Leviticus 16:1-22 NKJV
16 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; 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.
3 “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. 4 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. 5 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.
6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 8 Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. 10 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.
11 “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. 12 Then 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. 13 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. 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.
15 “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. 16 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. 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. 18 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. 19 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.
20 “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. 21 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. 22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
The Day of Atonement, described in Leviticus 16:1–22, stands as one of the most profound moments in Israel’s worship life. Through this ceremony, God provided a means for His people to be cleansed of their sins and restored to fellowship with Him. This sacred day began with Aaron, the high priest, entering the Most Holy Place—a space he was forbidden to enter on any other day lest he die (v. 2). He was to bring offerings both for himself and for the people, highlighting that even the high priest required cleansing. Dressed in simple, holy garments, Aaron was reminded that his authority came not from his position but from God’s grace.
Central to the ceremony were two goats. One was sacrificed as a sin offering, and its blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat (v. 15), to illustrate the covering of sin and the satisfaction of God’s justice. The second goat, known as the scapegoat, was presented alive. Aaron laid his hands on its head, confessing over it all the iniquities of the people. This goat was then sent into the wilderness, bearing their sins far away (v. 21-22).
These two goats paint a vivid picture of what Christ has done for us. Through His blood, shed on the cross, He has atoned for our sins, fulfilling the justice of God. Through our faith in Him, He has carried our sins far away, like the scapegoat, removing them “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
The Day of Atonement was not merely about ritual but about restoration. It reminded God’s people of their sinfulness and their need for His mercy. Yet, it also pointed to the complete and final atonement made by Jesus, our Great High Priest, who entered not a sanctuary made with hands but heaven itself to appear in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:24).
Let us live each day in gratitude for the perfect atonement accomplished through Christ. Through faith in Him, He has cleansed us, removed our guilt, and brought us near to God. Let us pray: Gracious God, thank You for the perfect atonement made through Jesus. Help us to trust in His sacrifice for us and live in the joy and freedom of Your forgiveness. Amen.