. • YHVH shared His plan through the offerings and purification rituals, which are types and shadows of Yeshua. • This is just how God operates. 5 (כ ָּפַר) THE MEANING OF KAPHAR kaphar – כ ָּפַר 03722 • • Meaning: 1) to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch 1a) (Qal) to coat or cover with pitch 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to cover over, pacify, propitiate 1b2) to cover over, atone for sin, make atonement for 1b3) to cover over, atone for sin and persons by legal rites 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to be covered over 1c2) to make atonement for 1d) (Hithpael) to be covered 6 (כ ָּפַר) THE MEANING OF KAPHAR • Leviticus 17:11 – For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have ,le-chaper , לְכַפֵּ֖ר) given it to you upon the altar to make atonement piel infinitive) for your souls; for it is the blood that makes .ye-chaper, piel imperfect) for the soul ,יְכַפ ֵּ֖ר) atonement 7 KAPHAR HAS SEVERAL APPLICATIONS • Genesis 6:14 – to cover Noah’s ark with pitch • Genesis 32:20 – Jacob wanted to appease Esau. • Exodus 21:30 – ransom money to redeem a life in the event an ox gored someone to death. • Exodus 30:12-16 – Whenever a census is taken, ransom money must be collected for atonement. This is a general atonement and not an atonement for sin; it is essentially a tax for the service of the tabernacle and memorial for the children of Israel. 8 KAPHAR HAS SEVERAL APPLICATIONS • Numbers 16:47 – Aaron used incense to atone the people when a plague broke out. The smoke acted as a covering to the people, and it may have also killed the organism causing the plague. • Numbers 31:50 – ornaments of gold from war were offered for atonement. As far as we know, there was no sin involved in the war, just the death of their enemies. • Leviticus 12:7-8; 14:19 – Atonement for uncleanness, which results as a normal part of life. 9 KAPHAR HAS SEVERAL APPLICATIONS • Exodus 29:36-37; 30:1-10; Leviticus 16:1-34 – Atonement for the altars and Holy Place. • Numbers 35:33 – Atonement for the land. • Leviticus 4-6 – Atonement for a person because of the guilt of sin or trespasses. 10 MEN WERE KILLED TO ATONE OTHER PEOPLE'S SINS, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE NORM • There were at least two times in Scripture when men were killed to atone for other people’s sins, but this was not a normal practice. • These events contain hidden treasure – something typological in these events that is related to Yeshua’s crucifixion. 11 MEN WERE KILLED TO ATONE OTHER PEOPLE'S SINS, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE NORM • Numbers 25:8, 13 – Baal of Peor – and he (Phinehas) went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel... and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel (by driving a spear through the Midianite woman and Zimri, a Simeonite). 12 MEN WERE KILLED TO ATONE OTHER PEOPLE'S SINS, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE NORM • This method of death, of two people who had been physically united as one person, was typological of what would happen to Yeshua in John 19:34 – • But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 13 MEN WERE KILLED TO ATONE OTHER PEOPLE'S SINS, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE NORM • Not only that, but Phinehas was given YHVH’s covenant of an everlasting priesthood. • Phinehas was the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron – a future Levitical priest, but he was typological of Yeshua, our Melchizedek high priest, who is a priest forever. 14 MEN WERE KILLED TO ATONE OTHER PEOPLE'S SINS, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE NORM • 2 Samuel 21:1-6 – Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of YHVH. And YHVH answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah. 15 MEN WERE KILLED TO ATONE OTHER PEOPLE'S SINS, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE NORM • 2 Samuel 21:1-6 (Cont.) – 3 Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of YHVH?" 4 And the Gibeonites said to him, "We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us." So he said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." 16 MEN WERE KILLED TO ATONE OTHER PEOPLE'S SINS, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE NORM • 2 Samuel 21:1-6 (Cont.) – 5 Then they answered the king, "As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, 6 let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, and we will hang them before YHVH in Gibeah of Saul, whom YHVH chose.“ • Atonement was completely achieved once the Gibeonites, not the Israelites, killed seven descendants of Saul by hanging. This method of death is typological of the crucifixion of Yeshua that was carried out by the Romans, not the Jews. 17 A SACRIFICIAL SON Only once did God ask someone to offer his son as a sacrifice, but God relented and provided a ram for atonement. • Genesis 22:2-19 – Abraham was asked to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering on Mt. Moriah; however, as Abraham believed, YHVH provided a ram in Isaac’s place to provide atonement. This proves God can provide atonement, and it shows that Isaac was a type of Yeshua being the Lamb of God. The sacrifice of Isaac by his father, Abraham, was typological of Father God offering His Son, Yeshua as a sacrifice. 18 A SACRIFICIAL SON Deuteronomy 18:9-14 is often used as a reason to disqualify Yeshua from being a sacrifice for atonement, but there’s a big difference between what is righteous and what is an abomination. 19 A SACRIFICIAL SON Deuteronomy 18:9-14 – When you come into the land which YHVH your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, 20 A SACRIFICIAL SON Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (Cont.) – or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to YHVH, and because of these abominations YHVH your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before YHVH your God. 21 A SACRIFICIAL SON • God’s request to offer Isaac was not: • Considered to be comparable to idolatrous Molech worship in which children were “passed through the fire” of the idol Molech. • Associated with witchcraft. 22 A SACRIFICIAL SON • The abominations listed in Deuteronomy 18:9-14 are connected. Satan wants people’s worship. The worshiper’s child is the exchange price for the desires of the worshiper, such as fortune, possessions, and fame. This is part of witchcraft. • This is selfish, but it’s according to an evil covenant. 23 A SACRIFICIAL SON • YHVH’s desire is for us to love and serve Him. He is willing to exchange the blood of His own Son, Yeshua, to bring us into such a relationship. • In return, He blesses us according to His grace and covenantal promises. 24 GOD WILL PROVIDE AN ATONEMENT • We often see people praying that God will provide atonement for something; sometimes this is commanded by God. • Other times, we see God promising to provide atonement.