“He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26).
The seventh month of each year marked a special interval on Israel’s national calendar. That period corresponded to September-October on a modern-day calendar and coincided with three national holidays: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Feast of Trumpets is also known as Rosh Hashanah and marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. The Day of Atonement is also recognized as Yom Kippur. This represented the only day of the year when the High Priest was permitted to enter the innermost portion of the Tabernacle (or the Most Holy Place) to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the nation.
The Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot) commemorated the period that followed Israel’s release from Egyptian slavery. It marked the forty-year wilderness journey that ended when Israel entered the land of God’s promise. During that festival, the people of Israel constructed temporary shelters made from the branches of various leafy trees to commemorate the period when they lived in such dwellings following their departure from Egypt.
Hebrews 9:26 recalls the second of these national holidays- the Day of Atonement. The author of Hebrews has already established that Jesus served as the High Priest who officiated over that final atoning sacrifice, as well as the sacrifice itself. It is in this manner that “…he has appeared once and for all to abolish sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Phillips).
However, this principle of sacrifice did not end at the cross. Instead, Jesus also set a sacrificial example for us to follow…
“So the atonement of Jesus as our Great High Priest ended the Old Testament sacrificial system. However, it did not destroy the principle of sacrifice in the Christian life. We are still called to worship God and to give offerings to Him in that worship.
Paul wrote in Romans: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom. 12:1–2)
We are to give ourselves to God as living sacrifices. This means we are to give our time, our energy, and our very selves to Him as acts of worship and gratitude. But we must always be aware that God has given us these and all things.” (1)
(1) Sproul, R.C., Five Things Every Christian Needs to Grow © 2008 by R.C. Sproul, Reformation Trust Publishing [pg. 112]