Lev. 16: Yom Kippur Invented

I imagine Aaron was feeling pretty bad about the deaths of his sons, and who wouldn't be, really. He watched Nadab and Abihu go through all their training, specializing in this most sacred service to the people, and then they die in a most horrific way.

Its times like this that would cause a person to drop his guard. Perhaps Aaron, in his grief would overlook or forget about certain stipulations that are inherent in the priesthood for entering the Most Holy Place.

God in His compassion reminds Moses not to allow Aaron to enter the Most Holy Place
whenever he chooses. He's special, but not that special. The ark is in there, and the very seat of God on the atonement cover in the cloud. Seeing God is death, as we have heard a few times already. Violating the sacred rules of sacrifice is death as well, as Aaron is well aware.

He is only allowed to enter provided he has the proper animals for hiss own offerings, a bull (for sin) and a ram (for burnt).

Verse 6 begins a new ritual. Aaron is to bring in two male goats and a ram from the Israelites. One goat, by casting of lots, will be for the LORD, and the second goat will be the scapegoat. The LORD's goat will be slaughtered, and go through the sacrifice as a sin offering. The scapegoat will have the sins of the entire Israelite community conferred onto it, and be released into the desert. One will die, the other will be set free. The one set free however doesn't have it all that great. It is to be led into the desert and abandoned.

I find it somewhat interesting that Aaron has to make atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar. Its as though these places were defiled by being in the very presence of Israelites.

Beginning in verse 11, I find out a practical reason for the censers. The smoke created by these censers serves to conceal the presence of God in the Most Holy Place. Amazing.

So who is this man who has to take the scapegoat out into the desert? The scripture doesn't give much description of the type of person it needs to be, other than a man, but he does need to be ceremonially clean. Additionally, some translations mention Azazel in verse 26. "taken to Azazel" the proper noun leads me to think it is either a person or creature, or a place. I don't know yet at this point in my reading. I'll have to do some more studying.

This day of atonement is a once-a-year type of thing for the Israelites. So now they have their individual offerings, the day of atonement, and a bunch of other sacrifices for sin. Israel was evil as a community. It wasn't just a few bad apples in the bunch. As a whole body of people, they were wicked. God must have wanted these people very conscious of their sin for some reason. There was always some reason to sacrifice. The Bible also noticeably doesn't say that this one day of atonement in any way replaces or does away with the previous sacrificial regulations.