Sunday Morning Podcast March 31, 2019. Bro. Dave Goble.
TEXT: LEVITICUS 16:7,8, 20-22
7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
This scripture is a very important part of that atonement day, that happened after the offering of the scapegoat. For the atonement, Moses was commanded to take 2 goats to be presented at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. One, not inside the tent, but at it’s tabernacle door. The one goat, (this scapegoat), that was saved alive, was not meant to be a part of the service inside the tent, but instead for something special. In this service of the atonement, the scapegoat, had a particular meaning, of the bringing together of the people. (Today also, the “scapegoat” has a particular meaning that shouldn’t be overlooked, ..of letting go of our sins). The atonement, the bringing together of the people for the sacrifice, is described first of what went on inside the tent, but now you get to the door of the tabernacle, and something else very important is happening! Verse 21: It seems to be an end, or “finish” to that atonement, an end of the reconciling the holy place. Verse 22: The purpose of the scapegoat, was to symbolize the sending away of all those confessed transgressions and iniquities. Today, when we recognize our sinful condition, and come to God, (like the Israelite’s here did), He has a plan for us! It’s called Jesus Christ! And we come to Christ, as He is the sacrificial lamb, for us, not on an altar of stone, but on the cross! He has now separated us from our sins by His shed blood. We now offer ourselves to Him (after our confession and repentance) to do with us as He chooses!
Verse 22 “And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” Some today might leave off that last part. Not really letting go of their past sinful life and iniquities This is why God gave us this clear scriptural example in symbols. Only when the goat was sent away with the sins of the people on it’s head, was the atonement complete. First, the sins were banished. Second, the goat symbolically carrying the sins on it’s head, was then sent away into an uninhabited land (wilderness). Jesus was not meant to be a perpetual atonement which would in error, seem to say, …that we are never delivered from sin. But in truth, Jesus does actually deliver and keep us from/out of sin! “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Psalms 103:1-3 If your sins have been let go as that goat, then we are free to receive all God’s benefits! But not unless those sins are let go! It’s a choice we make and are accountable to. To allow the environment of sin to surround us, is to invite a return to it in our heart. The sacrifice of the offered goat on the altar, was to completely burn up any remains. When God purifies our hearts, He also purifies out those desires that led to it in the first place. That’s why we cannot allow our heart to sympathize with any sin. For sympathizing with sin, is to be tolerant of it. “And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” When we offer up our sins (forsake them) to Jesus, it is to let them be separated permanently from us. It is to keep sin from hanging around, and let them go away, just like the scapegoat, into a land that we will no longer inhabit.
Don’t Let the Goat Hang Around the Camp……