Leviticus - Chapter 16

Leviticus 16.1 And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; Leviticus 16.2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Leviticus 16.3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. Leviticus 16.4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. Leviticus 16.5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. Leviticus 16.6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. Leviticus 16.7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Leviticus 16.8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. Leviticus 16.9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. Leviticus 16.10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. Leviticus 16.11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: Leviticus 16.12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: Leviticus 16.13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: Leviticus 16.14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Leviticus 16.15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: Leviticus 16.16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. Leviticus 16.17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. Leviticus 16.18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. Leviticus 16.19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. Leviticus 16.20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: Leviticus 16.21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: Leviticus 16.22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. Leviticus 16.23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: Leviticus 16.24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. Leviticus 16.25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar. Leviticus 16.26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. Leviticus 16.27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. Leviticus 16.28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. Leviticus 16.29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: Leviticus 16.30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. Leviticus 16.31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. Leviticus 16.32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: Leviticus 16.33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. Leviticus 16.34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Leviticus : Chapter 16

The Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16

Leviticus chapter 16 establishes the Day of Atonement, a sacred time for the people of Israel, marked by rituals of purification and reconciliation. This crucial text sheds light on how Israel obtained annual forgiveness for its sins.

High Priestly Rituals

This chapter details the complex rituals performed by the high priest, including the sin sacrifice and the sending of the scapegoat. These ceremonies reveal the path to reconciliation with God, while emphasizing the gravity of sin and the need for atonement.

Prefiguring Christ's Sacrifice

The rites described in Leviticus 16 prefigure the final sacrifice of Christ, which would bring ultimate redemption to humanity. Let's consider five biblical passages that deepen our understanding of this holy day and its fulfillment in Jesus.

Biblical Passages

Hebrews 9:7: "But into the second, only the high priest entered, once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins of the people which they had committed through ignorance." This verse directly refers to the practices of the Day of Atonement described in Leviticus 16, interpreting them in the light of Christ.

Hebrews 10:1-4: "The law is only a shadow of what is to come, not the reality of what is good. Therefore, by the same sacrifices offered year after year, it will never be able to make perfect those who worship. [...] For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." This passage interprets the rituals of Leviticus 16 as prefigurations of Christ's sacrifice.

Romans 3:25: "God offered him as a propitiation through faith, through his blood, demonstrating his righteousness, for by forbearance he had left the sins committed previously unpunished." Paul uses the concept of propitiation, central to Leviticus 16, to explain the significance of Christ's death.

1 John 2:2: "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." John applies the concept of propitiation in Leviticus 16 to Christ, extending its scope to the entire world.

Matthew 27:51: "And at that moment the veil of the sanctuary was rent in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were broken." This event at Jesus' crucifixion is seen as the fulfillment of the symbolism of the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16.

Conclusion

As we meditate on these passages, we are invited to recognize the depth of the mystery of redemption and to celebrate the grace God offers us through the sacrifice of His Son. May this holy day always remind us of the necessity of atonement and the beauty of divine mercy.