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Chapter 16, the Day of Atonement. I think I've mentioned the book 
by Michael Morales called, Who Shall Ascend Against the Mountain 
of the Lord. In that book, he shows that the 
Day of Atonement, chapter 16, is structurally central to the 
Pentateuch, to the book of Leviticus. And it's a very, very important 
passage of scripture. It basically deals with cleansing 
the tabernacle. So I'll read beginning in chapter 
16 at verse 1. We'll read to the end of the 
chapter. Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the 
two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the 
Lord and died. And the Lord said to Moses, Tell 
Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the holy 
place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the 
ark, lest he die. For I will appear in the cloud 
above the mercy seat. Thus Aaron shall come into the 
holy place, with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, 
and of a ram as a burnt offering. He shall put the holy linen tunic 
and the linen trousers on his body. He shall be girded with 
a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These 
are holy garments, therefore he shall wash his body in water 
and put them on. And he shall take from the congregation 
of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, 
and one ram as a burnt offering. Aaron shall offer the bull as 
a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for 
himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats and 
present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle 
of meeting. Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, 
one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 
And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord's lot fell, 
and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot 
fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the 
Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat 
into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bull 
of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement 
for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the 
sin offering, which is for himself. Then he shall take a censer full 
of burning coals, a fire from the altar before the Lord, with 
his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside 
the veil. And he shall put the incense 
on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may 
cover the mercy seat that is on the testimony, lest he die. He shall take some of the blood 
of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat 
on the east side. And before the mercy seat, he 
shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. 
Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for 
the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood 
as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the 
mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement 
for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children 
of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their 
sins. And so he shall do for the tabernacle 
of meeting, which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 
There shall be no man, In the tabernacle of meeting, when he 
goes in to make atonement for the holy place, until he comes 
out, that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, 
and for all the assembly of Israel. And he shall go out to the altar 
that is before the Lord, and make atonement for it, and shall 
take some of the blood of the bull, and some of the blood of 
the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. Then 
he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his fingers 
seven times, cleanse it, and consecrate it from the uncleanness 
of the children of Israel. And when he has made an end of 
atoning for the holy place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the 
altar, he shall bring the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his 
hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the 
iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions 
concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, 
and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable 
man. The goat shall bear on itself 
all their iniquities to an uninhabited land, and he shall release the 
goat in the wilderness. Then Aaron shall come into the 
tabernacle of Midi, shall take off the linen garments which 
he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them 
there. and he shall wash his body with 
water in a holy place, put on his garments, come out and offer 
his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make 
atonement for himself and for the people. The fat of the sin 
offering he shall burn on the altar, and he who released the 
goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body 
in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. The bull 
for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose 
blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, 
shall be carried outside the camp, and they shall burn in 
the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal. Then he who 
burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, 
and afterward he may come into the camp. This shall be a statute 
forever for you. In the seventh month, on the 
10th day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no 
work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger 
who dwells among you. For on that day, the priest shall 
make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from 
all your sins before the Lord. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest 
for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. And the priest, who is anointed 
and consecrated to minister as priest in his father's place, 
shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy 
garments. Then he shall make atonement 
for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the 
tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make 
atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 
This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement 
for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And 
he did as the Lord commanded Moses. Amen." Well, as I said, 
the Day of Atonement is central in the worship apparatus that 
was engaged in by the children of Israel. It was a yearly sacrifice. It was obvious, the constant 
emphasis here is on the idea of atonement and cleansing. purification, 
holiness, all those concepts are combined here. And remember 
what we have seen thus far in our study in the book of Leviticus. 
We've seen laws concerning cleanness in chapters 10 or 11 to 15, and 
so we'll consider the Day of Atonement tonight. But if you 
go back for just a moment by way of reminder, Here in Leviticus 
16 in verses 1 and 2, it links to this event with reference 
to Nadab and Abihu. So there wasn't a lot of time 
passage. It was after the death of Nadab and Abihu that this 
instruction comes concerning cleanness and uncleanness, and 
then instruction concerning the Day of Atonement. Again, it's 
to cleanse the house of the Lord such that God dwelling in the 
midst of his people can be approached by those people through the sacrificial 
means that he had ordained. So remember, after the death 
of Nadab and Abihu, according to chapter 10, in verses 1 and 
2, we then find various instructions given by God to the priesthood. 
