11. What was done with the blood of the Lord’s goat after it had been sacrificed? Leviticus 16:15-16.
COMPILER’S NOTE: On the Day of Atonement, the penultimate feast of the ceremonial year, the High Priest, the earthly shadow-type of Jesus, our true High Priest in heaven today, made sacrifice for himself and his household before the service began. The priest then sacrificed the chosen goat, the Lord’s goat. Taking its blood, the High Priest went, surrounded by the covering smoke of incense, into the presence of God in the Most Holy Place and sprinkled some of the offering for sin on the Mercy Seat, the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. Beneath the Mercy Seat were the tables of stone, on which God had written the Ten Commandments with His own finger. It was this Law that had been broken. The blood of this special sin offering was a shadow-type of Jesus’ blood shed on the Cross. It was as the blood of the ‘death penalty.’ And now it met with the broken Law, the Ten Commandments.
12. After He had made atonement for the sins of the people, what did the High Priest then do? Leviticus 16:18-19.
COMPILER’S NOTE: Then the high priest came out from the Most Holy Place and placed some of the cleansing blood in all the places where there had been a record of sin during the year. Some was placed on the Altar of Incense. [Leviticus 16:18, first part] As prayer was made through the year, the smoke of the sacred incense from the altar would arise to God. In the same way our prayers for pardon and cleansing combine with His great love to make a case for us so that we can experience God’s gift of forgiveness, and know divine joy and peace. Jesus’ own character is put to our account in the record books instead of our disobedience. In this way we can have confidence in God, and the answer to our prayers is complete.
As it was then in the wilderness ‘parable,’ so it is today through the work of our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. The good things that Christ bought for us on the Cross, His mercy, His grace, His help, His power, His character and goodness, still mingle in heaven with our simple prayers for forgiveness, especially when we say, ‘In the name of Jesus. Amen! [so be it]’ The censer still burns in the Most Holy Place in heaven.
The high priest of old then left the Holy Place and continued to the Altar of Burnt offering in the Courtyard. Here more of the blood of the special sin offering was placed on the horns of the Altar of Burnt Offering, and sprinkled seven times. It too had now been reconciled to God. It had been purged of sin and cleansed. Both the people and the sanctuary in their midst, where God had chosen to dwell, were free of all record of sin.
The penalty had been paid in full. The sinner could not pay the penalty and still have life. ‘Satisfaction’ had been made on behalf of the broken law. A full expiation had been made for every confessed and repented sin. An innocent substitute had made the supreme sacrifice. And through the death of Christ, we live on today to have a second chance. Let us give Him the glory!
13. Once the atonement was complete, what was done with the other goat? Leviticus 16:20-22.
NOTE: ‘While the sin offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice, and the high priest represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the author of sin, upon whom the sins of the truly penitent will finally be placed. When the high priest, by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, removed the sins from the sanctuary, he placed them upon the scapegoat. When Christ, by virtue of His own blood, removes the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministration, He will place them upon Satan, who, in the execution of the judgement, must bear the final penalty. The scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited, never to come again into the congregation of Israel. So will Satan be forever banished from the presence of God and His people, and he will be blotted from existence in the final destruction of sin and sinners.’ Great Controversy, page 422.
COMPILER’S NOTE: The word ‘scapegoat’ was invented by William Tyndale, when translating the book of Leviticus into English. By this word, he meant ‘the goat that escaped being sacrificed.’ The original Hebrew says ‘the goat for Azazel,’ Azazel being one of the names of the devil.
LESSON INSIGHT: It is too easy to think of our personal experience, but we should think more of our Saviour. He has borne the weight and sorrow of sin, since before the foundation of the world. He is still bearing your sins today. He has done it because He loves us and wishes to restore us to our Paradise Home. Once His work is done, He will come the second time, without sin unto salvation. There will be nothing more to bear on His shoulders. He will come with joy, longing to say to us, Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Why the delay? He is not willing that any should perish. Where does this leave you? Isn’t it time to set Him free?