The book of Leviticus is difficult to digest for most of us. Many of my own attempts to read through the Bible from beginning to end, came to a sudden stop in the rules, regulations, and litigious language of Leviticus. Consequently, there are some very interesting pieces of information that often get overlooked. One such detail is the “Azazel,” or “scapegoat.”
There were sacrifices associated with seemingly every aspect of one’s life.
The sacrificial system was a key feature of religious and national life for the people of Israel. It’s one of the reasons modern readers struggle with Leviticus and many other Old Testament texts. The concept of sacrifice is much less literal for us; it doesn’t land in quite the same way. For the people of the Old Testament, sacrifices were standard operating procedure. If you did something bad, there was a sacrifice for that. If you were going to do something good, there was a sacrifice for that. If you had an accident, there was a sacrifice for that. If you were sick, there was a sacrifice for that. There were sacrifices associated with seemingly every aspect of one’s life. But, there were also sacrifices that took place during major festivals for the benefit of all of the people of God.
One of the most important sacrifices took place during Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The details of this ceremony and sacrifice are found in Leviticus 16. Amidst detailed instructions concerning the attire and hygiene of the High Priest, and a variety of other sacrifices in preparation for offering the main sacrifice, we read:
“[The High Priest] is to take two male goats for a sin offering… he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats – one for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron [the High Priest] shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat… He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites – all their sins – and put them on the goats head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.”
I confess that I am no Hebrew scholar, but I do know that the word translated “scapegoat” is some iteration of the word “azazel.” The word scapegoat was coined by the famous Bible translator William Tyndale. While Mr. Tyndale did a wonderful job encapsulating the function of the goat, he may have glossed over an ancient piece of information. It is believed that the original Hebrew word is actually a proper name. Many Bible scholars believe that Azazel was the name of a demon or hostile entity that ruled the wilderness. The wilderness was known as a place of temptation, testing, and demonic activity. Jesus Himself encountered the devil in the wilderness. One goat was sacrificed to atone (make amends or reparation) for the sins of the people; the other was laden with the burden of those sins to carry them far away, back to the place of temptation and the tempter. This second goat was the azazel, who consequently was sent out to the domain of Azazel.
The text of Scripture doesn’t tell us what happened to the azazel, but the Mishna reveals that he wasn’t “the goat who lived” for long. According to tradition, the man charged with caring for the goat until it was released in the wilderness would push it off a cliff. They made sure sins were never coming back.
In Jesus, one sacrifice was sufficient. Nothing and no one else need die for sin.
While I find this story extremely interesting, if not extremely brutal, I’m beyond grateful that we don’t have to do it today as Christians. Two goats, not to mention the host of other animals, shed their blood and died every year to pay for sin. Again, Jesus changed everything. Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” shed His blood on the cross as the atonement for the sins of the world (John 1:29). Hebrews 10:10 tells us, “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus ONCE FOR ALL.” In Jesus, one sacrifice was sufficient. Nothing and no one else need die for sin.
I can’t help but wonder if old Azazel isn’t still at work today. Make no mistake, I’m absolutely certain there are demons and wildernesses of wickedness and temptation in our world. Perhaps we ourselves can live as Azazel’s. Much like the scapegoats/azazels, we are released and allowed to walk away under the weight of our sin if we so desire. And, while we may walk away feeling fine for a while, our unfortunate end will come if we continue to wander off on our own.
Salvation is available to all. We simply must accept the gift that Christ has provided by grace through faith. His grace is sufficient for you, for me, and all other people. Rather than carrying the guilt, shame, and penalty of our sins, we should carry the glorious salvation of the cross. We should allow it to not only cover our sins, but redefine our lives. We don’t need an azazel, nor should we be an Azazel. We need Jesus, and we should make every effort to carry His goodness and glory in the world.
