Preparing to Enter the Most Holy Place
Study note
After the death of Nadab and Abihu, God warned that the high priest could not enter the Most Holy Place just any time or he would die. The Most Holy Place was behind a thick curtain and contained the Ark of the Covenant with its golden lid called the mercy seat. God's presence appeared as a cloud above this mercy seat. Aaron had to prepare carefully: he wore simple white linen clothing instead of his colorful high priestly robes, showing humility. He brought a bull for his own sin offering and two goats from the community.
1 After the death of Aaron's two sons -- who died when they came near the Lord with fire he had not asked for -- the Lord spoke to Moses. And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
2 The Lord told Moses, "Warn your brother Aaron that he must not go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place whenever he feels like it, or he will die. The golden mercy seat -- the lid on top of the Ark -- is there. I appear in a cloud above the mercy seat." And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
3 "Here is the only way Aaron may enter the Most Holy Place. He must bring a young bull for a sin gift. He must bring a ram for a burnt gift." Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
4 "He must put on the holy linen robe with linen underclothes next to his skin. He must wrap the linen sash around his waist and put on the linen turban. These are holy clothing. He must wash his whole body in water before putting them on." 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.
5 "From the Israelite group, he must take two male goats for a sin gift. He must also take one ram for a burnt gift." 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.
The Two Goats and the Scapegoat
Study note
Aaron first offered his own bull for his sins and his family's sins. Then he took the two goats and cast lots to determine their roles. One goat was for the Lord and would be sacrificed. The other became the scapegoat, which would be sent alive into the wilderness. The scapegoat carried the sins of the people away, providing a powerful visual picture of sin being completely removed.
6 "Aaron must first offer the bull as a sin offering for himself. This will make things right between God and Aaron and his family." And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
7 "Next he must take the two goats and present them in the Lord's presence at the Tabernacle entrance." And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
8 "Aaron must draw lots for the two goats -- one lot marked for the Lord and the other marked for the scapegoat." And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9 "Aaron must sacrifice the goat that the lot assigns to the Lord, offering it as a sin offering." And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
10 "The goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat must be kept alive. It must be brought before the Lord. It will be sent away into the wilderness, carrying the people's sins. This will make things right between the people and God." 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.
Entering the Most Holy Place
Study note
Aaron killed his bull and took burning coals and incense behind the curtain. The cloud of incense covered the mercy seat so Aaron would not die from the direct presence of God. He sprinkled the bull's blood on and in front of the mercy seat seven times. Then he killed the goat chosen for the Lord and did the same with its blood. This cleansed the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, and the altar from all the sins of Israel that had accumulated throughout the year.
11 "Aaron must kill the bull for his own sin offering. This will make things right between God and his own family." 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:
12 "He must fill a firepan with glowing coals from the altar in the Lord's presence and scoop up two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense. He must carry all of this behind the curtain." 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 veil:
13 "He must place the incense on the fire in the Lord's presence so that a cloud of incense smoke covers the mercy seat above the tablets of the covenant. This cloud will protect him from dying." 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:
14 "He must dip his finger in some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it on the east-facing side of the mercy seat. Then he must flick blood with his finger seven times in front of the mercy seat." And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 "After that, he must slaughter the goat designated as the people's sin offering and carry its blood behind the curtain. He must do the same thing with the goat's blood as he did with the bull's blood -- sprinkling it on the mercy seat and in front of it." Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, 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:
16 "In this way, he will make the Most Holy Place clean from the sin and wrongdoing of the Israelites. He must do the same for the whole Tabernacle. It stands right in the middle of the people and their uncleanness." 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.
17 "No other person may be inside the Tabernacle from the moment Aaron enters. He must finish the cleansing in the Most Holy Place and come back out first. He will make things right for himself, his household, and all the Israelites." 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.
18 "Then he must come out to the altar that stands in the Lord's presence and purify it too. He must take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and smear it on the horns all around the altar." 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.
19 "He must flick some of the blood on the altar with his finger seven times. This cleanses and sets the altar apart from the uncleanness of the Israelites." 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.
The Scapegoat Sent Away
Study note
After finishing inside, Aaron laid both hands on the live goat's head and confessed all the sins of Israel over it, symbolically placing those sins on the goat. A man then led the goat deep into the wilderness and released it. The goat carried the people's sins away to an empty, uninhabited land. This powerful image taught that God not only forgives sin but removes it completely, carrying it far away.
20 "Aaron will finish making the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, and the altar clean. Then he must bring out the live goat." 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:
21 "Aaron must press both hands on the live goat's head and confess over it every sin and act of rebellion the Israelites have committed. By doing this, he symbolically transfers all their sins onto the goat's head. Then a man assigned for the job must lead the goat out into the wilderness." And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, 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:
22 "The goat will carry the full weight of all their sins to a remote, uninhabited place. The man must release the goat there in the wilderness." 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.
Completing the Ceremony
Study note
After the scapegoat was sent away, Aaron went back into the Tabernacle, took off his white linen clothing, bathed, and put on his regular priestly robes. He then offered burnt offerings for himself and for the people. The man who led the scapegoat into the wilderness and the person who burned the remains of the sin offerings outside the camp both had to wash their clothes and bathe before returning to camp.
23 "After this, Aaron must go back into the Tabernacle and take off the linen clothing he wore when he entered the Most Holy Place. He must leave those clothing there." 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:
24 "He must wash his body with water in a holy area and put on his regular priestly clothes. Then he must come out and offer the burnt offering for himself and the one for the people. This makes both his own and the people's relationship with God right again." 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.
25 "He must also burn the fat from the sin offering on the altar." And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
26 "The man who led the scapegoat into the wilderness must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. Only then may he return to the camp." 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.
27 "The bull and goat used for the sin offering -- the ones whose blood was carried into the Most Holy Place -- must be taken outside the camp. Their hides, meat, and waste must be burned up completely." 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.
28 "Whoever burns them must wash their clothes and bathe in water. Only then may that person return to the camp." And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
A Permanent Day of Rest and Atonement
Study note
God established this as a permanent annual event on the tenth day of the seventh month. On this day, no one was to do any work, and everyone was to humble themselves through fasting. This applied to Israelites and foreigners alike. It was a complete Sabbath of rest. The priest would make things right for the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and all the people once each year. Jews still observe Yom Kippur today as the holiest day of the year.
29 "This is a permanent rule for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must deny yourselves normal comforts and do no work at all. This applies both to native-born Israelites and to foreigners living among you." 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 sojourneth among you:
30 "On this day, the priest will perform the ceremony that restores your relationship with God and makes you clean. You will be purified from all your sins in the Lord's presence." 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.
31 "It is a Sabbath of absolute rest for you, a day to deny yourselves normal comforts. This is a permanent rule." It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
32 "The priest who has been anointed and appointed to serve in his father's place as high priest must carry out this ceremony. He must wear the sacred linen clothing." 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:
33 "He must make clean the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and all the people." 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.
34 "This is a lasting rule for you: Once a year, the priest must do the ceremony that makes the Israelites right with God for all their sins." Everything was done just as the Lord had told Moses. 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.