For every soul that is not afflicted on that same day, shall be cut off from among his peoples.
The Day of Atonement carried two commands: mourn, and do no work. This verse gives the penalty for ignoring the first — but why would God cut a person off for failing to grieve, when the day's work was being done for them by someone else?
The word points to an outward act with an inward meaning. Without it, the day did the person no good.
Israel kept the day on the tenth day of the seventh month. It was a Sabbath of rest, and on it they were to afflict their souls. What is called "afflict" was fasting, the outward sign of inward sorrow over sin. When this was left out, the atonement did not profit anything. Only true faith shown by repentance gives the sinner a share in the great work of atonement.
The same day also forbade all work. The two commands cut in different directions: one forbids self-confidence, the other self-effort.
The soul that dares to rest on grace without condemning itself for its sins before God is trifling with Him. It has not yet learned to hate its own unholiness as something completely at odds with God's character. And the soul that dares to work puts itself, so to speak, on a level with Christ and God Himself. The only work that can serve as the basis of atonement must be done before God by One who is God's own fellow.
Rest did not mean sitting back at ease. The day's mercy was itself the reason for their sorrow.
They rested from all work. But they were not to sit at home idle and unconcerned while the High Priest was inside the sanctuary. They were to afflict their souls. Atonement was God's gracious provision for His people who had sinned. The people were not therefore to think lightly of it. If the High Priest was actively engaged on their behalf, it was because they had sinned. So God required them to afflict their souls. Anyone who refused faced the penalty of being cut off from his people.
The sorrow reaches every level of the nation, and rank gives no exemption.
Affliction of soul is repentance. To see what that repentance will produce, we have only to turn to Zechariah 12:10-14. There the repentance in the remnant who will be the election of grace (Romans 11:5) is seen in its widest character. David — the kingly line; Nathan — the prophetic line; Levi — the priestly line; Shimei — the common people. All will be involved in that day. No privileged position will keep anyone who wants God's blessing out of that repentance.
Commentators read the mourning as personal as well as national.
It is true that Christ died for the nation, and the nation — that is, the remnant that comes into that place before God — will own its sin in rejecting the Messiah. But every individual must own his sin "apart," alone in the presence of God. That is how he is brought under the value and efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ. This was foreshadowed indeed in the directions for the Day of Atonement.
Writers read the whole ceremony forward, to a repentance Israel has not yet passed through.
The great public summons now given brings on the day of atonement for Israel — that is, their coming in personal humiliation under it — and this was separating in its character. It was a day for them to afflict their souls, stopping entirely from all worldly employment: "You shall do no work." Whatever soul was not afflicted was to be cut off, and so it will be. We find it in Joel 2; we find their character in Zephaniah 3:12; we find the affliction itself in Zechariah 12. Their acknowledgment, in words, of the value of that which made peace for the mourners is in Isaiah 53.
The warning looks forward to a day still coming. One writer names those it falls on.
There is a solemn warning in Leviticus 23:29. It seems to refer to the ungodly in the land of Israel, the followers of antichrist. Zechariah writes of them, "In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish." God will not have among His people in that day any who have not truly repented.
The day required a state of heart that always goes with real faith.
First, his soul was to be afflicted in that day, not to be merry. Wherever there is genuine faith, there is genuine repentance. Where souls do not feel their sins, it is useless to expect forgiveness for them. Instead of light talk about receiving the word with joy, there is deep self-judgment. It rests on that most solemn, humbling scene where the Lord Jesus died for us. Secondly, there was no pretending to work on that day; it was to be a sabbath day, the work was Another's.
- Afflict — the word means fasting, the outward sign of inward sorrow over sin. Without it, the day did the person no good.
- Rest — the same day forbade all work, because the work belonged to Another. Sorrow without self-effort is the pattern.
- Refuse — to skip the mourning is to think lightly of sin while the High Priest works on your behalf. That is why removal follows.
- Reach — the mourning spreads to king, prophet, priest and common people alike. Each one owns his sin alone before God.
