Daily Scripture Reading Leviticus 16:17-34
Victor and his wife had a circle of friends that gave them a high social status. They loved being invited to all the parties that gave them access to the movers and shakers in society. Those connections were helping Victor earn many promotions. On the other hand, their circle of friends had questionable ethics. In recent months he and his wife had made some unsavory decisions in order to stay in good standing with their so-called friends. Victor was a Christian and knew they were compromising their integrity, but Victor justified their actions on the basis that they protected his career, which they depended on for their livelihood.
The 16th chapter of Leviticus records the instructions to Aaron as to when he could enter the Most Holy Place and what he was required to do while he was there. Part of the ritual of entering the Most Holy Place included a step that is an illustration that all Christian should follow as we make decisions on how to interact with the world in which we live.
After sacrificing a bull for his own sins and those of his household, Aaron was to enter the holy place with hot coals and incense so he could cover the mercy seat with a cloud of incense. Then he sprinkled some of the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat. Next, he slaughtered the goat which was for the sins of the people and sprinkled some of that blood on the mercy seat.
Lev. 16:17 Now when he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel.
Look at the words “no one”. Aaron had to be alone when he went into the holy place.
Lev. 16:18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it. And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides.
Lev. 16:19 With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times and cleanse it and set it apart as holy from the uncleanness of the sons of Israel.
Lev. 16:20 ¶ “And when he finishes making atonement for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring near the live goat.
Lev. 16:21 Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it out into the wilderness by the hand of a man ready to do this.
Lev. 16:22 And the goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an isolated land; and he shall send out the goat in the wilderness.
Don’t miss the totality of the action detailed in verses 21-22. Aaron symbolically placed all the sins of Israel on the live goat, and then the goat was sent into the wilderness, which meant the goat took the sins of Israel out of the camp and into the wilderness.
Lev. 16:23 ¶ “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place and shall leave them there.
Lev. 16:24 And he shall bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes and come forth, and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people.
Lev. 16:25 Then he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
Lev. 16:26 And the one who sent the goat out as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp.
Lev. 16:27 But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire.
Notice the words “outside the camp”. The carcasses of the sin offerings were not burned inside the tabernacle. They were burned outside the camp. Again, the picture is that the sins of the Israelites were carried outside the camp.
The Book of Hebrews draws a parallel between this and Jesus. Jesus was not crucified inside Jerusalem. Instead, He was taken outside the city, where He was offered as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Next, the author of Hebrews gave us an important command. He said we must go to Jesus outside the camp, bearing His reproach. The reason is that we do not have a permanent home here on earth. Our true home is in heaven.
This means we must be willing to obey Jesus no matter the cost. Even if it means being ostracized and vilified, we should choose to serve Jesus. Our career should not be more important than our Christianity. Maintaining our integrity and holiness should take priority over having a circle of friends. It is easy to compromise our ethics in order to gain earthly benefits. However, our desire to serve Jesus should be greater than our desire to earn worldly approval.
Lev. 16:28 Then the one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
Lev. 16:29 ¶ “And this shall be a perpetual statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native or the sojourner who sojourns among you;
Lev. 16:30 for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before Yahweh.
Today, this is known as Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
Lev. 16:31 It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a perpetual statute.
Look at the words “rest” and “humble your souls”. Work is not permitted on the Day of Atonement. Humility is required.
Lev. 16:32 So the priest who is anointed and ordained to minister as a priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments,
Lev. 16:33 and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
Lev. 16:34 Now you shall have this as a perpetual statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” And just as Yahweh had commanded Moses, so he did.
Humans like to fit in with the crowd. Thus, Christians have a natural tendency to seek approval from the world. We want to be part of the majority. However, the world is opposed to Jesus. The world is full of sin.
Just as the sins of the Israelites were carried outside the camp and burned, and just as Jesus was taken outside the camp as a reject and crucified, so too Christians should be willing to forsake the world and its priorities in order to go to Jesus outside the camp.
Going outside the camp means being willing to be different from the world. It requires making choices that may cause the world to reject us. It means refusing to participate in their questionable ethics.
Have you gone outside the camp to Jesus, willing to bear His reproach?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”