Azazel the scapegoat Leviticus 16

Azazel the scapegoat Leviticus 16

Leviticus 16:7 “And he must take the two goats and make them stand before Jehovah at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron must draw lots over the two goats, the one lot for Jehovah and the other lot for Azazel. 

The word “Azazel” occurs four times in the Bible, in regulations pertaining to Atonement Day.—Lev 16:8, 10, 26.

"And the other lot for the scapegoat"

— The word "scapegoat" is altogether wrong. The Hebrew word is azazel it is derived from 2 hebrew words « "goat" from a root denoting strength, and the other hebrew word meaning "to go away, to disappear". The word therefore signifies The Goat of Departure, or The Goat of Removal. It represented one that has the strength to bear away the "sins" to be figuratively placed upon it.

Shall be presented alive before Yahweh"

— The two goats are prophetic of Christ's work. Both in life and in death he glorified the Father (John 17:4-5). This goat was preserved alive, and presented to Yahweh to foreshadow the resurrection of the Lord after he had successfully completed his function as a sin offering. Hence Paul wrote: "Jesus our Lord . . . was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Rorn. 4:25). The type foreshadowed the provision of a living advocate on behalf of Yahweh's people, as is provided in (he Lord Jesus Christ. The resurrection of the Lord witnessed to the effectiveness of the atonement accomplished by his sacrifice (Rom. 1:1-4).

As Paul explained, by Jesus’ offering of his own life as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind, he accomplished far more than had been achieved by “the blood of bulls and of goats.” (Heb 10:4, 11, 12) He thus served as “the scapegoat,” being the ‘carrier of our sicknesses,’ the one “pierced for our transgression.” (Isa 53:4, 5; Mt 8:17; 1Pe 2:24) He ‘carried away’ the sins of all who exercise faith in the value of his sacrifice. He demonstrated the provision of God to take sinfulness into complete oblivion. In these ways the goat “for Azazel” pictures the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

Sending The Goat of Departure (Azazel--removed, separated, sent away) out into the wilderness demonstrates the Renouncing of error, the putting away sin, or releasing from the consciousness all belief in and thought of sin and evil.

The two goats of Leviticus 16 signify the twofold operation in consciousness that attends the putting away of sin. Sacrificing one goat as a sin offering to Jehovah signifies the process of uplifting and refining the energies that lie back of all action and have been used to do evil. These energies are good and must be refined and elevated to spiritual expression in the consciousness and organism of man, that he may become perfect even as the Father is perfect. (See Matt. 5: 48.)

Sending The Goat of Departure (Azazel--removed, separated, sent away) out into the wilderness indicates denial of error, putting away sin, or releasing from the consciousness all belief in and thought of sin and evil, and all condemnation for sin.

"As far as the east is from the west,So far hath he removed our transgressions from us" (Psa. 103:12).

"For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more" (Jer. 31:34).

The two goats symbolizes resistance and opposition. It is a phase of personality. We resist Spirit on one hand, and we resist our fellows on the other. These two instances of resistance symbolize the two goats of Leviticus 16:5-22. They are both to be denied. Resistance to the Lord is to be killed out entirely and resistance to our fellows is to be sent into the wilderness--denied a place in consciousness.

This also illustrates the difference between sins toward God and sins toward man. There must be a complete and full union of the Father and child; every thought of obstruction and resistance must be done away with. It is very important that we make complete at-one-ment with the Father.

Resistance toward evil is not to be wholly destroyed, but consciousness of the nothingness of the thoughts of evil is to be dumped into the wilderness of sense. This is the scapegoat that carries away all the iniquities of the Children of Israel and loses them in the outer void.

Our relations to our fellow men are so complex that we are excused in a measure if we fall short in observing the law of nonresistance in its entirety. Yet in superconsciousness we can rise with Jesus Christ and "resist not him that is evil"; we must do it before we can become like Him and see Him even a He is (I John 3:2).