John Calvin Commentary Leviticus 23:27

"Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah." — Leviticus 23:27 (ASV)

Also on the tenth day of this seventh month. The word כפר, caphar, from which comes the noun כפרים, cephurim, signifies both to propitiate and to blot out guilt and accusation by means of expiation. כפרים, therefore, are atonements (libationes) for appeasing God. The word is used in the plural because they were not under the imputation of a single kind of guilt, but had need of manifold reconciliations on account of their many and various transgressions.

This was indeed done both publicly and privately throughout the rest of the year, for all the victims they offered were so many satisfactions to obtain pardon and reconcile God. However, to these daily exercises was also added a yearly feast day as a special memorial and as a sharper spur to repentance. For it was appropriate that they should be aroused to pious grief by solemn fasting and sacrifices, since they had provoked God’s wrath against themselves throughout the whole year.

Therefore, on this feast day they were summoned before His tribunal, so that, placing themselves there, they would acknowledge that they deserved this judgment, and yet prayed that they might escape punishment; and this was the object of the fast. Meanwhile, they learned from the sacrifices that they were restored to His favor, since simple confession would have been only a ground for despair.

Thus, therefore, God required of them sorrow and other indications of penitence, so that on His part He might testify that He was duly appeased so as to be propitious to them. The expression, “ye shall afflict your souls,” here refers to the fast, which was required as an outward profession of repentance.

And assuredly, there was no weight in the fast of itself, since God plainly shows through Isaiah that He takes no account of hypocrites who trust that they appease Him by fasting (Isaiah 58:3). But being withdrawn from mere luxurious food and all delicacies, they were reminded of their misery, so that being cast down by grief and humbled, they might more ardently and zealously seek the remedy.

For remission of sins is promised to none but those who, affected by serious sorrow, feel themselves to be lost and miserable, and acknowledge and confess what they have deserved. In this way, a door is opened for imploring God’s mercy. Still, it is not to be supposed that those who are thus dissatisfied with themselves deserve pardon by their preparation for it.³⁵²

But since it would be contrary to God’s nature to embrace with His favor people who are plunged in their iniquities and obstinate in sin, and again, since it would be most unreasonable that by His clemency license to sin should be given under the pretext of impunity, it is necessary that penitence should precede our reconciliation to God.

From this it also appears that He so pardons sinners as still to hate their sins, since He only absolves those who voluntarily condemn themselves, nor does He admit any into His favor except those who forsake their sins. This is not to say that anyone perfectly renounces himself or his sins, but it is through indulgence that penitence is acceptable to God,³⁵³ though it might justly be rejected on account of its deficiencies.

By this, what I have just said is also confirmed: that it is not on account of the merit of our penitence that God acquits us of our sins, as if we redeemed ourselves from guilt and punishment by weeping, sorrowing, and confession. In contrast, even in the best of us, all penitence will always be found to be weak and imperfect. Therefore, the cause and the honor of our pardon must only be ascribed to the gratuitous goodness of God. Hence, I have said that in their fast the Israelites professed their guilt and condemnation, while they were expiated by the sacrifice, since there is no other means of satisfaction.

³⁵² “Pour s’estre disposez en bon estat, comme on parle.” — .” — Fr.

³⁵³ “Quand elle n’est point feinte;;” when it is not feigned. — when it is not feigned. — Fr.