So if you look at verse 8, it says, Do not drink wine or intoxicating 
drink, you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle 
of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever 
throughout your generations. Now notice that you may distinguish 
between holy and unholy and between unclean and clean. and that you 
may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord 
has spoken to them by the hand of Moses." So the priesthood 
was tasked with teaching. They were to instruct the children 
of Israel. And if you notice specifically 
in verse 10, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy. That's going to come later in 
the book. So after the Day of Atonement, we come to chapter 
17. Chapters 17 to 27 has been referred to as the Holiness Code. Now, God willing, next Wednesday 
we're not going to start that, because we typically take July 
and August off for our Bible study on Wednesday night, so 
I'm not going to start 17 and then come back to 18. So next 
week we'll do something sundry or varied, but we'll return in 
the fall to consider that holiness code. But then notice, in between 
unclean and clean, verse 10, we've seen that in chapters 11 
to 15. So chapter 11 deals with unclean 
foods. Chapter 12, the uncleanness associated 
with childbirth. Chapter 13, the unclean skin 
diseases. Chapter 14, the cleansing of 
skin diseases. And then chapter 15, unclean 
discharges. So the children of Israel were 
governed from morning till night by the law, so that they could 
maintain a clean standard so that they could come into the 
dwelling place of God and thus see it as a meeting place where 
the Lord would manifest His glory to His people and would reveal 
His majesty unto them. So that's the context, that's 
what's happening. The house of God itself, you 
see that emphasis, the tabernacle, the sanctuary, the altar itself 
needs to be cleansed. It comes into regular contact 
with uncleanness and so therefore the apparatus itself stands in 
need of being cleansed. So with reference to the Day 
of Atonement, we'll just work our way through the chapter, 
not every jot and tittle, but hopefully get the gist of the 
instruction of the chapter. So there's first an introduction 
to the Day of Atonement in verses 1 and 2. Secondly, the priest's 
preparation on the Day of Atonement in verses 3 to 5. Third, there's 
a general outline of the Day of Atonement in verses 6 to 10. 
And then detailed instructions for the Day of Atonement in verses 
11 to 28. And then it ends with the duty 
of the people on the Day of Atonement in verses 29 to 34. So let's 
look first at this introduction. Notice in chapter 16 at verse 
1, now the Lord spoke to Moses. So we've seen God speak to Aaron 
in chapter 10 at verse 8 to prohibit intoxication from the priests 
while they're ministering in the sanctuary. So the narrative 
goes back now to Moses, God commands Moses how he is to speak concerning 
this Day of Atonement. And then notice the reminder 
of the wrath of God, because that's what this Day of Atonement 
is designed to prevent, or designed to deal with. so that God doesn't 
kill Nadabs and Abihus who wander in in a sinful way into His presence. There's got to be this sort of 
authorization. If sinners come into the presence 
of a holy God, it must be determined by that holy God how sinners 
enter into His presence. And so that reminder of wrath 
there is very helpful and does connect us to that incident in 
chapter 10. So verse 1 in chapter 16, the 
Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron 
when they offered profane fire before the Lord and died. This 
legislation comes on the heels of that display of wrath, and 
so very much it would be incumbent upon them to receive this and 
to implement it precisely, so that they could, by God's grace 
and provision, avert another outpouring of His wrath upon 
two hapless souls that wander in and offer up profane fire. And then notice the specific 
prohibition in verse 2. And the Lord said to Moses, tell 
Aaron, your brother, not to come at just any time into the holy 
place inside the veil before the mercy seat, which is on the 
ark, lest he die. For I will appear in the cloud 
above the mercy seat. If you go back to chapter 10, 
we know that what Nadab and Abihu do, or did rather, they offered 
up strange fire or profane fire. And then at the end of verse 
one, it says, which he had not commanded them. I said that there 
are three particulars that people invoke as to what Nadab and Abihu 
did. They got drunk. You see that 
prohibition in chapter 10 verse 8. They mingled incense in the 
wrong way according to chapter 16 and verse 12. But I take it, 
especially in light of 16.2, that they tried to go into the 
