Leviticus 16:1-10

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT 16:1-34
1. AARON'S PREPARATION 16:1-10
TEXT 16:1-10

1

And Jehovah spake unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before Jehovah, and died:

2

and Jehovah said unto Moses. Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat.

3

Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering.

4

He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with the line mitre shall he be attired: they are the holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on.

5

And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two he-goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering.

6

And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house.

7

And he shall take the two goats, and set them before Jehovah at the door of the tent of meeting.

8

And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for Jehovah, and the other lot for Azazel.

9

And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for Jehovah, and offer him for a sin-offering.

10

But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before Jehovah, to make atonement for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 16:1-10

330.

Why is reference made to the death of Aaron's sons?

331.

Had Aaron been into the holy of holies prior to the instructions of the Lord?

332.

What was the mercy seat?

333.

Why demand such a severe penalty for going into the holy of holies?

334.

From whence came the cloud above the mercy seat?

335.

The bull and the ram were not to be brought into the most holy place. What is meant in Leviticus 16:3?

336.

Why the change of clothes? What were the three or four pieces of clothes?

337.

Did Aaron take a bath or just wash himself?

338.

What is meant by take from the congregation of the people of Israel? (Leviticus 16:5)

339.

Aaron must make atonement for himself and his house. How did he do it? (Leviticus 16:6)

340.

Where were the two goats when they were before the Lord? Why cast lots for them?

341.

Who was Azazel?

342.

The Lord's goat was used for what purpose?

343.

What happened to the goat for Azazel?

344.

Was this goat sent away into the wilderness to Azazel or for Azazel?

PARAPHRASE 16:1-10

After Aaron's two sons died before the Lord, the Lord said to Moses, Warn your brother Aaron not to enter into the Holy Place behind the veil, where the Ark and the place of mercy are, just whenever he chooses. The penalty for intrusion is death. For I Myself am present in the cloud above the place of mercy. Here are the conditions for his entering there: he must bring a young bull for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He must bathe himself and put on the sacred linen coat, shorts, belt, and turban. The people of Israel shall then bring him two male goats for their sin offering, and a ram for their burnt offering. First he shall present to the Lord the young bull as a sin offering for himself, making atonement for himself and his family. Then he shall bring the two goats before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and cast lots to determine which is the Lord's and which is to be sent away. The goat allotted to the Lord shall then be sacrificed by Aaron as a sin offering. The other goat shall be kept alive and placed before the Lord. The rite of atonement shall be performed over it, and it shall then be sent out into the desert as a scapegoat.

COMMENT 16:1-10

Leviticus 16:1-2 Nadab and Abihu disqualified themselves and were slain. The laws for the clean and the unclean are given in Chapter s eleven through fifteen to better prepare Aaron and his other two sons to enter into the presence of the Lord with true reverence. The day of atonement is a fitting conclusion and completion of all the sacrifices of the year. Amid all the best efforts of man are imperfections and shortcomings; even in the midst of the ceremonies of the tabernacle unworthy attitudes and actions could be found. This day is an annual supplement and completion of all the ordinances which were daily practiced, the design of which was to obtain atonement and reconciliation.

Perhaps the irregular time used by his sons was the reason for reference to time in Leviticus 16:2. Most of all: Aaron is warned about acting without God's direction, presumption must not be any part of his motive.

The source or composition of the cloud above the mercy seat has been a point of considerable discussion. Was the cloud from the incense or from another source? Are we to understand that the incense filled the room and also covered the mercy seat, but that in addition there was a special cloud of supernatural brightness or glory which hovered between the wings of the cherubim over the mercy seat? We believe the latter explanation to be the true one. Some feel the cloud of glory as versus the cloud of incense was not there at all times, but only on the occasions when God wished to speak to His people. Perhaps this is true. At whatever juncture it must have been an awesome thought to step through the veil into the presence of the Almighty God!

Leviticus 16:3-4 Here is Aaron's personal preparation: after the usual morning sacrifice (Cf. Numbers 29:11), and a sacrifice of seven lambs at the same time so as to indicate the complete offering up to God that was that day to be made, and the complete dependence on atoning blood that day to be shown in all that was doneAaron approached the holy place. In so doing, he led along a bullock for his sin-offering (of 2 years old, Exodus 29:1) and a ram for his burnt-offeringboth of these for himself, as an individual, and for his household (perhaps for all the priests and Levites. Cf. Psalms 115:12). (Bonar) Before Aaron made any of the sacrifices on the day of atonement he must dress himself in the plain white robes which were very much like those of the ordinary priests. A change was made from the vestments of the high priest between the morning sacrifices and those for this great day of atonement. The bull and the ram were both purchased by Aaron from his own money. Tradition says the high priest had two changes of the white linenone of Egyptian linen and the other of Indian and less costly. There were four pieces to this dress. Aaron must bathe himself every time he changes his garments.

