This is a social media post from Old Testament scholar Chad Bird dated April 11. It has one minor edit from me about the group he is leading through the Bible. (The second sentence) The rest is so good that I wanted to share it exactly as written.

Leviticus is full of the gospel. Leviticus 16 is especially rich in this regard.

A central detail in the chapter is the use of two goats. The high priest casts lots over them: one is designated for Yahweh, the other for Azazel.

Azazel is often translated “scapegoat,” a term coined by William Tyndale in 1530, meaning the “escape goat,” the one that carries away sin. However, Azazel is likely a reference to a desert demon.

What happens to the two goats?

The goat for Yahweh is sacrificed, and its blood is brought before the Lord in the inner sanctum to make atonement.

The other goat, the one for Azazel, is kept alive. The high priest lays his hands upon it and confesses over it all the sins of the people. It is then sent away into the wilderness, bearing those sins with it.

Sins are not only atoned for; they are removed. They are returned to the wilderness, to Azazel, cast back into the realm of evil itself. No longer resting upon the people, sins are carried away.

All of this is a ritual sermon that preaches Christ to us.

By his sacrifice, our sins are not only forgiven but taken away. As Hebrews declares, “he has appeared once for all…to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (9:26).

Our sins are no longer upon us. We stand clean. We stand forgiven.

All because of Christ.