Leviticus 16:1-34 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Leviticus 16:1-34. Let’s go!
Leviticus 16:1-19 (NIV)
1 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD.
2 The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.
5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.
7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
8 He is to cast lots for the two goats–one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat.
9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering.
10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.
11 “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.
12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain.
13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die.
14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.
15 “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it.
16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
17 No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.
18 “Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.
19 He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.
On verses 1-19: In the tabernacle where the Israelites would gather to worship and give their sacrifices to God, there was, curtained off and closed to the public, a smaller room called the “Most Holy Place”. In the Most Holy Place would be the ark of the covenant, which was an ornate gold-covered box that contained the stone tablets bearing the 10 commandments. The Most Holy Place and the ark represented God’s presence among the people of Israel. For more on the Most Holy Place, the ark and the tabernacle, see Exodus 25 and 26.
In these verses we learn that Aaron the high priest of Israel could not enter the Most Holy Place whenever he wanted (v2). Rather he could only enter the Most Holy Place once a year and to do so had to offer a number of specific sacrifices to make atonement for the Israelites, for himself, and even for the things like the place where they gather to worship and the equipment they used. If Aaron tried to enter the Most Holy Place without making these sacrifices, he would die (v2). All of this goes to show us that God is perfectly holy and thus it is not a simple or easy thing for sinners to enter God’s presence. God is so holy that in our sin we would die if we entered God’s presence. It is only because of Jesus shed His blood as the perfect and all sufficient sacrifice for all our sins that we can enter God’s most holy presence today. That is why, the moment Jesus died, the curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple in Jerusalem was torn, showing that Jesus’ death gave all of us access to God’s presence (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45).
Leviticus 16:20-22 (NIV)
20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.
21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites–all their sins–and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task.
22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.
On verses 20-22: Nowadays when you hear someone say, “They made him a scapegoat”, it means that they blamed one person for all the wrong that took place, even if that person was innocent. This idea of the scapegoat originates from Leviticus. As we read in Leviticus 16, once a year on the Day of Atonement, a goat was chosen by lot to show that the choice of the scapegoat was God’s choice, not man’s choice (v10). The high priest would place both of his hands on the head of a scapegoat and confess over it all the sins of the people (v21). This symbolized the transferring of all the people’s sins to the scapegoat. The scapegoat would then be released into the desert (v22) to signify that God had removed all sins from the people.
Leviticus 16 foreshadows the day that Jesus would act as our scapegoat. Chosen by God, not by man, God allowed all of our sins to be placed on Jesus’ head. As Jesus died on the cross bearing our sins, he experienced not just physical death but spiritual death. As God banished him from his holy presence, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Later on the cross before he died Jesus would say, “It is finished”, meaning that the work of taking our sins away from us was complete.
It’s because Jesus was our scapegoat, we can declare along with Psalm 103:12 that “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Jesus is not only the Lamb of God, but also our scapegoat.
Leviticus 16:23-34 (NIV)
23 “Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.
24 He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people.
25 He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 “The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.
27 The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and offal are to be burned up.
28 The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.
29 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work–whether native-born or an alien living among you–
30 because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins.
31 It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.
32 The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments
33 and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community.
34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.” And it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.
On verses 23-34: These verses conclude the regulations surrounding this annual Day of Atonement when the high priest would make atonement for the sins of the people as well as his own sins. This of course points us forward to the day that Jesus our great high priest would make atonement for our sins, once and for all. As Hebrews 7:27 says, “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”
After reading and understanding Leviticus 16, we can better appreciate what Hebrews 10:19-25 tells us about the amazing access we now have to God’s forgiveness and to God’s presence, all because of Jesus:
Hebrews 10:19-25 (NIV)
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for willingly experiencing shame, abandonment, banishment, and death for us. You were innocent, and yet You became the scapegoat who carried all my sin and shame far away from me. We can never repay You for such amazing love. It is not an easy thing for sinners to enter the presence of a holy God. Thank You for making it possible for us by Your precious blood. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
