Leviticus 16-17
Day of Atonement
and the Goat God
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Psalm 18:1-27 Why Should God Save You?
The Lord is My Rock
1I love you, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me; 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry. 8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him. 9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water. 12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire. 14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them. 15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters. 17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support. 19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me. 23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt. 24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; 26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. 27 For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
Application
Does God delight in you? Why or why not? What can you do about it?
Prayer
O Yahweh, You are my trustworthy, Strength, Rock, Fortress, Shield, Stronghold, Savior, Deliverer, Support, and fire breathing, earth shaking Rescuer and Recompenser. I'd be crazy not to trust you. Amen.
Proverbs 5:15-17 Refreshing Water
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well. 16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
Application
A mutually satisfying marriage bed safeguards the marriage from temptation and destruction.
Prayer
Lord thanks that You are concerned about my desires; You not only created them, but also the wise way to satisfy them. Amen.
Leviticus 16-17 Day of Atonement and the Goat God
Leviticus 16 Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement
The Law of Atonement
1 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, 2 and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel. 9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.The Sin Offering for the Priest
11 “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.The Sin Offering for the People
15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.The Scapegoat
20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. 23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. 24 And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. 28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.The Day of Atonement
29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the LORD commanded Moses.Application
We can only approach God on His terms, as He has specified, especially in the service of others. It doesn't stop at forgiveness, God wants complete dedication (16:24).
Prayer
Holy God, I praise You for being a merciful and just God, who provides His people with means of forgiveness and cleansing so we can have a wholly dedicated relationship with You. Amen.
Leviticus 17 Goat Worship and Blood
The Place of Sacrifice
1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the LORD has commanded. 3 If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5 This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the LORD, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD. 6 And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 7 So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations. 8 “And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man shall be cut off from his people.Eating of Blood Forbidden
10 “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. 12 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. 13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 14 For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. 15 And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.”Application
Whether eating blood or offering sacrifices improperly or being cozy with demons, a redeemed person forfeits fellowship and blessing by disobedience.
Prayer
Gracious God, thank You for accepting the blood of another as the substitute for my sin, so I could be forgiven and rightly related to You. Amen.
Digging Deeper
The Mystery of the Red Ribbon and the Black Rock
The rabbinical commentaries in the Talmud would not want to present the Day of Atonement as ineffective, for doing so would undermine the Scriptures. Nor would they want to lend any credence to the efficacy of Christ's death. But from both the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmud we have the quotes below. Check out the elaboration in the link above, and additional background in the Jewish Encyclopedia below.
We read in the Jerusalem Talmud (Rabbinical Commentary):
- "Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open" (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157). [The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE]
A similar passage in the Babylonian Talmud states:
- "Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot ['For the Lord'] did not come up in the right hand; nordid the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine; and the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves" (Soncino version, Yoma 39b).
Yoma, a treatise in the Mishnah, in the Tosefta, and in both Talmudim, treating of the divine service on the Day of Atonement:
Ch. vi.: regarding the ten stations in the journey from Jerusalem to the mountain-top from which the animal was thrown down; how it was thrown; how color-signals were used to make it known in Jerusalem and in the Temple that Azazel's goat had reached the wilderness; how to the door of the Hekal was tied a red ribbon, which turned white when the goat had arrived in the wilderness (§§ 4-8).
God in a nutshell: God graciously offers sinners (those who live independently of Him) a means to get back in His good graces, but only on His terms. He is concerned with more than our forgiveness, but with our blessing, which requires purity, hence the whole burnt-offering (complete dedication) is required.
Us in a nutshell: Failure to follow God's revelation get us in trouble in the first place, so God offers a corrective, requiring explicit and specific obedience. When we submit our will to His, we get forgiven. But it doesn't end there (sin-offering); we need to totally dedicate ourselves to purity and separation from defilement (whole burnt-offering) or we will be separated or cut off from blessing.
Where to go for more
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