Bibledoorajar: Scapecoat?

 Knowing God, acknowledging Him, leads to His wishes and His desires becoming paramount in our hearts and minds. Acknowledging Him is to embrace His desire that we be clean before Him. Not every one can embrace this desire. They rebel against some aspect of the requirements. They say, surely a loving God this or surely a loving God that, but Leviticus 16 shows us to what length God intended the children of Israel to come before Him free of guilt and clean of heart; to come to Him as unworried children. It hearkens back to the proof that God gave His friend Abraham that He would indeed give him a son. What was Abraham to do to get the proof? Prepare animal sacrifices.The revelation of the son followed. Pause and remember that story.

At Yom Kippur, the High Priest would don a special robe and sash and place a turban on his head. He then ceremoniously selected a bull and two goats. The bull and one of the goats would be sacrificed as a substitute offering to absolve the children of Israel of their guilt. That guilt was placed on their innocent heads by the High Priest. Then the scapegoat was brought to the High Priest. It was to be the recipient of all the sins of the nation. The goat bearing the sins would be taken outside the walls of the camp and let loose to carry the sins of the nation far, far away.

On Crucifixion Day, Jesus, like Isaac, carried the wood on His back for the sacrifice. As He neared the cross, He was accused of the very sins of which the priests and High Priest were guilty; they said He was a blasphemer. Unlike Isaac, there would be no substitute worthy to replace Jesus because He was God's ultimate substitute. And there outside the walls of Jerusalem, the city of Shalom, He absolved guilt and carried sins forever and away. And Barabbas, the guilty,  was set free that day. "In all they ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path." He is worthy; He had done this great thing.