Where’s Your Scapegoat?

Text:

Leviticus 16:7-11:

7: And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

8: And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.

9: And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

10: 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.

11: 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:

 

Theme:

Where’s Your Scapegoat?

 

Introduction:

• Our text comes from the book of Leviticus…the third book of the Old Testament and of the Pentateuch.
  • Leviticus is so named because it addresses the service of the Levites, giving the information, order, and structure for those within the Levitical order from the tribe of Levi.
  • These were primarily the caretakers of the Ark of the Covenant…mainly priests but also ushers and guards.
• This chapter of Leviticus is dealing with SACRIFICES:
  • What is a SACRIFICE?
    • The offering up of sacrifices is to be regarded as a divine institution. It did not originate with man. God himself appointed it as the mode in which acceptable worship was to be offered to him by guilty man.
  • The language and the idea of sacrifice pervade the whole Bible:
    • Adam and Eve were clothed with the skins of animals (Genesis 3:21) which had probably been offered as sacrifices.
      • Animals were not presented to man as food until after the flood (Genesis 7:2-4)
    • Abel offered as a sacrifice of the “firstlings of his flock” (Genesis 4:4)
    • Abraham was directed to offer as a sacrifice his son Isaac. (Genesis 22)
    • David cried out in his despair in Psalms 51:17 where he says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
    • Then as we cross over into the New Testament we learn in Revelations 13:8 of the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”…the Final Sacrifice of Jesus, the Christ.
  • There are different types of sacrifices or offerings made to God (outlined in Leviticus chapters 1-5):
    • There are the sweet savour offerings – they typify Christ in His perfection and divinity
      • The burnt-offering
      • The meal-offering (also called the “meat-offering” in the bible)
      • The peace-offering
    • There are the non-sweet savour offerings – they typify Christ bearing the sins of the world
      • The sin-offering
      • The trespass-offering
• Sacrifices are made for the purpose of gaining ATONEMENT.
  • Atonement literally means AT – ONE – MENT. The reconciliation of man to God through a sacrifice to rid man of the sin that separates him from God.
  • Atonement is not the CAUSE, but the CONSEQUENCE of God’s love. God’s love motivated Him to provide us with a way to be saved.  Atonement DOES NOT motivate God to love us.

 

Body:

• The specific verses of the text hover within the realm of the sacrifices on a special day within Judaic society, the Day of Atonement.
  • The Day of Atonement was the great annual day of humiliation and expiation for the sins of the nation, “the fast”, and the only one commanded in the law of Moses. It was kept on the tenth day of the month Tisri, i.e., five days before the feast of Tabernacles, and lasted from sunset to sunset.  This is during the time that we know as Yom Kippur
  • God in the verses of the text directs Aaron through Moses to take two goats on this day.
    • Goats as a burnt offering are representative of the sinner
      • As opposed to the ox, representing Christ as the Servant of God
      • As opposed to the lamb, representing Christ as the perfect sacrifice upon the cross
      • As opposed to the turtle-dove or pigeon, representing Christ as the one who innocently descended to poverty to save wretched sinners.
    • FIRST GOAT is to be offered as a sin-offering
    • SECOND GOAT is to be the SCAPEGOAT
  • What is the SCAPEGOAT?
    • In Judaic culture:
      • The goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people. After which, the goat is sent into the wilderness.
      • The release of the scapegoat into the wilderness is representative of the REMISSION of SINS
        • The Remission of Sins was critical to the reinstitution of the Jew to God…as His Chosen People.  This was their RELATIONSHIP to God.
          • Psalms 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
          • The children of Israel were restored to God by the separation of their selves from their sins by the symbolic releasing of the scapegoat into the unknown and uncharted wilderness.
    • In everyday life:
      • A scapegoat is commonly known as a person or thing bearing the blame for others
        • When I was a child, being the eldest of three boys by my Mama, I was often used as the scapegoat. When my younger brothers would break or damage something, I was blamed because I was the one in charge.  I felt that I was a scapegoat.
        • However, at the same time, being the oldest, I would scare my brothers by threatening to use them as the scapegoat if they did something wrong. “I am gonna tell Mama on you!” was a powerful weapon for a while…but it soon wore off.
        • In the world you have to be careful of the people that you hang around with because a crime or wrongdoing would easily be blamed on the one who was quiet, not liked by others, or simply the easiest to be made the scapegoat for what ever reason.

 

Conclusion:

• So the question then arises…Where is your scapegoat?
  • Just like the people of Israel…WE HAVE DONE WRONG!
    • As it says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory or God.”
    • Just like the people of Israel…WE NEED ANOTHER CHANCE!
      • A failed test in school quickly brings up the question…Can I make it up?
      • A getting caught by a parent in a wrong activity brings the question…Can I change it up?
      • A failure in life that has knocked us down to the ground and left us with no self-esteem brings the question…Can I even get up?
      • A sin against God leaves us knee bent and body bowed at the alter asking the question…Lord, can you fix it up?
• Where is your scapegoat?
  • Is it your money? …paying tithes and offerings is an act of obedience…NOT retribution!
  • Is it your friends? …they have their own soul’s salvation to handle!
  • Is it the good deeds of your past? …what we do glorifies God but does not save our soul
    • Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
    • We must believe in Jesus the Christ as Lord and Savior!!!!
      • 1)Repent / 2)Believe / 3)Be Baptized / 4)Receive the Holy Ghost
• My scapegoat is Jesus!
  • He’s not like the first goat that forgave the people but left them bound
  • He’s not like the first goat that gave light for yesterday but left tomorrow in darkness
    • Jesus freed my soul with His ONE TIME sacrifice!
      • We don’t need any more first goats.
      • We don’t need any more scapegoats.

1. Jesus came to take care of the first goat by being the final sacrifice
2. Jesus died to take care of the sins of the world as they were placed on the head of the scapegoat
3. Jesus rose from the dead with all power in His hand to take care of the scapegoat’s separating us from our sins.

• I can depend on Jesus!
  • He’s my Saviour!

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