How did the Israelites deny themselves in Leviticus 23:27?

A brief rehearsal of the ceremonies of this great day of atonement, with a few explanatory remarks, will help in a better understanding of this chapter. The day of atonement was for the full atonement of all the sins, transgressions and failures of Israel, so that Jehovah in His holiness might tabernacle in their midst. On that day alone the Holiest was opened for the high priest to enter in. That all connected with this day is the shadow of the real things to come, and that in the New Testament we have the blessed substance, is well known. The Epistle to the Hebrews is in part the commentary to Israel's great day of atonement. The way into the Holiest by the rent vail which is revealed in the Epistle to the Hebrews, was not made known on the day of atonement. The day itself was celebrated on the tenth day of the seventh month, and it was a Sabbath of rest in which they were to afflict their souls (chapter 23:27-29). What is called "afflict" was fasting, the outward sign of inward sorrow over sin. When this was omitted the atonement did not profit anything "for whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people." Only true faith manifested by repentance gives the sinner a share in the great work of atonement.

Three things are connected in Lev. 23:27; an holy convocation, the afflicting of their souls, and an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. On being regathered, and sifted in the government of God, Israel will afflict their souls on realising that the One who has saved them from the wrath of the nations is none other than Jesus, whom they rejected, crucified and slew. The bitterness of soul that will mark this repentant remnant of Israel is touchingly described in Zechariah 12, where it is written, "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (Zech. 12:10).

Notice how solemnly emphasized are two things, "YE SHALL AFFLICT YOUR SOULS," and "YE SHALL DO NO MANNER OF WORK." They set forth God's way of blessing for His people then, and His way of blessing for sinners now — (1) A sense of their sinful condition, which means repentance. (2) Their absolute dependence upon the work of another for the removal of their sins. This one is Jesus, who by one offering has so glorified God that He can say, "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:17).

You notice what exercises they pass through. They go up to the house of God, to Bethel, into His presence. Ah, brethren, you cannot be merely indignant against sin in the presence of God. Do you know what the presence of God always does? It makes you judge sin in yourselves; that is the first thing. Thus they go up into that holy presence, they weep. Ah, the very springs of their hearts have been touched, and they can weep before the Lord. Further than that, they fast. It is not a question of some light thing. They will deny everything else, they will take no refusal from God, their hearts are so absorbed that they neglect to take their necessary food; they are in desperate earnestness to get His mind.

The feast of trumpets is intimately connected with another great solemnity, namely, "the day of atonement." "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation to you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God … it shall be to you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even to even shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." (Ver. 27-32) Thus, after the blowing of the trumpets, an interval of eight days elapses, and then we have the day of atonement, with which these things are connected, namely, affliction of soul, atonement for sin, and rest from labour. All these things will find their due place in the experience of the Jewish remnant, by and by. "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." (Jer. 8:20) Such will be the pathetic lament of the remnant when the Spirit of God shall have begun to touch their heart and conscience. "And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for her firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart," &c. (Zech. 12:10-14)

What deep mourning, what intense affliction, what genuine penitence there will be, when, under the mighty action of the Holy Ghost, the conscience of the remnant shall recall the sins of the past, the neglect of the Sabbath, the breach of the law, the stoning of the prophets, the piercing of the Son, the resistance of the Spirit! All these things will come in array on the tablets of an enlightened and exercised conscience, and produce keen affliction of soul.

This tells us in the clearest possible language of the way the remnant of Israel will "afflict their soul." We get more of the same affliction of soul in Isaiah 53. "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." Oh, the bitterness of soul! to think that the Messiah of Israel has come, and has been treated in this terrible manner! Well may the Spirit in John's Gospel exclaim, "He came unto His Own, and His Own received Him not."

"And ye shall do no manner of work on that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Jehovah your God." Lev. 23:28. N. Tr.

There are two outstanding things mentioned in the instructions for this feast and they are both mentioned three times. They are, affliction of soul and no manner of work. Affliction of soul is clearly repentance. Nor have we far to look into the Word to find what that repentance will produce. We have but to turn to Zech. 12:10-14. Here, the repentance in the remnant who will be the election of grace (Rom. 11:5) is seen in its widest character. David — the kingly line, Nathan — the prophetical line, Levi — the priestly line, Shimei — the common people; all will be involved in that day and no privileged position will keep any out of that repentance who desire the blessing of God. The fruits meet for repentance will be produced. Luke 3:8.

