Leviticus Chapter 16
Showing all 34 verses for Leviticus Chapter 16.
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"And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; "
"The LORD spoke to Moses after the deaths of Aaron's two sons, who had died when they approached the LORD's presence improperly."
This solemn instruction comes right after the death of Aaron's sons, who approached God carelessly - God is teaching that coming near Him matters, and that He cares enough to provide a right way rather than leaving people to guess. Jesus wants you to approach Him with reverence, not out of fear of punishment, but because He has gone to great lengths to give you a safe, right way into His presence.
"And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. "
"The LORD told Moses to warn his brother Aaron not to enter the inner sanctuary — the space behind the curtain, in front of the cover of the ark — whenever he feels like it, or he will die; because the LORD appears there in a cloud above that cover."
Even Aaron, the high priest himself, cannot simply wander into God's presence whenever he wishes - a reminder that access to God is a genuine gift, not something to be taken for granted. Jesus is the one who opened that access for you permanently, so that what once required extreme caution is now something you can approach with grateful confidence because of Him.
"Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. "
"This is how Aaron may enter the holy place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering."
Before Aaron can do anything for the people, he must first deal with his own need for atonement - leadership never exempts you from needing grace yourself. Jesus wants you to lead and serve others from a place of humility, remembering your own need for mercy rather than acting as though you're above needing it.
"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. "
"He must put on the holy linen tunic, linen undergarments next to his skin, tie a linen sash around him, and wrap a linen turban on his head — these are sacred clothes — and he must bathe his body in water before putting them on."
Aaron sets aside his usual splendid robes for simple linen, washing himself before he even puts them on - true holiness before God isn't about impressive display, but humble preparation. Jesus calls you to approach Him with humility rather than performance, valuing sincerity over appearances.
"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. "
"From the Israelite community he must take two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering."
The offering for the people is taken from the congregation itself - the community provides for its own atonement, a shared responsibility rather than something imposed from outside. Jesus invites you into a shared life with others who need grace just as much as you do, where no one stands above needing it and everyone contributes to the community's wellbeing.
"And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. "
"Aaron must offer his own bull as the sin offering, to make atonement for himself and his household."
Aaron offers first for himself and his own household before he can act for anyone else - honest self-examination has to come before you can rightly help others. Jesus calls you to deal honestly with your own heart first, so that when you reach out to others, it comes from humility rather than hidden hypocrisy.
"And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. "
"He must take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting."
Two goats are presented together before the LORD, each destined for a different role in the same act of atonement - together, they picture something no single animal could fully represent. Jesus alone fulfils what these two goats only pictured in part: He is both the sacrifice that pays for sin and the one who carries it fully away from you.
"And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. "
"Aaron must cast lots over the two goats: one lot marked "for the LORD" and the other "for the scapegoat.""
Lots are cast rather than Aaron choosing by preference - the outcome is entrusted to God rather than to human judgement or favouritism. Jesus wants you to trust God's wisdom and timing over your own preferences, especially in matters too important to leave to human bias.
"And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. "
"Aaron must bring forward the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering."
The goat chosen for the LORD becomes a sin offering, its blood the means of atonement - a costly life given so others could be made right with God. Jesus is that offering for you, His life given so that your relationship with God could be fully restored, at a cost only He could pay.
"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. "
"But the goat chosen by lot for the scapegoat role must be presented alive before the LORD, so that atonement can be made using it, and then sent away alive into the wilderness as the scapegoat."
The second goat is not killed, but sent alive into the wilderness, carrying the people's sins far away - a vivid picture of guilt genuinely, completely removed, not merely covered over. Jesus doesn't just forgive your sin; He carries it away from you entirely, as far as anyone could imagine, so it no longer stands between you and God.
"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: "
"Aaron must bring the bull for his own sin offering, make atonement for himself and his household, and slaughter it."
Aaron kills the bullock specifically for his own atonement before proceeding further - even the one making atonement for others must first be made right himself. Jesus, unlike Aaron, never needed His own atonement - and that is exactly why He alone could make yours complete and lasting.
