Today we have a way to atone our sins, for Jesus Christ came to earth in the flesh and died on the cross, as the prophets had prophesied. Jesus suffered at the hands of the Jewish Kenite leaders, he suffered very harsh treatment at the hands of Pilate and the Roman soldiers, and he bled and died, fulfilling the need for a sacrifice for sin, for one and all times. Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered, died and came out of the tomb victorious over death, and giving each of us a chance at eternal life. Yes we do have a way of atonement, and God laid out a way for these earily children of Israel to also have a way of atonement for sin.

Luke 23:23 "And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that He might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevail."

The Jewish Kenite religious leaders of the temple wanted Jesus out of their way, for they had been plotting this murder from the day Jesus started His ministry. We are told back in Ezra 8:15 that there was not one of the sons of Levi present in the forty three thousand returning to build the temple and set up their temple worship. Not one. These Kenites had completely taken over the Levitical priesthood.

I Chronicles 2:55 "And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez [Jerusalem]; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab [not Jacob]."

The Kenites are the sons of Cain, for that is what "Kenite" means. They came from Hemath that land of the Kenites, and back in King David and Solomon's day they became the wood cutters at the temple, and in the time of the captivity in Babylon, they took over the complete priesthood. They changed the form of worship to their traditions, so by the time Jesus was born, raised and taught, Jesus' teachings went against their traditions, and for that they sought to murder Jesus. They tried for the three years of Jesus ministry, until these Kenites thought their victory came, when Pilate yielded to their demands to crucify our Lord.

Luke 23:24 "And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required."

So was this all an accident that Jesus went to the cross of Calvary? Absolutely not, for every word spoken and every act in that crucifixion from the bartering of Jesus clothes, to the actual words spoken by chief priest at the temple was foretold in the Scriptures.

Luke 23:25 "And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison whom they had desired; but He delivered Jesus to their will."

God prepared a lamb for the slaughter, and the mind set of Satan's kids to do what they did, for the Lamb of God must be slaughtered to make for the perfect sacrifice for on and all times. These sacrifices that we are reading of in Leviticus were temporary, for the sins of the past year, but annually they had to be repeated. Jesus came for one purpose and that was to do the will of the Father. Hebrews 10:9 "Then said He, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God." He takenth away the first, that He may establish the second." The First Covenant or Old Testament established these set of blood ordinances and statutes for a covering temporarily for sin to allow God and man to commune. The second Covenant or New Testament God established for one and all times. Even for those that were under the first covenant, and in the grave.

Hebrews 10:10 "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ became the atonement for all sin that is brought under the blood of Christ by the faith of the believer's repentance in the name of Jesus. When you say "In Jesus name" to close your prayers, you are telling God that you are a believer, and that you accept His blood for the remission of your sins. We are then sanctified, set apart by God for His purpose and will, and brought into the body of Christ, which are the body of believers.

God gave us the laws and commandments, and he knew that we in our flesh bodies would fall short of those laws, and thus He also provided a that they could cover their sins, until the time of the Messiah would come. Why is this important to them that lived in Moses day, as well as with us? Because it becomes a way that Moses and early Israel could commune with God. God wanted to commune with His People, and He wanted their love and honor for Him. The only thing that you personally can give to God, is your love to Him.

So with all these means of animal sacrifice and offerings, still left some sin and uncleanness amongst this early people. These sacrifices given by Moses and the priests were for unaccounted sin, and this is why the day of atonement was necessary. This annual time of animal sacrifice is know as "Israel's fast". The "Day of Atonement" was to set up a procedure whereby the people of Israel could take care of, or cover the sins of the previous year. So this fast was a once a year cleansing of all the evil that has entered into their lives. This day of Atonement is covered in this chapter, then in the next chapter we will view the ceremonial laws, and the punishment that went with failure to respect those laws. By chapter nineteen we will be studying the priesthood and the specific things that are required by them.

The one thing that we should watch out for is that we don't get to involved and hung up in all the sacrifices, for they were fulfilled in the cross of Christ, so in all these sacrifices look for the symbols that they now represent under the New Covenant, the New Testament of Christ. These blood sacrifices and ritual ordinances were all fulfilled in the blood of Christ.

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;"

This chapter starts out with the reminder to Moses and Aaron, of the time and seriousness of His offerings. Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu, messed around with the things of God and put strange fire into the censer at the altar of God, that went against what God had instructed for His altar, as it was discussed in Leviticus 10:1-5.

Leviticus 10:1 "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not."

When the priest went into the holy of holies, he became the mediator for the sins of the people. He became the arbitrator for the people before the throne of God. This high priest would become a type for the Perfect Mediator, Jesus Christ. At Jesus death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, heaven then became the place of the holy of Holies. The vail to the earthly holy of holies was rent in two, allowing each person to approach the throne of the grace of God, and the Communion available to us through the name of Jesus Christ.

When they messed around with bringing heathen ways into God's house they were instantly consumed by God Himself. This verse then is calling our attention to the need for the day of atonement. We say then that the priests were the first to mess up and go against the laws and statutes that God laid out for the children of Israel.