Another place, well-known to all our hearts, describes for us that affliction of soul, Isaiah 53. Here, the history of our Lord, His birth into the world, His rejection and death upon the cross, all come before us. We read of Him in v. 2, growing up before Jehovah as a tender plant. Out of dry, barren Israel, one growing up in every phase of manhood, before Jehovah. Stepping out into His public ministry, with no commanding form, no external lordliness, no beauty — things calculated to attract fleshly man. Hence, they did not desire Him. v. 2. Because of His humble birth and humble walk they despised Him. Sorrow and grief were His portion. From Him men hid their faces and, as despised on every hand, none of the leaders had any esteem for Him at all. Why was He a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief? Because in the love of His soul for the very nation who rejected and crucified Him, He carried their sorrows sympathetically, as He healed them on every hand. Matt. 8:17. Yet, deep as the sorrow was in His life, it was small compared with the sorrows of Gethsemane and the cross. When at last, moving the hand of that weakling Pilate, they saw Him hanging on the tree, what did they think of Him? They regarded Him as stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. v. 4. This is what they thought and said of Him, in the day of His deepest sorrow. But in the day when they turn in affliction of soul their eyes will be opened to see the truth. The One Whom they thought an imposter; the One Whom they tried to get God to curse by hanging Him on a tree; yes, the One they said was dying because God was against Him, — "we did regard him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted"; in that day they will say, "But he was wounded for our transgressions." They once thought He was wounded for His own transgressions, but in the day of their repentance they will know and own that He was wounded for theirs. What a change! What affliction!! What repentance!!! They will learn that Jehovah had laid on Him the iniquity of them all, v. 6. Here is the great answer to Aaron bearing the sins of the people before Jehovah, on the great day of atonement. This affliction of soul will enable them to open their eyes to see this and, in turning in repentance towards God, get the gain at long last of what Christ did for them when they nailed Him to the cross.

Firstly, you must afflict your soul. To translate that sentence into one New Testament word is simple. It means repentance, for you will never get salvation until you repent. What is 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 to do the one, or essay to do the other brought death upon them. Repentance, therefore, is not a work. What is it, then? It is this. You find deep down in your soul that you are a guilty sinner, only fit for hell. Yet God, in His love, offers you salvation, and you get this wondrous thought, “God is good and I am bad,” and that is repentance. In short, you get right thoughts of God and yourself.

But there is a second element, besides this moral judgment of self, which is the necessary working of the Spirit of God in every one to whom the atonement of Christ is truly applied. "And whatsoever soul it be that does any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people." 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. None but the Saviour can work for it, and He in suffering for us. "Ye shall do no work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before Jehovah your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people." The soul that presumes to rest on grace without self-condemnation because of its sins before God is trifling with Him, and has not yet learnt to hate its unholiness as at thorough issue with God's own character. And again the soul that presumes to work shows its presumption in putting itself, so to speak, on a level with Christ and God Himself; for the work which alone suffices as a basis for atonement must be done before God by One who is God's own fellow.

Suppose a foreigner in the camp, who had no part in the privileges and blessings of Israel. Imagine him there on the day of atonement. What a sight must have met his eye! The whole camp at rest; every member of the privileged nation keeping a perfect sabbath; the din of daily toil all hushed; cessation from work of any kind absolute throughout that vast encampment. The cloud rested on the tabernacle; no trumpet sound heard either to summon the heads of the people, or to prepare the camp for a march; all as still, as orderly, as quiet as could be conceived. Yet it was not the weekly sabbath, the sign between the Lord and His people, that they might know that He was Jehovah who sanctified them. (Ezek. 20:12.) But the people were resting from all work with as much strictness as if it were the seventh day of the week. What, he might have asked, was it all about? On the previous sabbath they had rested from all work. Now ere another sabbath came round they were doing the same, but with this difference. On the sabbath-day they rested, and afforded thereby rest to their servants and cattle. On this day they were afflicting their souls, whilst the high priest was making atonement for their sins. This resting was most expressive. It spoke of their helplessness in the matter which so closely concerned them, whilst the afflicting of their souls indicated how deeply they were interested in all that was being done.