The goat for the sin sacrifice was killed and some of its blood sprinkled on the cover of the ark of the covenant. And some of the blood of the bull and the sin sacrifice goat was also applied to the altar of the Tabernacle (this is where the sacrificed animals were burnt). All the blood would purify the Tabernacle from the sins of Israel.

Next, the high priest, representing the nation, would lay both hands on the scapegoat’s head. This signified identification, that the scapegoat would take on the sins of the people. The high priest would confess the sins of the people before Yahweh and symbolically, the scapegoat would take on the sins of Israel.

Then Yahweh commanded that an appointed person lead the scapegoat away. As the carrier of the people’s sins, the scapegoat was taken out of the camp and led far, far away from Israel. The scapegoat was released into the wilderness and would never be seen again. It was a powerful visual reminder of what Yahweh would do with the people’s sins, once a sin sacrifice was made. God would not count the people’s sins against them any longer. He had removed their sins from them. God said these annual sacrifices would purify or cleanse Israel of its unintentional sins of the past year. In this way, Yahweh would then remain with Israel for another year.

This annual ceremony on the Day of Atonement also pictured for the people the cleansing work of the coming, promised Messiah. This is especially seen with the two sacrificial goats. On one hand, the Messiah would die and pay for mankind’s sin. His death would cleanse people from their sins, allowing God to declare them righteous.

On the other hand, the scapegoat that is brought far, far away and abandoned into the wilderness demonstrated that Messiah’s sacrifice would truly remove a person’s sin far from the person and God would not count it against them any longer because they have been paid for. What a wonderful picture of the Messiah’s work!

Let’s be thankful again for God’s initiative in providing the Messiah, or the Saviour, to take away our sins by personally paying for our death penalty. Now that we are forgiven through Christ, we should not feel guilty about past sins and think that God still holds them against us. Like the scapegoat, He removes our sin far, far away from us.

In Psalm 103, King David makes this observation.

Psalm 103:7–12

7 He revealed his character to Moses

and his deeds to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,

slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

9 He will not constantly accuse us,

nor remain angry forever.

10 He does not punish us for all our sins;

he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him

is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

12 He has removed our sins as far from us

as the east is from the west.

David recognised that when God forgives, our sins are removed far from us, as far as the east is from the west.

But God recognises that even as believers, we will still sin. But we can go to God immediately to confess our sins and He will forgive us.

1 John 1:9

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

However, we must not take God for granted. We must not think that we can be casual about sin. When we accumulate sin and don’t confess them to God, our fellowship with Him becomes strained. And when it becomes strained over time, we shy away from Him and this makes it easier for us to sin and make things even worse.

Let’s not do that. Let’s be ready to confess sin and get right with Him.

Examine your past week and month. Have you done anything that drove you away from God? If so, confess it now and He will forgive and restore your fellowship with Him.