THE DAY OF ATONEMENT LEVITICUS 16:1-34 - Bible ...biblestudyworkshop.com/download/old/leviticus/Leviticus...10. but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Commentary, Questions and Answers by Pat Andrews

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

LEVITICUS 16:1-34

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org/



The Day of Atonement Text: Leviticus 16:1-34, 1. The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord and died, 2. and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil-canopy in front of the atonement plate that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement plate. 3. “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary—with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4. He must put on a holy linen tunic, linen leggings are to cover his body, and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash and wrap his head with a linen turban. They are holy garments, so he must bathe his body in water and put them on. 5. He must also take two male goats from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6. Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. 7. He must then take the two goats and stand them before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, 8. and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel.




9. Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord, and he is to make it a sin offering, 10. but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away to Azazel into the wilderness. 11. “Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself, and he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. He is to slaughter the sin offering bull which is for himself, 12. and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the veil-canopy. 13. He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement plate which is above the ark of the testimony, so that he will not die. 14. Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the atonement plate, and in front of the atonement plate he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger. 15. “He must then slaughter the sin offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the veil-canopy, and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement plate and in front of the atonement plate. 16. So he is to make atonement for the holy place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins, and thus he is




to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities. 17. Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent when he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel. 18. “Then he is to go out to the altar which is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it all around on the horns of the altar. 19. Then he is to sprinkle on it some of the blood with his finger seven times, and cleanse and consecrate it from the impurities of the Israelites. 20. “When he has finished purifying the holy place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. 21. Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins, and thus he is to put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man standing ready. 22. The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land, so he is to send the goat away in the wilderness. 23. “Aaron must then enter the Meeting Tent and take off the linen garments which he had put on when he entered the sanctuary, and leave them there. 24. Then he must bathe his body in water in a holy place, put on his clothes, and go out and make his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. So he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and the people.




25. “Then he is to offer up the fat of the sin offering in smoke on the altar, 26. and the one who sent the goat away to Azazel must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. 27. The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the holy place, must be brought outside the camp and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up, 28. and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. 29. “This is to be a perpetual statute for you. In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves and do no work of any kind, both the native citizen and the foreigner who resides in your midst, 30. for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you must be clean before the Lord. 31. It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves. It is a perpetual statute. 32. “The priest who is anointed and ordained to act as high priest in place of his father is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33. and he is to purify the Most Holy Place, he is to purify the Meeting Tent and the altar, and he is to make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34. This is to be a perpetual statute for you to make atonement for the Israelites for all their sins once a year.” So he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. (NET)




Introduction: This was the most sacred day of the year! On this day, and this day only, Aaron entered into the Most Holy Place with blood presented for the atonement of his sins and the sins of all of Israel. This was accomplished in two trips. First Aaron presented and slaughtered a bull for his own sins and the sins of his family. This procedure is described in verses three through six (above). Notice all the preparations and cautions that were to take place before and during this ceremony. Constantly Aaron is warned to do this exactly as told to prevent his death! Although we have most recently gone through chapters eleven through fifteen, (lists of clean and unclean animals and hygienic laws), the narrative seems to pick up right after chapter ten and the death of Nadab and Abihu. You will notice the opening words of chapter sixteen refer back to the death of his two sons. Unlike any other Jewish special day, the Day of Atonement was not a festive event. It was instead a day of mourning and repentance, apparently accompanied by fasting (here referred to as humbling yourselves). While Aaron and the other priests worked all day offering sacrifices and doing other rituals, the people were told to do no work (It was a Sabbath Day and “no work” would have been the norm). Instead, the instructions were, “You must humble yourselves and do no work of any kind, both the native citizen and the foreigner who resides in your midst…” The word




translated here as “humble yourselves” is elsewhere rendered as “afflict your soul” and seems to refer to “fasting.” One such place it is used is Psalm 35:13. “When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, and refrained from eating food.” (NET). The word translated here as “refrain from eating food” is the same word that is translated “humble yourselves” in verse twenty-nine. I am confident when I say that the Nation did not look forward to the Day of Atonement in the same way they anticipated other holy days. This was a day of reminder of SIN. Hebrews 10:3, “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year.” (NET). The constant emphasis was the cleansing of God’s dwelling place and God’s people because of their sins. This would come around again next year and once again they would be reminded of their sinfulness and need of cleansing. In the Christian faith, however, we look at the cross and in the Communion (Lord’s Supper or Eucharist) we see a reminder of our forgiveness. Luke 22:19, “Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (NET). Thus our “Holy Days,” the Lord’s Day and all our meetings, are gatherings of joy and celebration because Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary was a “once-for-all” sin-offering and now we celebrate our freedom from sin and the bondage of Satan.