Holy of Holies. They were not authorized. They 
were not permitted. So they go into that place, and 
God kills them. And that's the reminder relative 
to this instruction on the Day of Atonement. So tell Aaron, 
your brother, not to come at just any time into the holy place 
inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest 
he die. For I will appear in the cloud 
above the mercy seat. so this manifestation of God's 
glory I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat the presence 
of God is not to be played around with it is not to be trifled 
about with the presence of God is awesome and majestic and glorious 
and remember what Moses says after the death of Nadab and 
Abihu by those who come near me I must be regarded as holy 
and before all the people I must be glorified So that being the 
case, if man goes into the presence of God, he must do so in the 
way prescribed by God. The section as a whole deals 
with cleansing the house of God in order to facilitate communion 
between God and Israel. Morales says, inserting those 
laws before the Day of Atonement, the laws concerning uncleanness, 
inserting those laws before the Day of Atonement legislation 
demonstrates that this ceremony is not a specific and merely 
occasional response to a particular incident, but rather that this 
purification ceremony will be the regular resolution to Israel's 
uncleanness and defilement of the tabernacle. In other words, 
this isn't a one-off, not just because God killed Nadab and 
Abihu, so we have to have this Day of Atonement sort of a thing 
in an ad hoc manner. No, this is the legislation. 
This is binding. You'll see that at the end of 
the chapter when there's this demand that this shall be a statute 
forever for you. Now, forever there is governed 
by the covenant that it's in. The Old Covenant is no longer, 
so therefore those things appropriate to Old Covenant observance are 
no longer in effect. So there's no Day of Atonement 
anymore because there's no Old Covenant anymore. But as far 
as there was an Old Covenant, the children of Israel were obliged 
to engage in this Day of Atonement ceremony. And then Morales also 
says, consequently, this festival was understood both as a day 
of judgment and a day of reconciliation. Cleansing God's house of the 
pollution caused by Israel's uncleanness was the main focus 
of the ceremony. with the ultimate purpose of 
maintaining God's tabernacling presence in their midst. They 
had a vested interest in obeying this legislation, not only because 
they didn't want to get killed by God, but because they wanted 
to commune with God. When God manifests His glory, 
the people of God want to witness that, they want to enjoy that, 
they want to know that communion. They had that mindset like we 
do. I was glad when they said unto 
me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Now we're not saying 
that every single Israelite was converted, every single one of 
them was saved, but there were those who were saved and this 
fed their faith and increased their desire for the Messiah, 
increased their hope and confidence in the fact that God would send 
the seed of the woman and He would bring deliverance through 
His own suffering and death. So this was designed in such 
a way as to feed the faith and promote the faith of the faithful 
in Israel. And so the legislation introduced, 
we now see the priest's preparation on the Day of Atonement. So notice 
in verses 3 to 5, the necessity of a sin offering for the priests. There's an absolute contrast 
here between the priestly ministry of our Lord Jesus and the priestly 
ministry of Aaron and his sons. Jesus didn't have to offer up 
a sacrifice for his own sin. Jesus didn't have to make atonement 
for his own sin. Jesus went to that cross to make 
atonement for our sin. But with reference to the high 
priest of Israel, he was in fact a defiled man. He was a sinner, 
he was unclean, he was unholy, and so therefore it was requisite 
that he come into that place with the blood of an animal. 
Because without the blood of an animal, there is no remission. 
Without the blood, or the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness 
of sin. And so it's absolutely imperative that Aaron come into 
the holy place with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, 
and of a ram as a burnt offering. And then notice the garments 
that he's supposed to put on. The priestly garments have been 
dealt with in detail in the book of Exodus. Well, basically he's 
not wearing that. What he wears on the regular, 
what he wears on the daily, is not what he wears when he goes 
into this house, the house of God on the Day of Atonement. 
