The Scapegoat Offering
March 10, 2019
Commentary
Two of Aaron’s sons had already lost their lives for disobeying the Lord, so the Lord told Moses that He will appear in a cloud over the mercy seat in the tent and warned him not to go there except at the proper time. (vv. 1-2)! Before entering this most holy place, you must offer a bull as a sacrifice for your sins and a ram as a sacrifice to please me (v. 3). You will take a bath and put on the sacred linen clothes, including the underwear, the robe, the sash, and the turban (v. 4). Then the community of Israel will bring you a ram and two goats, both of them males (v. 5). The goats are to be used as sacrifices for sin, and the ram is to be used as a sacrifice to please me. Aaron, you must offer the bull as a sacrifice of forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family (v. 6). Then you will lead the two goats into my presence at the front of the sacred tent, where I will show you which goat will be sacrificed to me and which one will be sent into the desert to the demon Azazel (vv. 7-8). After you offer the first goat as a sacrifice for sin (v. 10), the other one must be presented to me alive, before you send it into the desert to take away the sins of the people (v. 9).
You must offer the bull as a sacrifice of forgiveness for you and your family’s sins (v. 11). Then you will take a pan of live coals from the bronze altar, together with two handfuls of finely ground incense, into the most holy place (v. 12). You will present them to Me by placing the incense on the coals, so that the place of mercy will be covered with a cloud of smoke. Do this, or you will die right there (v. 13)! Next, sprinkle some blood on the lid of the sacred chest; then sprinkle blood seven times in front of the chest (v. 14). Aaron, must sacrifice the goat for the sins of the people, and you must sprinkle its blood inside the most holy place (v. 15). This will take away the sins that make the most holy place and the people of Israel unclean (v. 16). Do the same for the sacred tent. Only you are allowed in the sacred tent from the time you enter until the time you come out (v. 17). After leaving the tent, you will purify the bronze altar by smearing each of its four corners with some of the blood from the bull and from the goat (v. 18). Use a finger to sprinkle the altar seven times with the blood, and it will be completely clean from the sins of the people (v. 19).
Application
I don’t deserve all that the Lord has done for me beginning with His death on the cross for my sins.
Leviticus 16:1– 19 (NET)
1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord and died, 2 and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the special curtain in front of the atonement lid that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement lid.
3 “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary—with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He must put on a holy linen tunic, linen leggings are to cover his body, and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash and wrap his head with a linen turban. They are holy garments, so he must bathe his body in water and put them on. 5 He must also take two male goats from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. 7 Next he must take the two goats and stand them before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, 8 and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel. 9 Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord, and he is to make it a sin offering, 10 but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away into the desert to Azazel.
11 “Aaron is to present the sin-offering bull which is for himself, and he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. He is to slaughter the sin-offering bull which is for himself, 12 and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the curtain. 13 He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement lid which is above the ark of the testimony, so that he will not die. 14 Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the atonement lid, and in front of the atonement lid he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger.
15 “Aaron must then slaughter the sin-offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the curtain, and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement lid and in front of the atonement lid. 16 So he is to make atonement for the Holy Place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins, and thus he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities. 17 Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel.
18 “Then Aaron is to go out to the altar which is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it all around on the horns of the altar. 19 Then he is to sprinkle on it some of the blood with his finger seven times, and cleanse and consecrate it from the impurities of the Israelites.