How does Leviticus 16:10 illustrate the concept of atonement in the Old Testament? Context of Leviticus 16 • Leviticus 16 narrates the annual Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the most solemn day in Israel’s calendar. • Two goats were central: one “for the LORD” (v. 9) was sacrificed; the other became the “scapegoat” (Hebrew: azazel) sent into the wilderness. • Together they formed a single atonement picture—bloodshed for sin’s penalty and removal of sin’s presence from the camp. Leviticus 16:10 “But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.” Key Elements That Illustrate Atonement • Presentation “alive before the LORD” – Even before departure, the live goat is placed under God’s scrutiny. – This stresses divine acceptance of the substitute before it carries sin away. • “To make atonement” – Atonement (Hebrew: kippur) means covering or reconciling. – Though no blood is shed on this goat, atonement still occurs because God ordains the act of removal as part of the covering (cf. Leviticus 17:11). • “Sending it into the wilderness” – Visual demonstration that forgiven sin is taken far away from the people. – Echoes Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” – Wilderness, a place of barrenness, symbolizes sin’s banishment and the end of its defilement. The Dual Goats: One Message • Goat #1 (slain) = penalty paid through blood (Hebrews 9:22). • Goat #2 (scapegoat) = pollution removed, conscience relieved (Hebrews 10:2). • Together they show atonement as both propitiation (satisfaction of justice) and expiation (removal of guilt). Foreshadowing the Messiah • Isaiah 53:6 anticipates the scapegoat motif: “the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” • John 1:29 describes Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” uniting sacrifice and removal in one Person. • Hebrews 13:12–13 links Christ’s suffering “outside the camp” with the Day of Atonement imagery, fulfilling the wilderness sending. Timeless Takeaways • God Himself provides the means of covering; humans contribute nothing but their sin. • True atonement deals with both the legal guilt (through substitutionary death) and the lingering defilement (through removal). • Believers today rest in the once-for-all work of Christ, the ultimate fulfillment of both goats, who both bore sin and banished it forever (Hebrews 9:11-12). |
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