It's just linen. It's a simple approach. And I 
don't know the absolute significance behind it, probably the idea 
being that he gets in and gets out without without incident. And so that's covered there in 
verse four. He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen 
trousers on his body. He shall be girded with a linen 
sash and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are 
holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his body 
in water and put them on. So as you move through this, 
you see the detail or the attention to detail. Everything had to 
be just so. Everything had to be just right. 
Everything had to be conducted in an orderly fashion, in obedience 
to God, or there would be problems, there would be judgment, there 
would be wrath. And then notice as well the selection 
of two goats, and those two goats are going to be for the children 
of Israel. So he's got a sacrifice for his 
own sin, and then he's going to have a sacrifice for the sin 
of Israel. But we've got two goats, and 
the significance is beautiful as we move our way through the 
passage. So verse 5, He shall take from the congregation of 
the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, 
and one ram as a burnt offering. And then that brings us to the 
general outline of the Day of Atonement. Notice first the sin 
offering for Aaron and his house. Verse 6. And then it comes to the goats, 
the two goats and the casting of lots with reference to these 
two goats. Notice in verse seven, he shall 
take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door 
of the tabernacle of meeting. Then Aaron shall cast lots for 
the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the 
scapegoat. Does anybody have a ESV here? 
Anybody with an ESV? It says ezazel, right? So that's 
an interesting Hebrew word that no one really knows what it means. 
So you've got, then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, 
one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for ezazel. And it's 
typically capitalized and looked at as a proper name, a proper 
noun, which refers to a particular name. As I said, there's a lot 
of thought as to what Azazel means or represents. Some suggest 
it was a goat demon that lived out in the wilderness. Others 
suggest it simply means a place to cast this scapegoat. Wenham, 
I think, sort of summarizes it. He says, whatever we understand 
by ezazel, there is little doubt about the total meaning of the 
ceremony. Whether ezazel means the mountain where the goat is 
destroyed, the sin which is given to destruction, or the evil angel 
who is given a bribe so that he does not become an accuser, 
it all comes back to the same basic idea, that sin is exterminated 
from Israel. So the high priest cast lots, 
one for the Lord and one for Azazel. And then notice in verse 
9, and Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord's lot 
fell and offer it as a sin offering. So that particular animal will 
get its throat cut and will get it, you know, portioned up and 
some will be burnt and dealt with in the appropriate manner 
according to the law of sacrifice that we saw in chapters 1 to 
6. But the other goat, that one that is referred to as Azazel, 
the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be 
presented alive before the Lord to make atonement upon it and 
to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness. So you've 
got the one that's blood is shed and then you've got this other 
one, we'll see when we get to verses 20 to 22, the transference 
of Israel's guilt onto this particular goat. and then that goat is driven 
out into the wilderness in a wonderful symbolic ceremony of the expiation 
or removal of sin. So the blood shed atones for 
that sin, and then the physical representation of that scapegoat 
being sent out into the wilderness. Remember that Israelites did 
not go into the Holy of Holies. They didn't see what happened 
behind that veil. In fact, according to verse 17, 
no one's in the tabernacle period while the high priest is in the 
Holy of Holies. So for the most part, it's an 
unseen situation. The high priest sees everything. 
The high priest is intimately involved. Israel does see the 
mediated glory of God Almighty, the Shekinah there radiating 
out, but this aspect of the scapegoat is visual, it is obvious, it 
is a good signifier of what God does in terms of the removal 
of their guilt and of their sin. And so that's what's happening 
there. And then the use of the two goats, 
as I said, one for the Lord would be offered as a sin offering, 
and then the one for Azazel would function as the scapegoat. Now, 
we drop down to verses 11 to 28, and the detailed instruction. 