"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 vail: "
"He must take a firepan full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and carry them behind the curtain."
A censer of burning coals and sweet incense fills the air before Aaron approaches the mercy seat - a fragrant covering that protects him even as he draws near to something overwhelming. Jesus's intercession for you rises like that fragrance, covering you as you draw near to God, protecting you not because you're worthy but because of what He provides.
"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: "
"He must put the incense on the fire before the LORD, so the cloud of smoke covers the cover of the ark above the tablets of the covenant, so that he doesn't die."
The cloud of incense covers the mercy seat so that Aaron does not die in God's overwhelming presence - mercy itself needs to be approached carefully, wrapped in provision that makes nearness safe. Jesus is your safe covering before God; because of Him, you can draw near to a holy God without fear of being overwhelmed or destroyed by what you don't fully understand.
"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. "
"He must take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the cover of the ark, and sprinkle some of the blood in front of it seven times."
Blood is sprinkled on the mercy seat itself - literally over the place where God's justice and mercy meet, atonement placed exactly where it's needed most. Jesus's own blood covers exactly the place where your guilt and God's justice would otherwise collide, making peace possible right at that meeting point.
"Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, 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: "
"Then he must slaughter the goat that is the sin offering for the people, bring its blood behind the curtain, and do with it what he did with the bull's blood, sprinkling it on and before the cover of the ark."
The sin offering is now made specifically for the people, following the same pattern as for Aaron himself - no different standard for the ordinary person than for the high priest. Jesus's atonement reaches you with the exact same completeness it reaches anyone else, however important or ordinary you feel yourself to be.
"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. "
"In this way he must make atonement for the holy place because of the impurities of the Israelites and all their sins, and he must do the same for the tent of meeting, which stands among them in the middle of their impurity."
Atonement is made for the holy place itself because of the people's uncleanness - even the sacred space bears the mark of human sin nearby and needs cleansing too. Jesus's atonement is thorough enough to cleanse not just individual hearts but the whole environment sin has touched, leaving nothing untouched by His grace.
"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. "
"No one else may be in the tent of meeting while Aaron is inside making atonement in the holy place, until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole community of Israel."
No one else may be present while Aaron makes atonement - this is a solitary act on behalf of everyone, done by one so that many could benefit. Jesus stood utterly alone in making atonement for you, bearing what no one else could bear, so that you could be brought fully into the benefit of what He alone accomplished.
"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. "
"He must go out to the altar that stands before the LORD and make atonement for it, taking some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and putting it on the horns of the altar all around."
Aaron goes out and applies blood to the altar's horns too - atonement reaching even the place of ongoing worship, making it fit for continued use. Jesus's work doesn't just deal with a single moment of guilt; it makes your whole ongoing life of worship and relationship with God possible.
"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. "
"He must sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, cleansing it and setting it apart as holy, purifying it from the impurities of the Israelites."
The altar is cleansed and hallowed, seven-fold sprinkling marking it as fully set apart again - even sacred things can need renewal after contact with human failure. Jesus renews and restores what sin has touched in your life, setting it apart again for good purposes rather than discarding it.
"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: "
"When he has finished making atonement for the holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he must bring the live goat forward."
Only once the holy place, tabernacle and altar are all reconciled does Aaron turn to the live goat - order matters, a complete work done thoroughly before moving to the next step. Jesus's work in you is thorough and complete before it moves you forward; He doesn't skip steps or leave things half finished.
"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: "
"Aaron must lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wrongdoings, rebellions and sins of the Israelites, putting them on the goat's head, then send it away into the wilderness in the care of a chosen man."
Aaron lays both hands on the live goat and confesses over it all the people's sins - a vivid, physical act of transferring guilt away from the people and onto another. Jesus took your guilt onto Himself in exactly this way, so completely that it no longer belongs to you but was carried entirely by Him.
"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. "
"The goat will carry all their wrongdoings away to a remote, uninhabited place, and the man must release it there in the wilderness."
The goat carries the sins away to an uninhabited land, never to return - a picture of guilt removed permanently, not just temporarily set aside. Jesus's forgiveness is permanent; He doesn't hold your past over you or bring it back up later, it is genuinely, completely gone.
