Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.
– Leviticus 16:5-10
“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.
“And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.
– Leviticus 16:15-21
Devotion
During the Day of Atonement two goats were chosen to make an offering for the sins of the people. The two goats were brought before the congregation at the entrance to the tent of meeting where the high priest cast lots to determine which goat was to be dedicated to the LORD, and which was to be dedicated to Azazel (an unknown place, or the wilderness). The goat dedicated to the LORD would be used for a sin offering, and a scarlet chord was tied to the goat’s throat. This goat would be killed and its blood would be used to atone for the Holy Place, the tent of meeting, and the altar to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the people.
The second goat had a scarlet chord tied around its horn, and it would symbolically have the iniquities of the people, their transgressions and sins transferred to it by the laying on of hands of the High Priest, at which time it would be led into a remote area and let go. Jewish tradition stated that the sins of the people would be removed and the crimson red chord would turn white.
Both goats provided the people of Israel with a foreshadowing of their future Messiah; Jesus was slain for the iniquities and uncleanliness of the people while also having the sins of the world imparted on him. How could the significance and symbolism of the death of Jesus, who claimed to be the Messiah, proclaimed to have come from heaven to save the world from sin, was led before Pilate to be sentenced and cast outside of the city to be executed on a cross have been missed by the majority of the people of Israel who would have witnessed the Day of Atonement every year? The answer: dull and unreceptive hearts which were not willing to hear and respond.
The Big Question
Is your heart receptive to the promptings of God to fully follow him as your Savior and Lord, or has it become dull and calloused and unwilling to respond to His promptings and words?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.