Atonement In Exile
From: J
Sent: Monday, December 14, 2009 11:31 AM
Subject: AskDrBrown.org: Atonement in Exile
Dr. Brown,
How are you? I'm doing some research to address the issue of atonement for Israel/Judah while in Exile. Understanding that w/o the Temple atonement wasn't possible, I'm search the Bible (OT) for any "proof texts" to show that the nation's sins essentially "piled up". I've come across Isaiah 43:24 which seems to imply that God was "burdened" w/ their sins as a result of no sacrifice. But I'm wondering if there are any other stronger texts. I have also read Hosea 9:4 which states that sacrifice/burnt offerings would not be received by the LORD from them while in exile w/ the latter portion in the KJV implying that the "bread for the soul" (atonement) would not come into the House of the Lord, thus no sacrifice for atonement. However, other versions/commentators translate this scripture to mean that the bread that would have normally been offered for sacrifice would be for the soul, for them to eat, only. So I'm looking for other scriptures to speak directly to atonement being impossible while in exile. Also, are there any scriptures/stories that illustrate how they deal w/ atonement while in Exile? In reading the prophets or writings (Ezra/Nehemiah), you don't see much talk about how they dealt w/ their sins in Exile. At least I haven't come across any. Thanks for any help you can provide. Shalom!
J,
With the Temple destroyed and therefore no functioning priesthood nor sacrifices being offered, Israel had no way to obtain national atonement for their sins, which of course affected each Israelite on a very personal level. Bottom line, it meant that the nation was undergoing a severe state of judgment.
Solomon's prayer in 1 Kings 8 suggests that if the exiled Israelites repented and prayed to God (towards the Temple), then God would hear them and forgive them:
1Ki 8:46
"When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near;
1Ki 8:47
if they take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, 'We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly';
1Ki 8:48
if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name;
1Ki 8:49
then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
1Ki 8:50
and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and make them {objects of} compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them
However, 1 Chr 7 God seems to indicate that if things became bad enough, then even the Temple would be destroyed:
2Ch 7:19
"But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,
2Ch 7:20
then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
2Ch 7:21
"As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?'
2Ch 7:22
"And they will say, 'Because they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.' "
As we know, this is what happened. Their sin was worst than anyone could have dreamed. And God did what He said He would do. He leveled the Temple and the city, thus making it impossible to perform the covenant commandments associated with both national and personal atonement (Yom Kippur plus other sin offerings).
So, how did the exiles obtain atonement? From the standpoint of Torah observance, they couldn't. But keep in mind that despite the incredible importance of observing these commandments (since blessing and cursing was associated with their obedience to these covenant commandments); the atonement system outlined in the Torah only purchased temporary atonement. As you know, the cycle had to be performed time after time and year after year (Heb 10:11-14). Final approval, righteousness, and atonement from God would only be provided for the exiles (and all before them and after them) by the eternal atoning work of the Messiah. Heb 11:28-30 is very significant:
Hbr 11:39
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
Hbr 11:40
because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Final atonement came to David, Solomon, Ezra, Nehemiah, etc. the same way that it comes to us. We turn to God in repentance and faith, trusting Him with all of our heart based on what He has revealed at that point in history. The final perfection would come (as promised - Jer 31:34, etc.) through the work of Yeshua the Messiah. So we are made perfect together with these who went before us.
Certainly we know that the exiles (at least some of them) were thinking about and longing for atonement (and all of the sacrifices) while in Babylon. Why else would one of their first acts be to build an altar upon their return to Jerusalem (Ezra 3)? Also, the famous 70 weeks prophecy in Daniel 9 was given to during the exile. One of the prophetic promises presented to Daniel involved atonement (Dan 9:24). These passages further illustrate the longing for something that was impossible to do during the exile - namely to follow the extremely important covenant prescriptions for atonement.
It is interesting to note also that according to Jewish tradition, the exile atoned for sin, based on passages like Is 40:1ff. Of course there is an important distinction between “paying for sins” (like going to jail) vs. obtaining forgiveness and right standing before God.
