Eugene Peterson's commentary in Conversations was helpful in understanding more about it and the symbolism of the whole ritual for us as believers in Christ:
"[The second goat] was offered alive to God, not killed. Instead, Aaron took him, placed both hands on his head, and confessed the sins of all the people of Israel over him. All the transgressions, the rebellions, the base wickedness, the indifference, the grumbling disobedience - all this Aaron confessed and placed upon the head of the goat.
When the confession was complete, a man was standing by with a whip to drive the goat into the wilderness. He was chased out of the camp with ferocity, for on his head were the sins of the nation. He was driven to Azazel, the demon god of the wilderness, never to be seen again. That goat was the original scapegoat who bore God's wrath for the people's sin. As the goat was being chased into the clutches of Azazel, every Hebrew standing there as a spectator could say, 'There but for the grace of God go I. My sins are on the scapegoat's head; he will pay the consequences for my sin."
Jesus Christ combines the symbolism of the two goats in his own person. As the Son of God, he was "God's goat," slain from the foundation of the world. His blood was shed that we might be cleansed from our sins. As the Son of Man, he was "the scapegoat," taking the sins of all humankind upon his head and suffering the consequences. Our sins went with him to the barren cross where he was ripped to pieces by the demonic spirit of the age, Azazel, dressed in Jewish robes and brandishing a Roman sword.
Jesus Christ is our scapegoat. We can put our sins on his head. The appropriate action for us is the same as it was for Israel: a searching confession of our sins, a willingness to take personal responsibility for our ill-spoken words and our ill-begotten actions, and a happy assurance that Christ will bear them away, never to be heard from again.
Never, ever again."I love this picture of Christ we see so early in the Old Testament. It humbles me and makes my heart surge with gratitude and love for Jesus, my Lord and Savior and my scapegoat. So thankful for the truth of "Never, ever, again."
2 comments:
Cici, thank you for the insight from Peterson. So much here that is a mystery to me. Wanted to share something from Crabb on God's holiness:
"Paul introduces God to us in Romans as a holy God who is passionately furious at all that in unholy. His presentation of the good news of the gospel starts with bad news for us. God is a God of vengeance, of wrath, of retribution. He will not allow the guilty to remain unpunished....Our Christian culture has weakened our understanding of the holiness of God by introducing too soon the idea of grace. We now talk about grace in a way that changes our view of God from holy to paternal, from justifiably enraged to strict but understanding.
"Very few Christians today see God as an irate judge who violently hates our sin. He is now a bit more flexible, more tolerant, still insistent that we measure up to at least some of His standards, but gracious when we don't.
"God means for us to obey His rules, we say, but if we don't(and no one does, of course, not completely), He's really quite understanding. That's our view of grace. It's what Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls cheap grace. It develops when we talk about grace before we tremble at God's holiness."
Lev 16: "Tell your brother Aaron not to enter into the Holy of Holies, barging inside the curtain that's before the Atonement-Cover on the Chest whenever he feels like it, lest he die, because I am present in the Cloud over the Atonement-Cover.
I am reminded that God has made a way for me to enter the "holy of holies"... The curtain separating me from God was torn from top to bottom at Christ's crucifixion. I have the blessing, the privilege, to enter in prayer into God's presence anytime. Do I often "barge in" or rush into the throne room... blurting out my requests or wants and then rush back out to go on with my own busy life and activities. Yes, too often this is what I do. May I remember the honor it is to enter His presence and the price He paid so I can; may I remember to do so in a respectful way with a heart of humility, praise, and gratitude!
Thank you Lord Jesus, for making a way for me to be in the presence of almighty God.
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