Goat שָׂעִיר

We are in chapter sixteen of Leviticus with our word for today. שָׂעִיר he-goat, billy-goat, male goat, buck. It is used 52 times in the Old Testament. Our word is used in the sense of the male of an agile ruminant related to sheep, but having a beard and straight horns. It is interesting that the first time our word is used in the Bible it was killed and used as part of Joseph’s brothers plan to deceive their father. Genesis 37:31 Then they took Joseph's robe and slaughtered a שְׂעִ֣יר goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They did this to deceive their father into thinking that Joseph their brother was dead. You could say that a goat was killed because of Joseph’s brothers sin. This connection with sin is how it is used most of the time in the Old Testament specifically as part of the sin offering as part of the tabernacle worship. Leviticus 9:3 And say to the people of Israel, ‘Take a שְׂעִיר male goat for a sin offering. This is how our word is used in our chapter today. But we actually see two goats instead of just one for the sin offering. Leviticus 16:7-10 Then he shall take the two הַשְּׂעִירִ֑ם goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two הַשְּׂעִירִ֖ם goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present הַשָּׂעִ֔יר the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, וְהַשָּׂעִ֗יר but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. God continues later in the chapter to describe in detail how these two goats were part of the sacrifice and forgiveness of the people’s sin. But first the priest has make a sacrifice for his own sins. We will look more into this tomorrow. For today let’s look at these two goats. Leviticus 16:15-16 Then he shall kill the שְׂעִ֤יר goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. So the first goat gets put to death for the sins of the people. What happens to the other goat? Leviticus 16:20-22 And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live הַשָּׂעִ֥יר goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live הַשָּׂעִיר֮ goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of הַשָּׂעִ֔יר the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. הַשָּׂעִ֥יר The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let הַשָּׂעִ֖יר the goat go free in the wilderness. This goat is called “the scapegoat”, short for “escape-goat,” that is, the goat that escaped death and escaped into the desert. The Hebrew word is azazel, which could be a compound of the two Hebrew words “goat” and “to go away.” Some connect it with an Arabic word that means “to remove, to banish.” Regardless of the origin of the word, the meaning is clear: The releasing of the goat symbolized the sins of the people being carried away, never to be held against them again. What a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us. I’ll close with these great passages. Psalm 103:10-12 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!