Leviticus 16 – 18

Leviticus 16 – 18

Chapter 16 introduces the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur as you may have heard it called. This happened once each year on the tenth day of the seventh month. This Day of Atonement was like a Sabbath day in that no one, even the foreigners in their midst, was to do any work.

Please note that before Aaron or the high priest could offer a sin offering and a burnt offering for the people, he first had to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering for himself. There were very specific rules set forth about how the high priest was to cleanse himself, what clothes he was to wear and how the offerings were to be handled. He, and only he, could enter the Tabernacle on that day and only he could enter the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant with the Mercy Seat was kept.

Note that two goats were to be presented for the sins of the people. One was to be slaughtered and one was the “scapegoat.” The high priest would lay both hands on the scapegoat and confess “all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel.” The sins of the people were thus transferred to the head of the goat.

A specially chosen man would then drive the goat into the wilderness and the goat would carry the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.

Chapter 17 makes it clear that the Israelites were always to bring their sacrifices to the Tabernacle. They were not to sacrifice animals in the open fields. A repetition of the law forbidding the eating or drinking of blood was repeated. Punishment for this was being cut off from the community. God makes it clear that this if forbidden because “the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.”

Chapter 18 deals with sexual relations and those with whom they could have sexual relations. God made it very clear that he was driving out the people who already lived in the land because they had violated these rules. These rules are very clear and unambiguous, no matter what people may say today.

Tomorrow, it’s Leviticus 19 – 21.

Until next time…