God requires intentional acts of purity in the process of atonement.
In “The one who releases the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp” (v.26), we see instructions given by the LORD for the Day of Atonement ritual. This day, known in Hebrew as Yom Kippur, was marked by two goats: one offered as a sin offering, and the other designated as the scapegoat to symbolically carry away the sins of the nation into the wilderness. The person who led this scapegoat into the wilderness participated in this important ritual of removing the people’s transgressions from their midst, but was then required to undergo a purification process—washing clothes and bathing with water. The water cleansing signified an outward demonstration of being cleansed from the unclean elements associated with bearing away sin.
The command to “then afterward he shall come into the camp” reminds us that holiness among God’s covenant people was paramount. The camp in this verse refers to the temporary encampment of the Israelites as they traveled through the wilderness under the leadership of Moses, who lived approximately from the late 16th century BC to the 13th century BC. The people dwelled near Mount Sinai and other locations in the Sinai Peninsula. Since the scapegoat journeyed into the remote areas outside the camp, it carried away impurity. Only after the man who released the goat took steps to cleanse himself could he rejoin the community, reflecting the seriousness of sin and the importance of purity within the congregation of Israel.
This entire ritual foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice found in Jesus, who, as recorded in Hebrews 9-10, fulfills the atonement for humanity once and for all. Although the man who drove the goat away was not himself guilty of the people’s sin, he was still associated with the process of atonement and thus needed to be washed. This underscores the idea that sin and guilt, even when ceremonially transferred elsewhere, still necessitate a change in the person’s standing before returning to fellowship with others.
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Leviticus 16:26 meaning
In “The one who releases the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp” (v.26), we see instructions given by the LORD for the Day of Atonement ritual. This day, known in Hebrew as Yom Kippur, was marked by two goats: one offered as a sin offering, and the other designated as the scapegoat to symbolically carry away the sins of the nation into the wilderness. The person who led this scapegoat into the wilderness participated in this important ritual of removing the people’s transgressions from their midst, but was then required to undergo a purification process—washing clothes and bathing with water. The water cleansing signified an outward demonstration of being cleansed from the unclean elements associated with bearing away sin.
The command to “then afterward he shall come into the camp” reminds us that holiness among God’s covenant people was paramount. The camp in this verse refers to the temporary encampment of the Israelites as they traveled through the wilderness under the leadership of Moses, who lived approximately from the late 16th century BC to the 13th century BC. The people dwelled near Mount Sinai and other locations in the Sinai Peninsula. Since the scapegoat journeyed into the remote areas outside the camp, it carried away impurity. Only after the man who released the goat took steps to cleanse himself could he rejoin the community, reflecting the seriousness of sin and the importance of purity within the congregation of Israel.
This entire ritual foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice found in Jesus, who, as recorded in Hebrews 9-10, fulfills the atonement for humanity once and for all. Although the man who drove the goat away was not himself guilty of the people’s sin, he was still associated with the process of atonement and thus needed to be washed. This underscores the idea that sin and guilt, even when ceremonially transferred elsewhere, still necessitate a change in the person’s standing before returning to fellowship with others.