You've got blood rights, the blood manipulation rights in 
verses 11 to 19. So in verses 11 to 14, specifically, 
it is for Aaron. it is for his sin, it is for 
his need for atonement. And then if you look specifically 
at verse 12, he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire 
from the altar before the Lord with his hands, full of sweet 
incense, beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. Now he's 
inside, this is the Holy of Holies, this is the one place out of 
the one day in the year that one man enters into. He does 
probably a couple of times, but in this particular instance he's 
there. And then notice in verse 13, He shall put the incense 
on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may 
cover the mercy seat that is on the testimony, lest he die. Intriguingly, that smoke of incense 
covers the mercy seat lest he die. And again, I'm going to 
quote from Wenham. The most obvious explanation 
for the incense smoke covering the mercy seat is given by a 
man named Hertz. The purpose of the incense smoke 
was to create a screen which would prevent the high priest 
from gazing upon the Holy Presence. When God has manifested His glory 
there, even in that situation, that incense smoke is necessary 
so that the high priest does not die in the presence of the 
Holy God. It's really an amazing situation 
going on in this one time out of the year. So that's what happens. And then he manipulates the blood 
according to verse 14. He shall take some of the blood 
of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat 
on the east side and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle 
some of the blood with his finger seven times. So in verses 11 
to 14 he does that for himself. And then in verses 15 to 19, 
he is offering up a purification offering on behalf of the people. 
So first for his own sin, and then for the sins of Israel, 
in verses 15 to 19. And notice, you've got the atonement 
for the people. The idea of atonement means covering, 
it means to cleanse. The idea is that it is the way 
that man, by God's grace, deals with sin. The older authors used 
the language of satisfaction, the satisfaction of divine justice 
through sacrifice. And that's what's going on in 
this section. So in verse 15 you have that, 
it says, then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which 
is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with 
that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle 
it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he makes atonement 
for the people. Then notice in verse 16, he makes 
atonement for the tabernacle. He makes atonement for the holy 
place. Why? Because of the uncleanness 
of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, 
for all their sins. And so He shall do for the tabernacle 
of meeting, which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. Notice the emphasis on the solitariness 
of the high priest's ministry. Verse 17, There shall be no man 
in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement 
in the holy place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement 
for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. Notice he's not in there in some 
sort of a general atonement way, making a sacrifice for Hittites 
and for Hivites and for Jebusites and for all the Canaanites around 
them. This is for the assembly of Israel. When we get to the 
New Testament, when we discuss the scope of Christ's redemptive 
work, There's a debate concerning the atonement. Is it a general, 
sort of a universal atonement applied by man in his free will, 
or is it definite atonement? Did he shed his blood for a specific 
group of people? Well, it's definite atonement. 
It's particular redemption. And we see tap roots with reference 
to the old covenant sacrificial system. They weren't offering 
up sacrifice for the sins of their neighbors. They were offering 
up sacrifice for the assembly of Israel. Jesus says specifically 
in his high priestly prayer, I do not pray for the world. 
I pray for those whom you've given me out of the world. All 
that the father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes 
to me, I will certainly not cast out. Brethren, we ought not to 
shrink back from proclaiming and declaring a definite atonement. It's not up to man to activate 
the atonement. It's God who has purposed that 
the bloodshed of our Lord Jesus was specific with reference to 
those whom the Father had given Him. And you see that emphasis 
here. He makes atonement for Himself, 
for His household, and for all the assembly of Israel. But then 
notice atonement for the altar itself in verses 18 and 19. and shall take some of the blood 
of the bull and some of the blood of the goat and put it on the 
horns of the altar all around. Then he shall sprinkle some of 
the blood on it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and 
consecrate it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel." Interesting 
that the altar itself needs to be cleansed. Andrew Bonar in 
his commentary on Leviticus, we sing some of his hymns, he 
says, strange that the altar should need to be purified. And 
yet, what spot had more connection with sin? Right? It had the most connection with 
sin. Remember, the whole idea of an 
animal was a substitute. Your sins have been heaped up 
on this animal. The animal on the altar, therefore, 
is representative of the sins of the nation. He goes on to 
say, was not every sin confessed there? Was not every sin laid 
down there? Was not that the spot where wrath 
was ever falling? Here is a strange combination, 
sin and the atonement for sin. It may have been typical of the 
fact that the foulest sin and the fullest atonement were found 
at the cross. Amen. And then notice the scapegoat 
in verses 20 to 22. So he has taken the one, the 
one goat that was to the Lord, consecrated to the Lord, that 
one is killed, that one is processed in accordance with the law, and 
then this second one, notice, he uses the live goat, as I said 
earlier, as a symbol or emblem of God's removal of their guilt. 