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."

Moses and Aaron were flesh brothers, both born back in Egypt. God is instructing Moses to tell his brother that there will be a specific time to come into the holy of holies "holy place", and the warning is that if you enter in a time when you are not to be there, you will die. Our God is a consuming fire, and even the high priest, Aaron himself had sin attached to him, and coming into the holy of holies at the non prescribed time would cause his instant death. The holy of holies is the very inner court of the tabernacle.

Within this room of the holy of holies is the Ark of the covenant, the container housing the budded rod of Aaron, the manna, and the tablets of the law given to Moses on mount Sinai. Over the ark was the mercy seat, where two cherubs sat. It was the place where God would commune with man. God would appear to the high priest there in the cloud that was over the mercy seat at the prescribed time of the year.

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."

"So this is how Aaron should come into the holy place" [the holy of holies]. Before Aaron entered into that holy place he must have a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. These two offering, sin and burnt, where for Aaron and his house, including the priests that were of his family. Aaron's family was the priesthood. Only with the blood of atonement in hand could he enter into the holy of holies, and go behind the vail.

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." 

These clothes that the high priest would wear here as he enters into the holy of holies are different than those described in Chapter eight, that were worn by the priest. These clothes were completely white, we see that John description of Christ in heaven was just as it is given here of the high priest. The high priest that is to enter into the holy of holies, is to be as close a type as the description that we have for Christ, as He sits at the right hand of the Father. The one is a symbol of the other, and God expects this to be carried out in detail. This is why the high priest must atone for his own sins first.

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."

This is the offering that would be for the people, after Aaron had atoned for his own sins first through the sacrifices that we read of in verse three. This atonement is for the sins of the people of the children of Israel.

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."

This offering is for the entire priesthood.

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."

When this is taking place, the children of Israel are still camped at the base of mount Sinai, and it had only been about two years since they had departed out of their bondage in Egypt. This Tabernacle of the congregation had just been completed and it was a tent that would be taken with them in their journey through the wilderness. So Aaron was to take these two goats without blemish, and present them to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle [the tent for worship].

Leviticus 16:8 "And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat."

"For the scapegoat", "scapegoat" in the Hebrew text is "Azazel", meaning a "goat of departure". Aaron was to cast the lots with the Urim and Thummim, the two stones of the breastplate of the High Priest, that was used to give answers to a deciding doubtful question that needed to be answered. The answers were of course, yes or no, this way or that way, this one or that one; and in this case, the goat to set free was decided. The one goat was representative of YHVH, and the scapegoat is the representative of the complete opposite, the opposition to YHVH, being Satan himself.

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."

However the other goat which was selected by the urim and thummim as the scapegoat, the goat that would be released into the wilderness. The wilderness has always be symbolic of death. So of these two goats; the one killed and the blood used for the offering, is the one that gives life, and the one that escapes death, represents the spiritual death that comes from the wilderness of sin. Jesus went to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, and when you follow Satan that is exactly where he will lead you.

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:"

Again, before Aaron could go before the Lord in the holy of holies, he had to submit an offering for sin for himself and his family. Then he would be clean to do the sacrifice for the people.

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:"

Notice where Aaron would take the censer of burning coals from, "from off the altar before the Lord", and as we say in verse 10:1 that Nadab and Abihu did not do this, and it cost them their life. God did not want any strange fire near his Altar of God. The "sweet incense" is symbolic for the prayers of the people that go up before God.

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:"

This "fire before the Lord" is a different altar: It is at the altar of incense, not at the altar of burnt offerings. YHVH appeared in a cloud over the mercy seat, sitting upon the ark of the covenant. So the reason that Aaron, the high priest, had to take this incense [two large hands full] and put it on the altar of incense, so the fire would create a cloud, protecting him from the holiness of God.

Leviticus 16:14 "And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with hs finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times."

The blood was to be sprinkled on the front of the mercy seat, and "before" meant on the ground before the mercy seat. The seven times was for spiritual perfection, a sign of the covenant. Aaron was cleansing the tabernacle for the people, and purifying the inner sanctuary, from the sins of the priest, and the people as well. The common people were not allowed to enter into the inner sanctuary, but their sin still made the things found in the inner court of the sanctuary defiled and unclean through their sins.

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:"

The sin offering that is given here is the same offering that we saw in the earlier chapters of Leviticus. However the only exception is that the blood was not taken inside the holy of holies, or behind the vail.

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."

The atonement is for the holy place, the holy of holies. So the first time that Aaron sprinkled seven times was for himself and his family, and the second time he sprinkled seven times was for the sins of the common people, and 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."

No person was allowed in the sanctuary of the tabernacle when the high priest, Aaron, was in the holy of holies making atonement for the people. While the high priest was making the sin sacrifices of the atonement duties for the sins of the people.

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."

