The Scapegoat Offering

Leviticus 16:1–19
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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.