So verse 20, when he has made an end of atoning for the holy 
place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring 
the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands 
on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities 
of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions concerning 
all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and 
shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. 
So again, the concept here is substitution. The concept is 
imputation. The concept is the transference 
of guilt. You really should see Jesus here 
in Leviticus chapter 16, because this is the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. He went to that cross in our 
place. Substitution. He bore the wrath 
and fury of God most high for us men and for our salvation. 
This goat is doing that same thing. Notice, "...he shall lay 
both his hands on the head of the goat, confess over it all 
the iniquities of the children of Israel." Again, this isn't 
for vague, generic sins. This is for real sin against 
a holy God. Probably the Ten Commandments. 
He recites that and rehearses that. He cites the commandments 
that had been frequently disobeyed by the children of Israel. He's 
confessing those sins. When we come to deal with God, 
it's not vague and generic. It's, you know, the suppliant 
in Luke 18, God be merciful to me, the sinner. Do not try to 
hold back. It's not as if God doesn't know 
your sin and your wickedness. He knows it, and by His grace 
and for His glory, He has purposed to forgive us through the blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. So he confesses the sins of Israel 
and then he puts them on the head of the goat and sends it 
away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. Again, 
the concept of definite atonement, particular redemption. It's not 
vague, it's not generic, it's not perhaps, for some sins that 
we may commit the statement in the book of Hebrews that underscores 
that particular redemptive aspect of our Lord's work as well in 
Hebrews 2.17 it says therefore in all things he had to be made 
like his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high 
priest in things pertaining to God and then it says to make 
propitiation for the sins of the people It's not vague and 
generic. Some sin's possibly out there 
for any sinner that exercises his free will and comes to Jesus. 
That's not the nature of the cross. The design of the cross 
is to effectively communicate God's grace in the removal of 
one's sin. so to make propitiation for the 
sins of the people." Specific sins of specific people are dealt 
with by our Savior on the cross. Specific sins of specific people 
were dealt with on the Day of Atonement when they were laid 
or transferred onto the head of the scapegoat, and then the 
scapegoat was driven out into the wilderness for everybody 
there to see. One book, I can't remember the 
author, it's a book on substitutionary atonement. It's a multi-author 
volume. It's pierced for our transgression. It says, thus the scapegoat is 
depicted in Leviticus 16 as bearing the sin, the guilt and punishment 
of the people, and being condemned to death in their place. So a 
great visible representation of what God does in this sacrificial 
system. And then verse 22 summarizes, 
the goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited 
land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. So that 
removal or expiation of sin is vividly communicated by this 
scapegoat being driven out into the wilderness. So when we look 
at a chapter like this, again, we need to understand that these 
people that were believers, these people that had faith in Yahweh, 
that were looking forward to the coming Messiah, this was 
worship, this was communion, this was blessed. To see that 
goat driven out into the wilderness probably should answer something 
to the effect of our times in the Lord's Supper, when we remember 
our Lord's death on our behalf, when we remember His broken body 
and His shed blood. We do that so that we can rejoice 
and express our gratitude at what God in Christ has done in 
the removal of our sin. There's something glorious about 
these things that God gives to communicate for us and to us 
this reality. And it's intriguing. If you go 
to Hebrews chapter 10 for just a moment, sort of reflections 
on the Old Covenant and the tabernacle and the sacrificial system involved 
therein. In Hebrews 10, 1 it says, For 
the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not 
the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, 
which they offer continually year by year, make those who 
approach perfect. For then would they not have 
ceased to be offered. For the worshipers, once purified, 
would have had no more consciousness of sins. Now notice in verse 
3, but in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year, 
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could 
take away sins." Notice that, verse 3, in those sacrifices 
there is a reminder of sins every year. There's that reminder on 
that day of atonement, yes, that God is gracious, yes, that God 
in His provision has made a way of access into His presence, 
but it is an underscoring reality that you've got sin, you need 
cleanliness, you need to be purged, you need to be washed, you need 
to be sanctified. So this same word, though, in 
those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. It's the 
same language from 1 Corinthians 11. Do this in remembrance of 
me. When we come to the Lord's Supper, 
yes, we're reminded of our sin, but we're reminded of God's great 
grace in the provision of Christ to deal with our sin. One man, 
Philip Hughes, in his commentary on the book of Hebrews says the 
gospel transforms this remembrance or reminder from a remembrance 
of guilt to a remembrance of grace. And so there is a contrast 
set between the Old and the New Covenants here in Hebrews chapter 
10. Well, all throughout the book of Hebrews to show the superiority 
of the New Covenant and Christ's coming. And then after the scapegoat, 
we've got the cleansing of the participants. So those involved 
in this particular situation are then cleansed of their impurities. So the priest, the high priest, 
washes according to verses 23 and 24. He burns fat on the altar 
according to verse 25. And then the washing of the man 
who released the goat. So verse 21b tells us that he 
will send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. 