The horns are symbolic of power, and they are at the four corners of the altar of burnt offerings. So he not only made the inner side of the holy of holies purified, but the outside it was also required that he purify the altar of burnt offerings. We know that the blood of Jesus Christ fulfilled the need for these blood offerings. Blood sacrifices are not cruel but a requirement for the sins of man; however they were all fulfilled in the blood that our Lord Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary. As you read of these animal sacrifice, they were a must for a specific time, but that time is no more in existence. We are living in the time of grace now, and our Savior is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. At our Savior's death, all of these blood ordinances were nailed to the cross.

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."

"Hallow" as stated here is to set it apart; to set the uncleanness apart from 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 16:12 "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:"

And when Aaron had made an end of the atonement of the holy of holies, the tabernacle and the altar of burnt offerings; then should take the live goat representing Satan and shall put both his hands on the head of the goat, turn this goat free in the wilderness. This is the first part of the offerings of Leviticus where both hands are required in the sacrifice. This laying on of hands is to emphasis the solemnest of this event. As the high priest would state all the sins of the children of Israel, that would transfer those sins over to the head of the goat. Of course this is a symbol of removing sin, which is Satan, which is also death from the congregation of Israel.

Of course the only person that is fit to take sin away from us today is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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."

When the goat is released into the wilderness, the sins of the children of Israel are taken to the land of separation, and carried away from the people. This was the point of this type. The point here is that the goat was not sent away in judgment or atonement, but in peace and at liberty. "All had already been atoned for in the death of the other goat, as stated in verse ten. Now that goat was free to go into the land of forgetfulness, where their sins and iniquities will be remembered no more. As the scapegoat goes forth to " `Azizel", all enemies are thus personified as in Hebrews 2:14; proclaiming, "Who is he that condemneth?"

Romans 8:33, 34 "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God That justifieth;" [33] "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ That died, yea rather, That is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, , Who also maketh intercession for us." [34]

This is why this goat that is let free is called a "goat of departure, and is a type of Satan. The sin belongs to Satan, for the evil of it is complete opposite of the love of God, and the grace that He gives. Remember one goat represents God, the one that shed the blood; The other Satan. So this is a matter of placing the sin exactly where it belongs, on Satan, for Satan is death.

Hebrews 2:14 "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" [14] "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." [15]

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."

The white garment that Aaron wore as the high priest while in the holy of holies, are to be taken off and left in the holy place after the sacrifice is over.

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."

Remember that Aaron had to lay both of his hands on the head of this goat that was freed with the sins of the people. After his bathing and changing clothes, he went out to make the burnt and sin offerings for the atonement for himself and the people.

Leviticus 16:25 "And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar."

Aaron would burn the fat as incense, the "Katar", and offer the "Olah" the burnt offering for sin.

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."

Not only was Aaron to bathe for touching the goat carrying the sin, but the one that took that goat to the wilderness was also to bathe and wash his clothes before entering back into the camp. Just touching that goat would defile the person that touched it.

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."

In a prior chapter we read that the priest was required to eat part of the animal that was offered for sin of the people. However in this case, the animal was a sin offering for himself and for the people, and the priest was considered here as part of the congregation. Therefore they could not eat any part of the animal, and its burnt parts must be carried outside the camp.

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."

The person that took those parts of the sacrificed burnt animal out of the camp, must also clean himself and his clothes before reentering back 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 sojoureth among you:"

So the rest of this chapter gives us the celebration that would follow this day of atonement offering. It started off with a fast, and ended up with feasting and thanksgiving. Here we are given the exact day that this Day of Atonement must be celebrated. It would come on the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, and tenth day of the month each year. That would happen continually until the one true Sacrifice that Jesus Christ gave on the cross with His own blood. This was a high Sabbath, and even strangers in the camp had to observe this day also.

"Ye shall afflict your souls", meant that at dusk or evening that started this day, the ninth of the month, the people had to fast and give up their eating, and place their minds in a repenting state, making ready for the ceremonies that followed on the next day. The point here was to keep this day from become just another traditional day, like we look at many of the holidays of our land. The meanings for those days are gone, and and the days are just a time to get away from what you were doing.

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.

This was a time when the priest had to make themselves ready for the day of Atonement right along with the people. It was the time for all the people to get right with God. On this day of the year, all of the sins would be washed away from the camp and the people.

Leviticus 16:31 "It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever."

They were to afflict or fast and give up daily food for that one day.

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:"

On that day of Atonement, the priest would fill his hand with the necessary items to do the ministering of the priest's office, and wear for those ceremonies. When Aaron was not able to perform these duties, it was to be passed on to one of his sons that was a priest.

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."

Each year from this point on, this day of Atonement was to be celebrated and preformed exactly as it is written in this chapter.

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."

This set of instruction was given during the first month of the year, so this set of instruction would have to be carried out seven months after it was written down by Moses. The people would have already left the area of Sinai, on their way to Kadish-Barnea; and the land of Canaan. Without this day of atonement there would be no freedom from guilt on the part of the people. So by taking on the repenting attitude and fasting prepared them for the perfect sacrifice that would come much later. That perfect sacrifice was in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for the sins of all that would by faith believe and and seek repentance in Jesus Name.