What is the significance of "two male goats" for the sin offering in Leviticus 16:5? Setting the Scene: Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement • “From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.” (Leviticus 16:5) • The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is the only day each year when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies. • Everything in the chapter underscores God’s holiness and Israel’s need for cleansing. Why Two Goats? A Dual Picture of Sin and Atonement • Both animals together comprise “a sin offering,” not two separate offerings (16:5, 17). • They show two inseparable aspects of atonement: – Propitiation (satisfying God’s justice). – Expiation (removing sin’s defilement). • One goat dies, the other lives—together portraying the fullness of forgiveness. Goat One: A Sin Offering for the LORD • The lot fell: “one lot for the LORD” (16:8). • Slain outside the veil; its blood carried inside and sprinkled on/before the mercy seat (16:15). • Significance: – Substitutionary death—life for life (Leviticus 17:11). – Propitiation: God’s wrath is turned away by shed blood (Hebrews 9:22). – Access: the blood opens a path into God’s presence (Hebrews 10:19). Goat Two: The Scapegoat (Azazel) • “The other lot for the scapegoat” (16:8). • Aaron lays both hands on it, confesses Israel’s sins, “and the goat shall carry on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land” (16:21-22). • Significance: – Visible transfer: the people watch their sins placed on another. – Removal: sin carried far away, never to return (Psalm 103:12). – Continued life: illustrates separation of the sinner from sin once atonement is made. Unified Purpose: Two Goats, One Sin Offering • Side-by-side they proclaim: – Sin must be paid for (death of the first goat). – Sin can be removed (departure of the second). • Together they assure Israel that God both forgives and cleanses (1 John 1:9). Foreshadowing the Perfect Sacrifice • Christ fulfills both roles in one Person: – Propitiation: “He has appeared once for all…to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). – Expiation: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). • The cross and the empty tomb parallel the slain goat and the scapegoat—death for sin, life that removes sin. • “He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25). Key Takeaways for Today • God’s provision is complete: no part of our guilt or shame is left unaddressed. • Forgiveness is costly—blood was required, pointing to the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). • Sin is truly removed: we need not keep carrying what God has already taken away. |
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