In the Scriptures, you will find many fascinating things that God required from the book of Leviticus. It involves the sacrifice of a Scapegoat. How did this animal become relevant to us today? Let us begin our study on this fascinating topic. John Barnett shared this insight:
 |
| No copyright infringement intended |
Moreover, Bible
Study Tools Dictionary expounded:
“When the
priest laid Israel's guilt on the scapegoat, the goat was sent into the
wilderness as a reminder that their sins went away out of the land where the
people lived. I think of God casting our sins away in Micah 7:19. Because a
scapegoat “carried away” the sins of the people, Jesus is often compared to
being the Scapegoat of all believers.”[2]
The Scapegoat is an extraordinary depiction of the Messiah yet to come. The prophet Isaiah saw Him so clearly and inspired to pen the following:
“But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and
the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5–6).
Upon seeing Jesus,
John the Baptist uttered, look and "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NASB) Jesus became the Scapegoat of
Leviticus. In this position, He carried all our sins for our complete
redemption. In doing so, Jesus gave us an abounding hope and an inexpressible
joy when “…our sins are removed as far as the East is from the West”
(Psalms 103:12). It happened when He became the “scapegoat” carrying the sins
of the people at the Cross of Calvary.
Emma Danzey
wrote in her article, “How Is Jesus Our Scapegoat Today?”
shared:
“Knowing
that Jesus is our scapegoat frees us from the burden of having to go through a
priest anymore. We no longer have the pressure to have a ceremony correctly to
cover our sins, but we have the blood of Jesus over our lives.”
God sent His Son
Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb and a Scapegoat to complete His redemption plan
for us.
J. Allan Peterson
shared this story:
“I read about
a small boy who was consistently late coming home from school. His parents
warned him one day that he must be home on time that afternoon, but
nevertheless he arrived later than ever. His mother met him at the door and
said nothing. At dinner that night, the boy looked at his plate. There was a
slice of bread and a glass of water. He looked at his father’s full plate and
then at his father, but his father remained silent. The boy was crushed. The
father waited for the full impact to sink in, then quietly took the boy’s plate
and placed it in front of himself. He took his own plate of meat and
potatoes, put it in front of the boy, and smiled at his son. When that boy
grew to be a man, he said, “All my life I’ve known what God is like by what my
father did that night.”
Because of His
great love for the fallen humanity, He sent Jesus as the Lamb of God and a
Scapegoat for our redemption and salvation. What is remaining is our response
to this great love. We can only reciprocate by recognizing our need for a
Saviour and Lord. Therefore, may we respond to His call and not harden our
hearts now. Securing our eternal status in Christ is of paramount importance.
Remember, if we missed this opportunity, we only have ourselves to blame. Hear
what Peter said to the crowd when asked:
“Brothers,
what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one
of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37b-38 ESV).
It’s your turn now
to do so.
Let’s talk again!
