What is the meaning of Leviticus 16:18? Then he shall go out • The high priest, having sprinkled blood inside the Most Holy Place (Leviticus 16:15), now exits. • Scripture stresses that “No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron enters… until he comes out” (Leviticus 16:17), underscoring the unique mediatorial role. • Hebrews 9:7 cites this yearly movement to point us to Christ, who entered the heavenly sanctuary once for all. to the altar that is before the LORD • The destination is the bronze altar of burnt offering in the courtyard (Exodus 40:29). • Though outside the veil, the altar still stands “before the LORD,” reminding Israel that every sacrifice occurs in God’s immediate presence (Exodus 29:43). • Hebrews 13:10 hints at this same altar when teaching that believers “have an altar from which those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat,” a foreshadowing of Christ’s cross. and make atonement for it • Even the altar, a holy object, needed cleansing because Israel’s sins defiled everything they touched (Leviticus 8:15; Ezekiel 43:26). • The act illustrates how pervasive sin is and how thorough God’s remedy must be—“nearly everything is purified with blood” (Hebrews 9:22). • Through Jesus, God extends that cleansing “to reconcile all things to Himself… making peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood • Two sources of blood are combined: – The bull’s blood (Leviticus 16:6) covers the priesthood. – The goat’s blood (Leviticus 16:15) covers the people. • Together they symbolize a complete atonement—from leadership to laity—fulfilled in Christ, who “does not need to offer sacrifices day after day… He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered Himself” (Hebrews 7:27). and put it on all the horns of the altar • The horns represent strength and refuge; fugitives once clung to them for mercy (1 Kings 1:50). • Blood on every horn shows that mercy is accessible from every side of the altar, leaving no part untouched. • This anticipates our invitation to “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16), because the true altar—Calvary—has been fully covered by the blood of the Lamb. summary Leviticus 16:18 pictures the high priest emerging from the Holy Place to cleanse the courtyard altar with blood from both the bull and the goat. The scene teaches that: • Sin contaminates even holy things; everything must be purified. • God provides a single, sufficient remedy—substitutionary blood. • The provision embraces priest and people alike, ensuring complete reconciliation. • Every aspect of the ritual foreshadows Jesus Christ, whose once-for-all sacrifice purifies the heavenly altar, opens the way to God, and offers refuge to all who draw near. |
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