KAPPARAH - ATONEMENT, COVERING, RANSOM

Petra Hadžidaova
2 days ago
4 min read

You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you.

Leviticus 1: 4 (NIV)

(1)

INTRODUCTION

Only by the shedding of blood can atonement be reached, they say. Throughout the ages, people have been sacrificing both animals and, sadly, humans, usually to appease the gods, receive abundance, prosperity, or achieve atonement. The Hebrew word for atonement is kapparah. It is rooted in the concept and word kaphar, meaning atonement, the covering and cleansing of sin, and is heavily associated with repentance during Yom Kippur. Yeshua became the ultimate kapparah for the covering of all sin for those who would believe.

SACRIFICING THROUGH THE AGES

The scurrying of feet followed by a grunt of exhaustion accompanied a group of men. In the middle, a pair of smaller feet tried to follow the fast pace. The feet belonged to a little girl. Her name was about to be lost to time, yet her voice would be heard nonetheless, thousands of years later. Up the mountain, she followed her caretakers. What would happen there, she did not know. The gruelling journey prevented her mind from wandering too much. Putting one foot in front of the other required all her strength. Just when the little one thought she could not take one more step, the group entered a small clearing and came to a stop. ‘Finally,’ thought the little girl. Sitting down, she was handed a warm cup of tea. Sipping it bit by bit was slowing down her heartbeat and bringing her great comfort. The sedatives began to work and lulled her to sleep. One she would never wake up from. Little “Juanita,” as she has been named thousands of years later, became just one of the many unfortunate human sacrifices. She received a blunt hit to the head that instantly killed her. Her death was an attempt to appease the mountain gods and Mother Earth. Her body was frozen and preserved well. She ended up being a true “Ice Maiden”. (2)

Much blood has been shed since the expulsion from Eden. Sin became rampant. The sacrificing of animals and, sadly, even humans has been the norm since the beginning of humankind. Much blood has been shed since the expulsion from Eden. For the most part, it was done to appease the gods, receive abundance, prosperity, or achieve atonement.

The Creator of all did say that atonement could only be achieved through the shedding of innocent blood. In the set-apart nation of Israel, animals became the object of sacrifice, as a beacon of light to the neighboring nations, who still sacrificed humans. A mere stepping stone in the grand plan of God toward ultimate redemption - the sacrifice of His only begotten Son and abolishment of the need for sin offerings. This sacrifice is alluded to by the story of Abraham and Isaac, which put an end to all others.

THE HEBREW WORD KAPPARAH

The Hebrew word for sacrifice is kapparah. The meaning of kapparah expands even further or deeper. It is rooted in the concept and word kaphar, meaning atonement, the covering and cleansing of sin, and is heavily associated with repentance during Yom Kippur. The word speaks of love meeting justice, of holiness bending down to heal what was broken. Kapparah is the language of sacrifice—and salvation. (3)

KAPPARAH AND MODERN TIMES

Kapparah also refers to a traditional ritual (Kapparot) involving a chicken or money. (4) Also, in Israeli slang, it is used as a term of endearment, often meaning "sweetheart" or "my angel." (5) Sometimes it is used in the phrase "It should be a kapparah," meaning a minor misfortune should serve to prevent a greater one. (6)

YESHUA, THE ULTIMATE KAPPARAH

For the most part, even nowadays, the word is associated with atonement of sin during Yom Kippur. That is for the jews of course. For us Christians, even the word kapparah circles back to our Lord and Savior, Yeshua HaMaschiach. He was the ultimate kapparah. Through the shedding of His blood, forgiveness of all sins is extended to all who believe and repent. What a wonderful God we serve. Instead of demanding sacrifice from us, He became the sacrifice for us. The ultimate expression of love.

CONCLUSION

The sacrifice of animals and humans has been practiced for thousands of years. For the most part, it was done to appease the gods, receive abundance, prosperity, or achieve atonement. In Israel began the grand plan of God toward ultimate redemption and the abolishment of the need for sin offerings. The word for sacrifices, atonement, and covering is kapparah. Yeshua became the ultimate kapparah. Through the shedding of His blood, forgiveness of all sins is extended to all who believe and repent.

Application

Dear Abba, let the blood of Yeshua cover every sin I may have committed knowingly or unknowingly. Reveal, deliver, restore, and heal us back to our original design.

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