Leviticus 16:5 After Aaron had put on his linen robes the peopleat their own expensebrought to him two goats. Whereas a ram is specified here and also earlier, for a burnt offering we read nothing of the slaying of these rams for a burnt offering. Evidently the focus of interest and attention is to be upon the sin offerings as the most important part of the day of expiation.

Leviticus 16:6-10 By the action of dedicating for himself and his house the sin offering Aaron was freely and publicly admitting his guilt and need. Tradition says that successors of Aaron in the time of Christ used the following words as he laid his hands upon the head of the ram: O Lord, I have sinned, I have committed iniquity, I have transgressed before Thee, I and my house. O Lord, I beseech Thee cover my sins, iniquities and transgressions which I have committed before Thee, I and my house, even as it is written in the Law of Moses Thy servant. The congregation responded by saying Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and forever.

Having presented his own sin-offering, the high priest, accompanied by the two chief priests, now came to the north side of the altar. Here one of his companions who was next in rank to the high priest placed himself at his right side, while the other, who held the office of chief of the principal household (Cf. 1 Chronicles 24:6) stood at his left. It was here that the two goats were presented with their faces to the west, where the Holy of Holies was, and where the Divine Majesty was especially revealed. (C. D. Ginsburg)

The description of the lots used in the selection of the goats is well described in the following words:
The lots consisted of two small tablets which at an earlier time were of box or ebony wood, but which during the later part of the second Temple were made of gold, and were kept in a wooden chest. On the one was engraved the words For Jehovah, and on the other For Azazel, the expression in the original, which is translated scapegoat in the Authorized Version. The high priest, after shaking the chest, put both his hands into the urn and simultaneously took out the two tablets, one in each hand. Hereupon he put the tablet which he had in his right hand upon the goat that was standing on his right side, whilst the tablet in his left hand he put on the goat on his left side. If the tablet with the inscription For Jehovah was in his right hand the chief priest who stood at the right of the pontiff exclaimed Hold up thy right hand on high! and if it happened to be in the left hand, the chief of the principal household, who stood on his left, called out to him Hold up thy left hand. Hereupon the high priest laid the two lots on the two goats, the one in the right hand on the goat at his right, and the one in the left hand on the animal at his left, exclaiming at the same time, To the Lord a sin offering!

The identity of Azazel is important. The term itself means removal. As in all verses of this study we want to be as thorough and helpful as possible, hence we refer you to two positions on this subject and what we consider a convincing argument by Andrew Bonar:
The objections urged to the common rendering scape-goat, however, are, after all, of no great weight. It is evidently the most natural meaning. The word for a goat, had just been used, Leviticus 16:5, and to depart, go away, was likely enough, even on account of its similar sound, to be the term employed to express the fact of the goat's being dismissed. Then, as to the two plausible objections alleged by some against this view, when examined, they have no force. For the first is, that if the clause, the one lot for the Lord, intimate that the goat is appropriated to a person, so should the next clause, the other lot for Azazel, also, signify appropriation to a person. But the answer to this is, that the proper sense is not appropriation to, or designation for, persons. The proper sense is designation for use, viz., the one for the purpose of being killed at the Lord's altar; the other for the purpose of being sent away to the wilderness. The second objection is more serious. It is said that the words in Leviticus 16:10 never can mean, make atonement with him, but must mean for him, as the object. And it is on this ground mainly that Bush defends his strange idea of this goat being a type of apostate Israel. But, in reply we assert that the words may have the meaning which our version gives them; and that would probably have been used if for him had been meant, seeing this is the phrase used all throughout this chapter to express that idea. In Exodus 30:10, the phrase occurs twice in the sense of atone over, or uponAaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in a year; and once in the year shall he make atonement upon it. So here, the priest is to make atonement over the scape-goat, by putting Israel's guilt upon it ere he sends it away. And if one say, that surely it is strange that this the mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

FACT QUESTIONS 16:1-10

355.

How does the content of Chapter s eleven through fifteen prepare Aaron and his sons to properly enter into the presence of the Lord?

356.

What was the real purpose of the day of atonementin what way was it a fitting climax?

357.

Of what form and from what source was the cloud in the Holy of Holies?

358.

What did Aaron use for a sin offering and a burnt offering?

359.

Describe Aaron's attire and the reason for it.

360.

In what action did Aaron admit his sin and need?

361.

Describe the action of lots for the goats.

362.

Who or what was Azazel?

THE SIN OFFERING FOR THE PRIESTS 16:11-14