Question &
Answers:
Who does the Scapegoat of Leviticus
Leviticus 16:10: “But the goat on which the lot fell to be
the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make an atonement
with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.” (KJV)
Leviticus 16:20-22: “When Aaron has finished making atonement
for the
Because the Lord’s goat had been
slain and its blood had satisfied God’s Justice and prepared the way for men to
have access to Him, we now have another
aspect of Jesus’ sin offering which shows how the personal sins of the people
have also been removed. The “scapegoat,”
as verse 10 clearly states, is used to “make
an atonement.” We see in the
Scapegoat a beautiful picture of how the
effect of the atonement and the removal of all our sins is viewed by JEHOVAH.
As mentioned earlier, it is important to recognize the significance of the
description of the two goats as being but “one
sin offering," but showing two
aspects of the sin offering “for the
people.” The casting of lots (vs. 8)
to determine what each goat would be used for in no way negates the fact that both goats are but one sin offering
shown in two parts. If this
were not the case, we should
find some kind of statement to that effect, and since there is none, it
would be an assumption to say that after the casting of lots, the live
goat was now no longer a part of that
one "sin offering".
Let us now further consider
the significance of the Scapegoat. The reason that two goats were used to
represent one sin offering is that
it would have been impossible to show both aspects with a single animal. The "live goat" or "scapegoat" most beautifully
shows how God forgives and forgets the sins of the people because of Jesus’ sacrifice.
This "live goat" pictures
the effect that Jesus' sacrifice has in
regard to man's sins. Jesus bore away
all the sins of all mankind on the cross, even as the scapegoat was led
into the wilderness, a place not inhabited,
to suffer and die there, never to return, so Jesus was led away, to bear all the sins of all mankind into death
(a place
Isaiah 53:8: “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare
his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the
transgression of my people was he stricken.“
Isaiah 53:12: “Therefore will I divide him a portion with
the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured
out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore
the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Hebrews 10:17: "And their sins and iniquities will I
remember no more."
Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far
has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Our
sins are no more remembered because Jesus, as our Saviour, has borne them away;
there is not even any memory of them, into "a
place not inhabited". By God's grace, and by the sacrifice of Jesus'
shed blood, they are forever dead. In
Christ's earthly Kingdom, natural Israel and the rest of the world will also
have their sins "remembered no more," as
they recognize Jesus
as their ransoming Saviour, for all men's sins and transgressions
were borne away by Jesus on Calvary’s Cross.
Hebrews 9:28: "So Christ was sacrificed once to take away
the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but
to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."
Hebrews 2:17: "For this reason he had to be made like
his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful
high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of
the people."
2 Corinthians 5:18-19: "All this is from God, who reconciled
us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's
Hebrews 9:12-14: “Neither
by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into
the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of
bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
urge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Please note: It is only Jesus’ blood that Paul contrasts to all the blood of the animals, even to the heifer of Numbers19:2, which also
was to be offered “without spot or blemish.” Therefore, any other application of the
animals’ blood or of the “scapegoat” is taking
away from what belongs to Jesus Christ alone.
E. Weeks
“They
took Jesus and led Him away.” John
19:16
“Jesus had been in
agony all night. He had spent the early
morning at the hall of Caiaphas, and been rushed from there to Pilate, from Pilate
to Herod, and then back to Pilate. He had
little strength left. They wanted His
blood and led Him out to die….
What can we learn
as we see our blessed Lord led away? Can
we see the truth foreshadowed by the scapegoat of Lev.16:10? The high priest put both hands on the head of
the scapegoat, confessed the sins of the people, and asked God that those sins
be taken from the people and laid upon the live goat, who was then led into the
wilderness to symbolize the sins of the people being carried away.
We see Jesus
brought before the priests and rulers and pronounced guilty. “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us
all” (Isaiah 53:6). “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for
us” (2 Corinthians
Beloved, can you feel assured that He carried your sin? As you look at the cross on His shoulder, does it represent your sin? Have you laid your hands on His head, confessed your sin, and then trusted in Him? If so, your sin no longer lies on you. It has been transferred by blessed imputation to Christ.
Do not let this
picture vanish until you have rejoiced in your own deliverance and adored the
loving Redeemer on whom your iniquities were laid and carried away.”
Chas. Spurgeon