As we read through the text together, notes will be interjected to focus on the pictures that were being drawn by these ceremonies that would be fulfilled in Christ. Commentary:

The Day of Atonement Leviticus 16:1-3, The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil-canopy in front of the atonement plate that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement plate. “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary—with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. (NET) (“Holy place inside the veil” would refer to what we are calling the Most Holy Place.) The reader will remember that the Tabernacle was divided into two un-equal parts. The Holy Place began at the entrance of the tent (not the courtyard). The tabernacle itself was a rectangular enclosure about 45 feet long and in width and height about 15 feet. (We say “about” because the measurements are stated in “cubits” which could vary some since a cubit was measured by the distance between the elbow and longest finger of a man’s hand. Not all arms are the same length. Generally we interpret a cubit as being about eighteen inches.) Internally it was divided by a veil into two chambers, the first of which was called the Holy




Place, {30 feet by 15 feet by 15 feet high}, also called the sanctuary (Hebrews 9:2, For a tent was prepared, the outer one, which contained the lampstand, the table, and the presentation of the loaves; this is called the holy place. (NET)) and the innermost chamber, {15X15X15} the Holy of Holies, or The Most Holy Place. This is where Aaron is about to enter on the Day of Atonement and it is not without great ceremony and preparation and even fear that he does so.

Day of Atonement Offerings Leviticus 16:3-4, “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary—with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He must put on a holy linen tunic, linen leggings are to cover his body, and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash and wrap his head with a linen turban. They are holy garments, so he must bathe his body in water and put them on. (NET) (Notice the change of clothing for this occasion. There is great purpose and significance in this. When Aaron is dressed to represent God to man – his ordinary duties- he is dressed in splendor as befits a representative of God Most High! However, when he represents man to God he changes out of his glorious attire and puts on the attire of a slave. The reason is obvious! God comes to man in glory and beauty, while man comes to God completely stripped of pride. Aaron laid aside his glorious garments in order to represent man to God. Jesus laid aside his glory and position and took the form of a slave in order to represent man to God! Philippians 2:5-8, You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not




regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross! (NET) Leviticus 16:5-10, He must also take two male goats from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. He must then take the two goats and stand them before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel. Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord, and he is to make it a sin offering, but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away to Azazel into the wilderness. (NET) Verse 5 states that one goat was slain and its blood presented at the Mercy Seat and the other was led away into the wilderness bearing the sins of the people. Verse 6 speaks of Aaron’s first trip inside the Holy of Holies. Neither he nor anyone has been inside for a year. In verses 11 – 13 we will learn the elaborate preparations that Aaron must make before each of these two entrances into the Most Holy Place!) Up until this moment, it is not known which goat will die for the sins of the people and which will roam the wilderness, carrying




the guilt of Israel upon himself until he dies. Jesus became both of these sacrifices. On the cross he shed his blood for our sins. 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wound you were healed.” (NET) While his body was in the tomb, He went into the Hadean world bearing our sins away and then ascended to the Father where he presented his blood for our atonement. 1 Peter 3:18-19, Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit. In it he went and preached to the spirits in prison.” (NET) Hebrews 9:11-12 But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption.) (NET)

The Sin Offering Sacrificial Procedures Leviticus 16:20-22, “When he has finished purifying the holy place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins, and thus he is to put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man standing ready. The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land, so he is to send the goat away in the wilderness. (NET)




One can only imagine how long this might take! It was greatly important that this man lead the goat far away and cause him to be lost, lest he come wandering back into camp bringing Israel’s sins with him. In later years we are told that the goat would be led to a precipice and pushed over so as to die or be maimed and unable to return.

The Concluding Rituals Leviticus 16:23-28, “Aaron must then enter the Meeting Tent and take off the linen garments which he had put on when he entered the sanctuary, and leave them there. Then he must bathe his body in water in a holy place, put on his clothes, and go out and make his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. So he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and the people. “Then he is to offer up the fat of the sin offering in smoke on the altar, and the one who sent the goat away to Azazel must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the holy place, must be brought outside the camp and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up, and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. (NET)

Now Aaron changes back into his High Priestly garments to begin again to represent God to man. When Jesus arose from the dead, he arose in a heavenly and glorious body and we are assured that




when we see him we will also be glorified. 1 John 3:2-3, Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure. These would be the two rams mentioned in verse 3 and verse 5 and the procedure would be that of chapter 1, the burnt offering. More hard and unpleasant work for the priests.

Review of the Day of Atonement Leviticus 16:29-34, “This is to be a perpetual statute for you. In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves and do no work of any kind, both the native citizen and the foreigner who resides in your midst, for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you must be clean before the Lord. It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves. It is a perpetual statute. “The priest who is anointed and ordained to act as high priest in place of his father is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the holy garments, and he is to purify the Most Holy Place, he is to purify the Meeting Tent and the altar, and he is to make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. This is to be a perpetual statute for you to make atonement for the Israelites for all their sins once a year.” So he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. (NET)




Notice the list of all that is being purified in the Day of Atonement exercises.