"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: "
"Aaron must then go into the tent of meeting, take off the linen garments he wore to enter the holy place, and leave them there."
Aaron removes and leaves behind the special linen garments he wore into the holy place - a clear marker that this specific, solemn task is now finished. Jesus's finished work means you can rest in what's already accomplished, rather than feeling you must keep striving to secure what He's already secured.
"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. "
"He must bathe his body with water in a holy place, put his regular garments back on, come out, and offer his burnt offering and the people's burnt offering, making atonement for himself and for the people."
Aaron washes again and changes clothes before coming out to offer burnt offerings for himself and the people - a fresh start marking the move from solemn atonement into celebratory worship. Jesus wants your life to move naturally from being cleansed by Him into joyful worship, not staying stuck in the solemnity of guilt.
"And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar. "
"He must burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar."
The fat of the sin offering, considered the best part, is burned on the altar - even in a solemn sin offering, the finest is given fully to God. Jesus gave the very best of Himself, holding nothing back, and calls you to hold nothing back from Him in return.
"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. "
"The man who released the goat for the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water before he may re-enter the camp."
The man who releases the scapegoat must wash before returning to the camp - even facilitating someone else's atonement leaves its own mark, needing its own reset. Jesus understands that serving and caring for others can leave you tired or affected too, and He provides for your own restoration even as you help carry others' burdens.
"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. "
"The bull and the goat used as sin offerings, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, must be carried outside the camp, and their hides, meat and dung burned in fire."
The remains of the sin offerings are carried outside the camp and burned completely - sin dealt with fully, removed entirely from the community's midst. Jesus was crucified outside the city, bearing sin fully away from where His people live, so that what remains among you is only what's clean.
"And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. "
"The person who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water before he may return to the camp."
The one who burns the remains also washes before returning - even necessary, faithful work in dealing with sin has its own toll, and needs its own care afterwards. Jesus never asks you to serve at the cost of your own wellbeing without also providing a way for you to be renewed.
"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: "
"This is to be a permanent law for you: on the tenth day of the seventh month you must humble yourselves and do no work at all — whether you are native-born or a foreigner living among you."
This day is set apart for everyone, native and stranger alike, to pause from ordinary work and reflect honestly - a shared, universal opportunity for humility and renewal. Jesus welcomes everyone equally into honest reflection and renewal before God, with no insider status required.
"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. "
"Because on this day the priest will make atonement for you, to cleanse you, so that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD."
On this day, atonement makes the people clean from all their sins before the LORD - not some sins, not most sins, but all of them, completely. Jesus's atonement covers all of your sin too, nothing held back, nothing left unaddressed, a complete cleansing before God.
"It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. "
"It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves — this is a permanent law."
This is called a sabbath of rest, a day of honest self-examination built into the rhythm of the year - God builds in time for people to pause and be honest with themselves and Him. Jesus invites you into that same kind of rest: honest reflection paired with genuine peace, not endless anxious striving.
"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: "
"The priest who is anointed and ordained to serve in his father's place must perform the atonement, wearing the linen garments, the holy clothes."
Whichever priest is anointed to serve, generation after generation, carries out this same work of atonement - continuity of care across time, not dependent on one particular person. Jesus's priesthood on your behalf never ends and never depends on human succession; He continues to intercede for you without interruption.
"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. "
"He must make atonement for the most holy sanctuary, for the tent of meeting, for the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community."
Atonement covers everyone and everything - the sanctuary, the tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and all the people - nothing and no one left out of the reach of this cleansing. Jesus's atonement reaches every part of your life and every person you know; nothing is beyond what His grace can cleanse and restore.
"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. "
"This is to be an everlasting law for you: to make atonement for the Israelites for all their sins, once a year. And Aaron did exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses."
This pattern is called an everlasting statute, atonement made once a year for all their sins - yet it had to be repeated endlessly, a hint that something more lasting was still to come. Jesus's one sacrifice accomplished once and for all what this yearly ritual could only ever picture and point towards, never fully achieving on its own.