Well, that suitable man needs to be washed as well, according 
to verse 26. And then there is the burning 
of the bull for the sin offering, the priests, and then the goat 
for the sin offering, the peoples, in verse 27, and then the cleansing 
of the man who burned the sacrifices. So the whole apparatus is designed 
with leaving behind impurity as we go to have contact with 
the absolutely pure God. That is obvious. Whatever details 
we may be shy on in terms of not knowing absolutely, you know, 
positively the significance, this much we know. We've got 
a holy God dwelling in the midst of sinful people, and those sinful 
people need something in place to make them fit and ready and 
appropriate to meet with their God. That's the purpose of the 
Day of Atonement. And then the final part is the 
duty of the people on that Day of Atonement in verses 29 to 
34. So there is an annual obligation. So verse 29, this shall be a 
statute forever for you. Again, when you see that word 
forever, typically it's conditioned by context. And here the context 
is covenantal. It's a statute forever. As long 
as the old covenant is in play, you do and engage in the Day 
of Atonement. There's no Day of Atonement now 
in this new covenant era because Christ made a once-for-all sacrifice. We don't need a high priest that 
goes into the Holy of Holies once a year with blood for himself 
and then blood for us. We don't need the scapegoat ceremony, 
because as I said, every time we take the supper, we're reminded 
of the removal of our guilt and the removal of our sin through 
the faithful work of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. So as long as there's an old 
covenant, the old covenant people were to observe this particular 
day of atonement. So there was the foreverness 
of the statute, there is the yearly reminder of sins built 
in, and then Sabbath-type regulation. Notice in verse 29, you're to 
afflict your souls and do no work at all whether a native 
of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. So the 
resident alien also is engaged in Sabbath on this particular 
day. This would have been a Sabbath 
of Sabbaths, a very high and holy day in which to afflict 
one's soul and to do no work. And then notice the summary of 
the purpose involved in the Day of Atonement. It is atonement. 
For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse 
you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 
And then the manner of observance, verse 31. It is a Sabbath of 
solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It 
is a statute forever. And then in terms of the function 
of the priest, that's sort of undergirded or underscored again 
in verses 32 to 34. So the necessity of sacrifice 
for the priesthood, the necessity of sacrifice for the holy sanctuary. So that includes the tabernacle 
of meeting, the altar, the priests, all the people, and then the 
necessity of yearly obedience. So again, this wasn't ad hoc. 
This wasn't just to deal with the issue concerning Nadab and 
Abihu, this was to be built into Israel's religious life so that 
they could hopefully avoid Nadab and Abihu type incidents, and 
so they could maintain cleanliness or cleanness such that they could 
draw near to God Most High. So in conclusion, as we see throughout 
the book of Leviticus, this emphasis on the holiness of God, Now brethren, 
a whole book in the Bible is about God's holiness. That is 
one of those perfections that is replete through scripture 
and here that is preeminent in terms of man's approach to God. God is holy and as a result there 
are stipulations by which we are to engage in that approach. As well we see the sinfulness 
of man. The atonement needed for the 
priest. You see that emphasized in verses 
3, 6, 11, 24, and 33. The priest himself was a sinner 
who needed cleansing. He needed sacrificial blood. 