- Result — the picture points to a coming day when Israel will repent; and the test stands for anyone: real faith always carries real repentance.
And every soul that doeth any manner of work on that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
The Day of Atonement was the day Israel's high priest went in alone with blood to make atonement for the people. It came with two commands: afflict your soul, and do no work. This verse puts death on the second one. Why should a day's ordinary work cost a person his life?
One writer sets the two commands side by side and shows what each was meant to teach.
They rested from all work. But they were not to sit at home listless and unconcerned while the High Priest was inside the sanctuary. They were to afflict their souls… Anyone who refused to do that exposed himself to the penalty of being cut off from his people. If anyone did any work on that day, destruction from among his people would be the due reward of his deeds. Two things they were to learn — and not they only. First, another made atonement for their sins on their behalf — yet they were not to think lightly of sins, which required, as we now know, the death and the shed blood of the holy Lamb of God. Second, God will have the sinner admit that he can have no hand in that work.
Work on other days was expected. The offence lay in working on this day. One writer names what such a person was claiming.
There was enough and to spare of work for other days; but for this day there must be none. Man has absolutely no part in the task. Only the Saviour can work for it, and He did so by suffering for us… The soul that presumes to work shows its presumption. It puts itself, so to speak, on a level with Christ and God Himself. The only work that can serve as the basis for atonement must be done before God by One who is God's own equal.
The ban on work was not simple harshness. It guarded the people from the urge to add something of their own before God.
The other command, "no work," will deliver them from any attempt to work out a righteousness for themselves. How carefully God lays this command down. Like Israel of old, who rested on the day of atonement, so will the remnant. Aaron did all there was to do on that day when he went in alone, with the blood, and sprinkled the mercy seat.
Kelly draws out how completely this cleared the ground: the day "shut out everything, if I may so say, but Christ, their propitiation and substitute; so that their self-loathing will be as complete as their abandonment of their own works… nothing can mix with His work."
Stopping work did not mean taking the day lightly.
In connection with atonement the meaning is most simple. Whether for Israel or for the believer now, no work of man must supplement the glorious work which has been done for sinners. On the other hand, the rest so dearly purchased for us is not to be received with light and indifferent hearts: Israel were to "afflict their souls" on the day of atonement, just as at the passover they were to eat the bitter herbs with the lamb.
This warning also looks ahead. One writer ties it to a day still to come for Israel.
The Lord would destroy the one who ventured to do any work on that day. Sin, and its consequences, are no light subjects in God's eyes, nor were they to be in the people's. They will enter fully into that when the mourning of Zechariah 12:10-14 takes place, as they look on Him whom they pierced.
Another writer reads the man who works that day as an open rebel, not merely a careless one:
In Leviticus 23:28 Jehovah commanded, "You shall not do any work on that very day," so that those who worked were rebels, disobeying the command of God… God will not tolerate self-will among His people; such will not enter into His rest.
One writer presses both conditions on the reader today, and answers a common question about repentance.
First, you must afflict your soul. To translate that sentence into one New Testament word is simple. It means repentance… Does repentance earn salvation? Does it win it? Is it a work? It isn't a work, because we read that they had to afflict their souls, and do no manner of work. To neglect the one, or try the other, brought death upon them. So repentance is not a work. What is it, then? You find deep down in your soul that you are a guilty sinner. Yet God, in His love, offers you salvation, and you get this thought: "God is good and I am bad." In short, you get right thoughts of God and yourself.
- Two commands. The day asked two things: sorrow over sin, and hands off the work of atonement.
- Two penalties. Refusing to afflict your soul brought cutting off. Doing any work brought destruction. Both penalties were death, because both sins denied what God was teaching.
- One reason. Working that day put a man on a level with Christ, claiming a share in work only God's own equal could do.
- One rest. Stopping work was never idleness. The rest cost dearly, and no one was to take it with a light heart.
- One day ahead. What Israel kept each year points to the day they look on Him whom they pierced. Then they will repent deeply and rest on a finished work.