Two Goats and a King
Daily Old Testament Reading: Leviticus 15-18
Daily Focus Passage: Leviticus16
The Day of Atonement existed as a fundamental part of the people of Israel. This day served as a moment of seeking forgiveness and purity from the Lord. The day’s activity included the priest using one goat as a sacrifice and a second goat as the scapegoat into the wilderness. This faithful activity served as the process of receiving atonement from the Lord. When we read of this in Leviticus 16, we need to recognize the fingerprints of Christ all over the event.
THE BLOOD OF THE SACRIFICIED GOAT
The sacrifice of the goat served as the needed shedding of blood to pay for the debt of sin’s curse. This goat sacrifice was necessary because the people of Israel dealt with the effects of sin from the fall. Without the shedding of blood, the forgiveness of sin could not occur because of the demanded price of sin. The Lord desired for the people to be his people, and as a result, the Lord formed a way through the sacrificial system to have the penalty of sin addressed.
THE REMOVAL OF THE SCAPEGOAT
The scapegoat was the second goat used on the Day of Atonement. This goat was not presented as a sacrifice on the altar but as the representation of the removal of sin. The priest would approach this goat and place his hands on the head of the goat. During this moment, the priest would make confession of the sin of the people and transfer this sin to the goat. Then the scapegoat would be led into the wilderness and released. This act symbolically pointed to the release of sin from the people of Israel.
THE KING
These two goats used on the Day of Atonement foreshadowed the sacrifice and work of our King, Jesus. On the cross, Jesus served as the sacrificial lamb. He bled and paid the ultimate price of death to make the needed payment to deal with the debt of sin. Unlike the original goat on the Day of Atonement, Jesus did not need to lay down his life sacrificially year after year. Instead, King Jesus served as the eternal sacrifice for the eternal Day of Atonement that occurred once and for all.
The scapegoat also foreshadowed the work of our King. The scapegoat marked the removal of sin from the people of God. When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, we accept the sacrifice made on our behalf and receive the removal of sin. This does not mean that we never sin again, but it means that as we seek forgiveness through repentance, that our sin is dealt with and removed from being counted against us. Thus, on the cross and in the resurrection, King Jesus removed the sin guilt from his people.
The Levitical system appears foreign to us today for many reasons. In reality, the Lord has provided us with this information through his inerrant and infallible Word so that we would understand and know him greater. The work of the Day of Atonement in this system reveals to us the greater Day of Atonement enacted by our Lord and Savior, King Jesus.