The contrast with our Lord. Aaron brought sacrifice for his 
own sins. Christ did not offer sacrifice 
for his own sins. Hebrews 7, 26 to 28. Remember the book of Hebrews 
makes that contrast, not just between the new and the old covenant, 
but between the priestly ministry of our Lord Jesus and the Levitical 
priesthood of Aaron. And so in those contrasts it 
brings out that Aaron brought the blood of bulls and goats, 
Christ offered his own blood, Hebrews 9, 12. Aaron brought 
a sacrifice once a year as prescribed in Leviticus 16. Christ's sacrifice 
was once for all. So all of this, again, is typical. 
It's foreshadowing. It's signifying what's going 
to happen when Jesus does come. So when Jesus does come, we don't 
go backward in redemptive history and engage in blood rites and 
the application of a priesthood in an earthly tabernacle. Christ 
has fulfilled all that was specified in this particular legislation. 
Aaron brought sacrifice in terms of types, shadows, and pointers. 
Christ is the substance and secured eternal redemption for his people, 
including those in the Old Covenant. So if you go back to Hebrews 
chapter 10, there's that statement about the inefficacy of the blood 
of bulls and goats to atone for sin. That didn't mean it was 
needless, didn't mean that it was unnecessary. It only means 
that the blood of bulls and goats could not atone for sin. But 
the blood of the bulls and goats pointed forward to the one who 
could atone for sin. So notice in chapter 9 in Hebrews 
at verse 15, and for this reason he is the mediator of the new 
covenant by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions 
under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive 
the promise of the eternal inheritance. So the faithful worshipper in 
the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur in the Old Testament, 
had the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as the means 
by which he was accepted in the Beloved. Now in terms of the 
cult, or in terms of the worship apparatus in Old Covenant Israel, 
the goats and the bulls and all of that did make atonement, it 
did bring cleanliness, It did bring holiness, it did bring 
sort of a reconciliation with God and with one another in terms 
of the covenant community. But in terms of the actual efficacy 
behind it, it was the blood of the Lord Jesus. Hebrews 9.15 
tells us that His death atoned for the sins of all those in 
the old covenant as well. So the sinfulness of man is seen 
in atonement needed for the priests, atonement needed for Israel, 
and atonement for the tabernacle itself as it came into contact 
with sin. It came into contact with offerings 
for sin, animals that had been the substitute for sinners, and 
therefore it all needed to be cleansed in order for the people 
of God to maintain communion. And then finally, the provision 
of God's grace, the sin offering for the people, verse 9, and 
then verses 15 to 19, and then the scapegoat for the people. 
Listen to Gil on the scapegoat. where it would never be seen, 
and from whence it would never return more. And so was a proper 
type of Christ, who has borne all the sins of all his people 
in his own body on the cross, and all the punishment due unto 
them, and so has made full satisfaction for them. and has removed them 
from them, as far as the east is from the west, and out of 
the sight of avenging justice, so that when they are sought 
they shall not be found, nor shall they ever return unto them, 
or be brought against them any more." Amen. So that That symbolized 
here with the goat, we see it blazing clearly in the new covenant 
in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Well, 
let me pray and then if there's any questions or comments we 
can deal with those. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for what this represents, what this symbolizes, what this 
points forward to. And we bless you that we live 
in those days of realization. We live in the days of the New 
Covenant. We live in the days of the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. And we thank you, God, that we 
know it wasn't our free will or our good decision, but it 
was your sovereign grace that put us in Christ. And we rejoice 
in that. We rejoice in forgiveness. We 
rejoice in being accepted in the Beloved. We rejoice in the 
righteousness that you have imputed to us and enabled us to receive 
it by faith alone. We ask God that you would bless 
the preaching of the gospel throughout the world. We pray that more 
and more people would come to a saving knowledge of our Lord 
Jesus. We pray for our children and young people in this congregation 
that you would bless them and open their eyes and hearts to 
receive the truth in their youth. And we ask this through Christ 
Jesus.