The Scapegoat
20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.
Leviticus 16:20-22
I love etymology. It’s the study of the origin stories of words. Scapegoat is one of those words you’ve read and used, but did you know it came from the Bible? It’s a fascinating aspect of the Day of Atonement ceremony.
Two goats are chosen and lots are cast (kinda like dice) to decide which goat will become a burnt offering on the fire and which will be taken away into the wilderness. But why this seemingly bizarre ritual?
Well, I think both goats captured the consequences of sin. We’ve already looked at this with the burnt offering. Death on an altar of fire represents the judgement of God for sin and sinners. The New Testament describes it as an eternity in fiery torment. I don’t think literally fire, but it’s the closest thing we can get to imagining the terrible nature of hell.
The second goat, the scapegoat, captures another aspect of the consequences of sin. This goat, is led away into the wilderness and released in a remote place. Now, that doesn’t sound so bad. Well, for the goat it might not be. But what it symbolises is terrible.
To be outside the camp is to be cut off from the presence of God and his people. It’s to be outside of his peace, his love and his joy. It’s a picture of the eternity of hell. Forever cut off from God’s goodness. Isolated and alone. It’s a nightmare.
But as Hebrews 13:12 reminds us, Jesus suffered outside the gate/camp to make people holy by his blood. Jesus became our scapegoat. He didn’t deserve to die for sin. It wasn’t his sins. But he became cut off from God and cut off from his people for our sake. And because of this, we can enjoy the blessings of God.
Today:
Pray:
Leviticus 16:20-22
I love etymology. It’s the study of the origin stories of words. Scapegoat is one of those words you’ve read and used, but did you know it came from the Bible? It’s a fascinating aspect of the Day of Atonement ceremony.
Two goats are chosen and lots are cast (kinda like dice) to decide which goat will become a burnt offering on the fire and which will be taken away into the wilderness. But why this seemingly bizarre ritual?
Well, I think both goats captured the consequences of sin. We’ve already looked at this with the burnt offering. Death on an altar of fire represents the judgement of God for sin and sinners. The New Testament describes it as an eternity in fiery torment. I don’t think literally fire, but it’s the closest thing we can get to imagining the terrible nature of hell.
The second goat, the scapegoat, captures another aspect of the consequences of sin. This goat, is led away into the wilderness and released in a remote place. Now, that doesn’t sound so bad. Well, for the goat it might not be. But what it symbolises is terrible.
To be outside the camp is to be cut off from the presence of God and his people. It’s to be outside of his peace, his love and his joy. It’s a picture of the eternity of hell. Forever cut off from God’s goodness. Isolated and alone. It’s a nightmare.
But as Hebrews 13:12 reminds us, Jesus suffered outside the gate/camp to make people holy by his blood. Jesus became our scapegoat. He didn’t deserve to die for sin. It wasn’t his sins. But he became cut off from God and cut off from his people for our sake. And because of this, we can enjoy the blessings of God.
Today:
- Have you ever been made a scapegoat?
- How does the idea of the scapegoat help you understand what Jesus experienced?
- Who is one person you need to pray for today - that they would avoid the reality of hell.
Pray:
- Praise the Father for his provision of mercy in Jesus
- Give thanks for Jesus who took our punishment for sin.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to draw people to Jesus to receive mercy.
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