Christian, are you still going after your Scapegoat?

The Scapegoat

Leviticus 16:6-10

⁶ Then Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering, which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. ⁷ He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting.⁸ Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. ⁹ Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell and make it a sin offering. ¹⁰ But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

Thoughts on the Passage

Day five of a 14-day self-quarantine. Snowed again last night and it will do so throughout the day today. Cabin-fever has not yet set in, but I hear it knocking at the door. Certainly can’t yet imagine what the apostles in prison felt like, or what many Christians are experiencing all over the world these days in environments hostile to our faith. But the study of God’s Word is always exciting and new, and so it is today. So we continue with our study of the Old Testament book of Leviticus, trying to see what applications it has for us today.

Never had I noticed before that the High Priest Aaron had to cast lots for the two animals that were to be sacrificed. I wondered why. The passage certainly called for more probing. One was actually to die during the sacrifice, the other (the so-called ‘scapegoat’) was to be presented alive to God and the sent into the wilderness, as a ‘removed goat’ (verse 10).

Chuck Smith gives us a good summary of the meaning of this chapter of Leviticus when he writes:

Of course, as you look at this, it is all looking forward to Jesus Christ. So there is just beautiful symbolism all the way through, with the exception that there is no equivalent in Christ for the sin offering that the high priest offered for himself. For Jesus did not have to offer any sacrifice for Himself being sinless. There's no New Testament equivalent to that.

So, with that in mind we dig deeper. David Guzik adds that the Talmud (the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law and Jewish theology) stipulated that the two goats be as alike as possible – in size, color, and value.

Now with respect to the scapegoat, Guzik also provides Harrison’s comment on the word itself:

Scapegoat translates the Hebrew word Azazel. "The meaning of this word is far from certain … The word may perhaps signify 'removal' or 'dismissal' … Probably the best explanation is that the word was a rare technical term describing 'complete removal.'"

Guzik further adds:

There were elaborate Jewish traditions about Azazel, saying he was a demonic being that the Messiah would defeat. More likely, Azazel simply referred to this goat's function of symbolically removing sin from Israel.

Robert Jamieson gives us this additional information as to how the actual determining of the lots may have taken place.  He writes:

(Both the goats were) presented before the Lord, and the disposal of them determined by lot, which Jewish writers have thus described: The priest, placing one of the goats on his right hand and the other on his left, took his station by the altar, and cast into an urn two pieces of gold exactly similar, inscribed, the one with the words "for the Lord," and the other for "Azazel" (the scapegoat). After having well shaken them together, he put both his hands into the box and took up a lot in each: that in his right hand he put on the head of the goat which stood on his right, and that in his left he dropped on the other. In this manner the fate of each was decided.

Finally, Matthew Henry, gives us this description of what was taking place in this passage and why:

He must then cast lots upon the two goats, which were to make (both together) one sin-offering for the congregation. One of these goats must be slain, in token of a satisfaction to be made to God's justice for sin, the other must be sent away, in token of the remission or dismission of sin by the mercy of God. Both must be presented together to God (vs.7) before the lot was cast upon them, and afterwards the scapegoat by itself, (vs. 10). Some think that goats were chosen for the sin-offering because, by the disagreeableness of their smell, the offensiveness of sin is represented: others think, because it was said that the demons which the heathens then worshipped often appeared to their worshippers in the form of goats, God therefore obliged his people to sacrifice goats, that they might never be tempted to sacrifice to goats.

So, what are the lessons for us today? Perhaps they are as simple as this:

First, have we made our “sin offering” to God? No, not with an animal, but with our hearts and our mouths.

Second, do we recognize that the ‘scapegoat’ of sin has been sent out into the wilderness, never to bother us again, or do we go after it?

Many of us are caught in between these two distinct steps of our sacrifice and commitment to God.

God may have put you and me in isolation this week due to the Covid-19 virus for a reason.  Maybe this is a time for us to consider these questions about our relationship to Him.  Be safe.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.