UNROLL
A pale dawn over the silent wilderness camp: rows of dark tents with closed doors and no cooking fires, the small white linen court of the tabernacle in the distance with one thin line of smoke rising.

The Book of

Leviticus 16

One day a year, one man goes behind the veil, and a goat walks away into the wilderness carrying a nation’s sins.

34 verses≈ 8 min2 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–7The offeringsHow sinners draw near
  2. 8–10The priestsOrdained, and a warning
  3. 11–15Clean and uncleanLife before a holy God
  4. 16The Day of AtonementSins carried awayChapter 16
  5. 17–27A holy peopleBe holy, for I am holy

The Day of Atonement

Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD.

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God
God

And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

At dawn in the tabernacle court, the bronze basin of still water, and beside it plain white linen garments folded on a woven mat: a tunic, a sash and a turban.

What to bring and wear

How Aaron is to enter

  1. For himself

    A young bull and a ram

    This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

  2. Linen only

    Linen tunic and undergarments

    He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments.

  3. Linen sash and turban

    He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban.

  4. Bathed before he dresses

    These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them.

  5. For the people

    Two male goats and a ram

    And he shall take from the congregation of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

Priests in white linen seen from behind leading a young bull and two goats toward the gate of the tabernacle’s linen court at dawn.

Aaron is to present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

God
Courtyard · 100 × 50 cubitsNGate · EastTent of MeetingBronze altarBasinThe tent, enlarged · 30 × 10 cubitsArkTableLampstandIncense altarVeilScreenMost Holy PlaceHoly Place

Plan to scale in cubits · north at the top

Aaron’s path

The way in

On this one day Aaron walked the whole tabernacle. He bathed and dressed in plain linen. From the bronze altar in the court he carried coals and incense through the screen and the Holy Place, and “inside the veil” to the ark and its mercy seat. He went in with the bull’s blood, then again with the goat’s. Then he came back out “to the altar that is before the LORD” and cleansed it too. No one else went behind the veil, and he went only on this day.

When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil.

The Most Holy Place in near darkness: a soft cloud of incense smoke spreads over the gold lid of the ark and the lifted gold wings of the cherubim, their heads bowed and hidden.

He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die. And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat.

0:19

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it.

So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them in the midst of their impurities.

The high priest in plain white linen, seen from behind, standing alone at the entrance of the tabernacle tent at dawn, a bronze bowl in his hands.

No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.

Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

Reflect

The way in is open

Aaron was told “not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil.” One man, one day a year, with blood and a cloud of incense, “so that he will not die.” Hebrews says that because of Jesus’ blood, believers may now come in with confidence, every day. How will you draw near to God today? Write down one thing you want to bring to Him, and then bring it.

When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to bring forward the live goat.

Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness.

Dusk on a vast, bare wilderness plain: one goat, small and alone, walks away toward far hills, with nothing else in sight.

Pray

Carried away

Aaron was to “confess over it all the iniquities” of the people, and the goat carried them off where no one would see them again. Name your sins to God now, honestly and specifically. Then thank Him that in Jesus they are carried away, and that He is faithful to forgive everyone who confesses.

A high priest’s plain white linen tunic, sash and turban folded on a simple acacia-wood chest in the dim light of a tent.

Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there. He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering to make atonement for himself and for the people.

He is also to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up. The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.

This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves and not do any work—whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you—

because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

Leviticus 16:30

It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.

The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly. This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.”

And all this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Day of Atonement

Washed,in linenholy garments(16:4)A bullforhimselfhis own sinfirst (16:11)Blood onthe seatbehind theveil(16:14–15)Altarcleansedblood on itshorns(16:18–19)Scapegoatsentsins carriedaway(16:21–22)Once ayearevery yearagain (16:34)Christ: oncefor allby His own blood (Heb9:12)

Whiteboard

The day in order: Aaron washed and dressed in plain linen; a bull for his own sin; blood carried “inside the veil” onto the mercy seat, first the bull’s and then the goat’s; the altar cleansed; the live goat sent away with the people’s sins; and all of it again the next year. Hebrews says Jesus entered the true Most Holy Place once for all, by His own blood (Hebrews 9:12), and never needs to go in again.

Question

Quick question

Two goats were chosen by lot. One was offered; the other was kept alive.

What did Aaron do over the live goat?

This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.

Leviticus 16:34

You’ve experienced

Leviticus 16

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A verse to carry with you

This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.

Leviticus 16:34

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