QUESTIONS ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

Leviticus 16:1-34 1. In what month and on what day of that month did the Day of Atonement occur? Give the reference for this information. ______ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What was so different about this special day as opposed to the other high days? _______________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. While the High Priest and the other priests were working all day, what were the people supposed to do? _________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Of what did the Day of Atonement remind the people? ______




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. In contrast to that, of what does the Lord’s Supper and the meditations connected to that remind us? ___________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Describe the Tabernacle’s measurements and divisions (not including the outer court). _______________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. In what part of the Tabernacle would Aaron (and subsequent High Priests) be working on this special day? ________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Why do we not know the exact measurements of the Tabernacle or its furnishings? _____________________________




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Why did God require that the High Priest change his clothes before making the offerings on the Day of Atonement? ________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. What is the significance of the very plain garments worn for this occasion as opposed to other sacrifices? _________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. Which animal did Aaron slaughter and present first and whose sins were cleansed by this? _______________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. How was Aaron to insure that he would not look fully upon the Mercy Seat and die? _________________________________




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Who, besides the High Priest, was to be in the Tabernacle when these rites were being performed? ____________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. How do the two goats represent Jesus? _________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. How did Jesus carry out the function of both of these animals? ______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16. After making atonement for the sins of himself, his family and the people, what else did he purify with the blood of the sin offering? _____________________________________________




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17. How did the High Priest transfer the sins of the people to the “scape-goat”?__________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18. What word in the text describes the land where the scape-goat would be taken? ___________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. Now that Aaron is done with his duties, what must he do with the linen garments, his body and what clothing does he then put on? ______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




20. What must the one who led the scape-goat away and those who dragged the carcasses of the sin offerings outside the camp to be burned do before reentering the camp? ________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 21. How often was this to be done and for how long? _________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Answers

To

Questions

On

Leviticus 16:1-34 1. In what month and on what day of that month did the Day of Atonement occur? Give the reference for this information. Seventh month, tenth day; Leviticus 29______________ 2. What was so different about this special day as opposed to the other high days? A day of mourning and repentance, humbling themselves (fasting).________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. While the High Priest and the other priests were working all day, what were the people supposed to do? No work – fasting.______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




4. Of what did the Day of Atonement remind the people? Reminder of sin.______________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. In contrast to that, of what does the Lord’s Supper and the meditations connected to that remind us? Forgiveness.______ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Describe the Tabernacle’s measurements and divisions (not including the outer court). 30 feet by 15 feet by 15 feet high. Holy of Holies = 15X15X15.____________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. In what part of the Tabernacle would Aaron (and subsequent High Priests) be working on this special day? Holy of Holies._______________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Why do we not know the exact measurements of the Tabernacle or its furnishings? Because of the measure of cubit is not exact. Length between the elbow and the longest finger of a man’s hand._________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Why did God require that the High Priest change his clothes before making the offerings on the Day of Atonement? They are holy garments.____________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. What is the significance of the very plain garments worn for this occasion as opposed to other sacrifices? Attire of a slave.________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




11. Which animal did Aaron slaughter and present first and whose sins were cleansed by this? Bull; his and his family._________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. How was Aaron to insure that he would not look fully upon the Mercy Seat and die? Incense on the fire and cloud of incense will cover the atonement plate (Mercy Seat).____ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Who, besides the High Priest, was to be in the Tabernacle when these rites were being performed? No one.____________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. How do the two goats represent Jesus? One shed his blood for atonement, the other carried away the sins of the people.___________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. How did Jesus carry out the function of both of these animals? He shed his blood on the cross and while his body was in the tomb, he carried our sins into the hadean world.______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16. After making atonement for the sins of himself, his family and the people, what else did he purify with the blood of the sin offering? The holy place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar._ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17. How did the High Priest transfer the sins of the people to the “scape-goat”? He placed his hands on its head and confessed the sins of the people._______________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




18. What word in the text describes the land where the scape-goat would be taken? Wilderness. Azazel._________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. Now that Aaron is done with his duties, what must he do with the linen garments, his body and what clothing does he then put on? Take them off and leave them in the Tabernacle. He then puts his High Priestly garments back on.________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20. What must the one who led the scape-goat away and those who dragged the carcasses of the sin offerings outside the camp to be burned do before reentering the camp? Take a bath and wash his clothes._____________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 21. How often was this to be done and for how long? Once each year perpetually._________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________




_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Documents

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT LEVITICUS 16:1-34 - Bible ...biblestudyworkshop.com/download/old/leviticus/Leviticus...10. but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood