What is the significance of the "two male goats" in Leviticus 16:7? Setting the scene “Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.” (Leviticus 16:7) This moment unfolds on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the one day each year when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to make atonement for all Israel. The two goats, side-by-side • Both are “male goats without blemish,” portraying innocence and the need for a flawless substitute (cf. Leviticus 16:5). • They are presented together before any lot is cast, highlighting that a single atonement requires both aspects that follow. • One destiny, two expressions: atonement is both satisfaction of divine justice and complete removal of guilt. Lot #1—“for the LORD” • Designated as the sin offering (Leviticus 16:9, 15). • Its blood is carried “behind the veil” and sprinkled “on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat” (Leviticus 16:15). • Significance: – Substitutionary death satisfies God’s righteous wrath against sin. – Life-for-life principle established in Leviticus 17:11 is visibly enacted. – Prefigures Christ, who “entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood” (Hebrews 9:12). Lot #2—“for Azazel,” the scapegoat • The high priest “lays both hands on the head of the live goat and confesses over it all the iniquities of the Israelites” (Leviticus 16:21). • The goat “shall carry on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land” (Leviticus 16:22). • Significance: – Public transfer of sin: Israel sees guilt tangibly placed on another. – Removal of sin from the camp dramatizes Psalm 103:12—“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” – Anticipates Isaiah 53:6—“The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Why two goats? • One picture cannot capture the full scope of atonement. • The slain goat shows sin punished; the living goat shows sin banished. • Together they testify: God both propitiates (turns away wrath) and expiates (removes guilt). Christ in view • John the Baptist echoes the scapegoat: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). • Hebrews links both aspects: “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28). • At the cross, Jesus fulfills the dual imagery—His blood satisfies justice, and His resurrection life guarantees the permanent removal of sin. Practical takeaways • Assurance: The two goats declare that God’s forgiveness is complete—our sin is both paid for and removed. • Worship: Gratitude flows when we grasp the cost and completeness of atonement. • Holiness: Freed from guilt, we are called to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). |
    |