Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 16:23-24

23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: 

24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.

We had a great deal of detail for how the sin offerings were to be performed, but now just two verses describing how Aaron would then wash, change clothes, and perform the burnt offerings for both himself and the congregation, presumably just following the usual routine for that ritual.

This completes the tasks that the High Priest must perform on the Day of Atonement and provides us an excellent opportunity to look back at some of the more unique aspects in the earlier verses and what they likely represent.

The most unique part of the ritual was, of course, the selection of two goats, one to be chosen at random for the sacrifice, and one to be released as the scapegoat in the wild. This immediately brings to mind comparisons to Jesus and Barabbas, Jesus being the offering slain at the altar, Barabbas being the scapegoat set free into the wild. We are all of us that scapegoat, sinners set free because the Son of God was sacrificed instead. Even to the Ancient Israelite this symbolism applies: offerings were slain for their sins while they, themselves, were freed from condemnation.

So why, then, was the scapegoat released into the wild, and with the burden of Israel’s sins upon its head? For this we must recognize that simultaneous to the above-mentioned symbolism, the two goats also represent different aspects of the same ultimate sacrifice. Jesus is both the goat slain and the goat cast into exile. He was cast into exile when he left heaven to enter the mortal world and wear our sins on his head. He was slain for our sins upon the cross. To the Ancient Israelite, their sins were paid for by the slaughtered goat, and their evil predispositions carried away by the second goat so that they could live better.

These two goats can be seen as a symbol for the human condition. We are born as a wild goat astray in the fallen world, weighed down by our sin and shame, and it is our great mission in life to come back to the altar and let our old self be slain that we may be reborn as something new.

Here are three interpretations, I am sure that there are more. This is a very thought-provoking ritual, one that seems to be rich in meaning.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 16:10, 20-22, 26

10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. 

20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: 

21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 

22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. 

26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.

Today we learn about one of the most unique and interesting elements of the Old Testament sacrifice system, which is the scapegoat. In the last post we heard that on the Day of Atonement, two goats would be presented as potential sin offerings, but only one would be selected, at random, to fulfill that purpose. The other was the scapegoat, which we read today had all of the sins of Israel declared upon its head. Then it was led by the hand to the wilderness and there released.

Thus, the scapegoat had both a burden and a freedom not afforded to the other goat. The image of this goat is so intriguing that even today we use the term “scapegoat” to refer to someone assigned to take the blame for a group. As I said before, I am first detailing all of the ritual actions performed on the Day of Atonement, and only afterward will I delve into all of the symbolic meaning, but obviously this matter of the two goats is of prominent significance.