“There is not a single bird more persecuted than the dove, yet God has chosen her to be offered upon the altar. The bull is hunted by the lion, the sheep by the wolf, and the goat by the tiger. God said: ‘Bring me a sacrifice, not from them that persecute, but from them that are persecuted.’”
As we approach Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jewish people, we come before the living God aware of our own frailty and weaknesses but also by the grace of God, knowing His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus who “knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].” (2Cor.5:21)
Is this surely not a cause for celebration but also one where we tremble in awe of the One we serve? We celebrate His forgiveness but cry out to Him for mercy because He is just and righteous and entirely holy. We seek Him with our whole heart and make Him Lord of our lives, not just our Saviour, wherein first love is our only choice and option.
At Yom Kippur, confession of sins is prayed as a group in recognition that all Israel is responsible for the sin of the individual. This should characterise our relationships; another’s failure is our own and vice versa; our motivation is to address issues correctly and with precision; to judge rightly and restore others without compromise or condemnation.
Experiencing God’s forgiveness and reconciliation makes the task of forgiving others trivial in comparison. But human forgiveness devoid of God can be random and fickle filled with self-interest and bias, as well illustrated in the following story.
“A royal proclamation was issued, and all the animals, large and small, were commanded to assemble in the great clearing in the middle of the forest. The lion, king of the beasts, then addressed his subjects:
“Brothers and sisters!” the king roared. “A great punishment has been visited upon us from Above. We must root out the sinners amongst us before we all perish. We must each search our hearts and confess our sins, so we should know who is the cause of this calamity.”
His royal highness set the example by being the first to bare his soul. “The other day I killed a man. I was patrolling the boundaries of my kingdom, my heart heavy with the burdens of my high office when I encountered our two-legged master and pounced upon him… I have sinned, and you must pass judgment upon me for my crime.”
“Your Highness!” cried the all the animals. “Who can blame a noble leader, if while distressed and distracted by the great responsibilities he bears, lashes out unwittingly?
Surely you are forgiven for your transgression.”
Next spoke the wolf: “I, too, have a sin to confess. The other day, as I prowled the edge of the forest with hunger in my belly, I chanced upon a she-goat and her kid nibbling the flowers of the meadow. I tore out their throats, killing both mother and child, though even one animal was more than I could eat…”
“True, you have sinned,” replied the animals, “but certainly you must be forgiven for your lapse since your hunger clouded your thinking.”
And so it went. One after the other, the predators of the forest confessed their carnage and thievery. One after the other, the council of animals absolved them of their crimes due to mitigating circumstances.
Then the sheep spoke. “The other day, I was very hungry; for some reason, my master had neglected to take me out to the pasture. So I ate the bit of straw that my master puts in his shoes so that his feet should not rub against the hard leather.”
“How dare you!” roared the lion.
“Thief!” hissed the snake.
“Criminal! Sinner!” cried all the animals as they pounced upon the innocent lamb and tore it to pieces.
From the parables of the Maggid of Dubna (Rabbi Yaakov Krantz, 1741-1804) The above story well illustrates anti-Semitism, yet who cannot also make links with the Lamb of God who, ‘was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins,
whereby the punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, and by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.’ (Isaiah 53:5)
So we join with all of Heaven as we marvel at the One who was slain (sacrificed), from whose blood was purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Messiah), we bow the knee in worship and declare, ‘be blessing and honour and glory and dominion forever and ever!’ (Revelation 5:12;13)
