Building on the Foundation

  Have you ever wondered why we fast on the Day of Atonement? Why we spend the entire day neither eating nor drinking? After all, there is no command in the Bible that says, “Thou shalt neither eat nor drink on the Day of Atonement.” No such statement appears anywhere in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. So why do we fast on this day? Is it Scriptural to do so? Indeed it is — but it takes a little study to see it! We have to put some Scriptures together. Let’s review these, then, so that we know why we do what we do, and so that we can answer anyone who might ask us. Instructions For Atonement In Leviticus 23, we find these instructions for the Day of Atonement: 26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 27 "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28 "And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement...

It's been a hot minute since I visited the Psalms, but other projects have consumed my time and attention, from the three-part study on the clean and unclean laws to my upcoming history and study of feminism and communism. There's only so much time to study and write, so some projects get more attention than others. I'm quite excited about the upcoming post about feminism, and I learned a lot while doing the research for it and writing it, so I think it will at least be thought-provoking and hopefully educational. Stay tuned for that one. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on Psalm 6! Slash! The blood gushed out of the gaping gash in the neck of the massive bull and gurgled as it splashed sparkling red into the golden bowl. The giant bull's head slumped to the ground and the priest rose to his feet. He turned toward the door of the tent, took a deep breath, and prepared to enter, a thick rope dragging along behind him.  Atonement for sin used to be quite a compl...

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’  We gather together on the weekly Sabbath, in the time between Trumpets and Atonement for a good reason.  There is always a Sabbath between Trumpets and Atonement, a time for us to come together between God’s high Holy Days, but also a time for us to look at connections and the full extent and glory of God's plan. It's a time for us to take a look into the past and get a pretty good idea of where exactly it is that we are going.  The numbers God assigned to the Holy days have meaning and a purpose, and the spacing of these days is not random. There is much we can learn from looking at the pattern of what God has done and the way He has set things up to work. He doesn't do anything at random, and He doesn't do anything by accident. He does things in types an...