Leviticus 16-18 Purity & Holiness

God gave Moses these chapters so that the priesthood and the people would know and understand the way to be holy. Moses recorded this for the nation of Israel that there be no misunderstanding. God is holy and He has called them to Himself to be a holy people. 

It is interesting to read about the scapegoat, how it was chosen, how used and the reasons. One goat was to be offered as a sin offering and the second to be sent into the wilderness. Dr Constable’s notes explain: “The two goats used in the ritual represented two aspects of the atonement that God provided. Both animals taught the Israelites that a sinless agent was removing their sins by vicarious atonement. The goat slain represented the judgment on sin that resulted in death necessary for atonement. The goat sent off into the wilderness with the sinner’s guilt imputed to it symbolized the removal of guilt.”

This was a ceremony to be etched into the minds of the people of the price sin exacts. How grateful I am that Jesus paid the price for my sin that I don’t have to follow these regulations, but also the heavy price my sin costs…not a goat, but the precious blood of my Savior.