From: J
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 12:07
Subject: Re: your question to Dr. Brown - atonement in exile
To Real Messiah,
Thanks for your response. This indeed helps. I primarily searched for scriptures that spoke to atonement during the actual time they were in exile. So I overlooked something like Solomon's prayer. So would I be technically correct if I said, the exiles could in fact obtain forgiveness w/o sacrifice if they turned towards God AND repented/sought his face, etc TOWARDS the temple? Which is ultimately an act of grace. However, if there isn't a temple standing to prayer towards, then there isn't a means of atonement w/o sacrifice which is the worst case as you mention in 1 Chron 7. Essentially, the Rabbinic Judaism argument that "we obtain atonement just like the exiles did and therefore don't need a Messiah for such, is incorrect because the exiles couldn't obtain atonement because the temple was destroyed. So they couldn't even pray towards it for forgiveness as Solomon prayed which God then accepted. So if the argument is going to be made that we atone just like the exiles did, then the only way to find out "how" they atoned would be from Solomon's prayer prayer/repentance towards the temple. Not good deeds and technically, not prayer alone, but prayer towards the temple. However, because it was destroyed in 586, during the Babylonian exile NO atonement and after 70 AD, no atonement. They often use 2 Chron 7:14 to support repentance and prayer, but technically, it had to be in combination w/ turning towards a standing temple. So would I technically be correct in making this argument? You've really helped. Thanks!
J,
We are glad to help! Yes - the exiles could obtain ultimate, final forgiveness through the sacrifice of Yeshua. They certainly would not have understood the details of this clearly. However, they would have been approved through their faith and perfected later through the righteousness of Messiah (Heb 11:39-40). And yes, the prayer of Solomon in 1 Kings 8, which is a huge text that the Rabbis point to, is contingent upon a standing Temple. No Temple means that the covenant cannot be followed at the foundational level. In accordance with the Scriptures, praise God that Yeshua came to usher in a better way. He has not left us without a way to get right with Him!
The Real Messiah Team
By the way, have you consulted volume two of Dr. Brown's "Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus"? In this volume, Dr. Brown addresses the atonement issue thoroughly.
From: J
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 5:05 PM
To: Real Messiah
Subject: RE: your question to Dr. Brown - atonement in exile
Real Messiah,
I’m just getting home and my last email was sent from my BB device. So I’m reading again your email and I’m seeing something that I’ve never considered before and just want to make sure I’m catching what you getting at. So essentially, all those who preceded the death of Yahshua obtained a “temporary” atonement which “appeased” God until “final and complete” atonement came through his death. However, in order for them to obtain the final atonement via Yahshua’s death, they must have walked in faith when alive which meant walking in obedience to God and His laws. So those in exile who REMAINED in disobedience and died as such would have not obtained final atonement because of their lack of faith. However, those during the exile who returned to God in their faith, while lacking atonement at the present moment because there wasn’t a temple, would have received final atonement (posthumously, so to speak) once Yahshua died so that they are perfected along with us at the same moment. So for the righteous during exile, atonement (final) would come years later. But at the present moment, they would have lacked such. However, their present faith would have guaranteed their final atonement to come. So even as such, the argument can’t be made today by Rabbinic Judaism that the same faith (obedience to the Torah) can bring atonement as it did for the righteous exiles because the obedience to the Torah during the exile and the associated atonement was connected to Yahshua whom although they didn’t know at the time, they believed on through faith because they believe God and all that He spoke. So ultimately, atonement during the Exile was connected to Yahshua through faith in what God spoke and so Rabbinic Judaism today needs that same connection to Messiah w/ the difference that He has finally come and final atonement is “immediate” as opposed to “to come” as w/ the Exiles. Am I drawing sound conclusions?
--
J
J,
Yes, Yeshua came to "confirm the promises given to the fathers" (Rom 15:8-9). Abraham rejoiced to see Yeshua's day and was glad (Jn 8:56). Why? Because Yeshua brought the promised redemption. He is the goal at which the Torah aims (Romans 10:4). Everything in the Torah was moving the Jewish people towards the redemption and glory that would come through Messiah. So the sacrifices and the Day of Atonement service did have an expiatory effect for the sins committed under the covenant that God gave to Moses at Sinai. But there was no finality to this expiation (Heb 10:1-10). The Torah was our tutor to lead us to Messiah so that we would be justified by faith (Gal 3:24).
Yes, final atonement for the righteous during the exile would ultimately come through Yeshua. This does not minimize the importance of the Temple and obedience to the Torah before Yeshua's time. God was building, progressively revealing Himself, and preparing the way for the final redemption. The Torah was the rule of life that He gave them for this time in order for the people to be blessed, to flourish (Deut 28), and to be prepared for Messiah. It also showed them their sin and their desperate need for God's mercy (Romans 7:12-14).
Yes, salvation has come! Now is the time!
I think you are on track for sure! Blessings, The Real Messiah Team