Then [Aaron] is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats–one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.
Leviticus 16:7-10
The second of the fall festivals, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), is upon us. It is a day of fasting and repentance. It is a time to make things right between us and the Lord and with others. It is a day to spend extra time with our Creator.
When the Temple was standing, two goats were selected each year. One was sacrificed and had its blood sprinkled on the ark of the covenant, being brought into the presence of the Lord. The other was led into the desert away from the Lord and the people after having the sins of the people symbolically transferred onto it. This second goat was called the scapegoat, which is where we get the modern idiom.
Yom Kippur reminds us that our sins have been atoned for. Just as the scapegoat carried the sins of the people into the desert, Jesus bore the sins of the world on his shoulders on the cross. His sacrifice is greater than that of all the scapegoats put together. He went into the holy of holies in heaven by his own blood (Hebrews 9:12). He has dealt with sin once for all. “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12).
All that is left is our response: Will we approach him with repentance, trusting in his loving-kindness and accepting his forgiveness?
