Today is Yom Kippur. An article in the Washing Post describes what it means this year as a nation recognizes its sins, in the presence of its enemies.
Also known as The Day of Atonement, this is a day of national repentance with a view toward national forgiveness and deliverance.
I’ve often been moved by the lengthy confessions read by observant Jewish people on this day as they admit to sins done knowingly and unknowingly. For example, the following is a prayer of Yom Kippur.
“What shall we say before You, You who dwell on high and what shall we declare before You, You who abide in the heavens? Don’t You know all things, both the hidden and the revealed? You know the mysteries of the universe and the hidden secrets of all living. You search out the heart of man, and probe all our thoughts and aspirations. Naught escapes You, neither is anything concealed from Your sight.
May it therefore be Your will, 0 L-rd, our G-d and G-d of our fathers, to forgive us all our sins, to pardon all our iniquities, and to grant us atonement for all our transgressions.
For the sin which we have committed before You under compulsion or of our own will, And for the sin which we have committed before You by hardening our hearts; For the sin which we have committed before You unknowingly, And for the sin which we have committed before You with utterance of the lips;
For the sin which we have committed before You by unchastity, And for the sin which we have committed before You openly or secretly; For the sin which we have committed before You knowingly and deceitfully, And for the sin which we have committed before You in speech;
For the sin which we have committed before You by wronging our neighbor, And for the sin which we have committed before You by sinful meditation of the heart; For the sin which we have committed before You by association with impurity, And for the sin which we have committed before You by confession of the lips;
For the sin which we have committed before You by spurning parents and teachers, And for the sin which we have committed before You in presumption or in error; For the sin which we have committed before You by violence, And for the sin which we have committed before You by the profanation of Your name; For the sin which we have committed before You by unclean lips, And for the sin which we have committed before You by impure speech;
For the sin which we have committed before You by the evil inclination, And for the sin which we have committed before You wittingly or unwittingly;
For all these, 0 G-d of forgiveness, forgive us, pardon us, grant us atonement. For the sin which we have committed before You by denying and lying, And for the sin which we have committed before You by bribery; For the sin which we have committed before You by scoffing, And for the sin which we have committed before You by slander;
For the sin which we have committed before You in commerce, And for the sin which we have committed before You in eating and drinking; For the sin which we have committed before You by demanding usurous interest, And for the sin which we have committed before You by stretching forth the neck in pride;
For the sin which we have committed before You by idle gossip, And for the sin which we have committed before You with wanton looks; For the sin which we have committed before You with haughty eyes, And for the sin which we have committed before You by effrontery;
For all these, 0 G-d of forgiveness, forgive us, pardon us, grant us atonement. For the sin which we have committed before You by casting off the yoke of Your commandments, And for the sin which we have committed before You by contentiousness;
For the sin which wehave committed before You by ensnaring our neighbor, And for the sin which we have committed before You by envy; For the sin which we have committed before You by levity, And for the sin which we have committed before You by being stiff-necked; For the sin which we have committed before You by running to do evil, And for the sin which we have committed before You by tale bearing;
For the sin which we have committed before You by vain oaths, And for the sin which we have committed before You by causeless hatred; For the sin which we have committed before You by breach of trust, And for the sin which we have committed before You with confusion of mind; For all these, 0 G-d of forgiveness, forgive us, pardon us, grant us atonement.
When I think of this day and the need for such soul-searching, however, I also think of an emotional, heart-breaking section of the Scripture that may describe a day foreshadowed by the ancient Day of Atonement.
The prophet Zechariah speaks of a time when all the world turns against Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:1-9)…and when God gives a remnant of Israel eyes and hearts to grieve the ultimate wrong of wrongs—that in God’s amazing ways turns into the rescue that every heart desperately needs (Zechariah 12:10-14)…
Now, admittedly, there is a lot of mystery woven into such prophetic visions. Only in retrospect will we see how God’s ways play out.
But for now, seems to me that this vision may anticipate a fulfilling moment of an ancient sacrifice, the death of the Son God; the future of a nation, and the ultimate judgment and hope of the world.
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