• Read Leviticus 16:29-34

MORNING— Once a Year for All Their Sin

• Focal Passage: Leviticus 16:30-31

“For it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute.”

Traveling across the U.S. the east side of Colorado is flat.  Strasburg, CO is 5,381 ft in elevation on the East side of Denver.  Idaho Springs is 7,526 ft on the west side of Denver.  You can see the Rockies from miles away.  (Goodland, KS… the state you just left is only 3,681 ft.

That is the shift we feel when we arrive at Leviticus 16.

Everything leading up to this chapter prepares us for this moment.
The offerings.
The priests.
The laws of uncleanness.

Now comes the most important day on Israel’s calendar: the Day of Atonement.

On this day, the camp of Israel moved more slowly.

Fires burned lower than usual. Work stopped. Voices softened. This was not a day for hurry or noise. It was a day to wait.

Somewhere beyond the curtain, one man was walking alone.

Aaron did not wear his usual garments. There was no breastpiece with stones, no gold, no visible splendor. He had washed. He had dressed in plain linen. He stepped forward quietly, carrying blood that was not his own, knowing that what he was about to do mattered for everyone.

No one followed him.

Parents gathered their children close. Elders stood silently. The people waited—because what happened inside the tent would determine whether the nation could go on.

This was the only day of the year when someone passed beyond that final barrier. The curtain did not open easily or often. God had been clear: His presence was not to be entered casually or on impulse.

So Israel waited.

They waited while incense rose.
They waited while blood was applied.
They waited while sin was dealt with.

Leviticus does not tell us what the people were feeling, but the quiet says enough. Forgiveness was not assumed. It was not demanded. It was received—if God granted it.

And when Aaron finally emerged, alive, the waiting ended.

Another year had been given.

• Reflection:  Where might God be inviting you today to slow down, be still, and trust Him to do the work only He can do?

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EVENING— The Sin-Bearer

• Focal Passage: Leviticus 16:21-22

“Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness… And the goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land.”

One of the most unforgettable moments of the Day of Atonement was more public.  It was the release of the scapegoat.

The high priest placed both hands on its head and confessed all the sins of the people. Scripture stacks the words: iniquities, transgressions, sins. Nothing was minimized. Nothing was hidden.

Then the goat was driven away.

As it disappeared into the wilderness, the message was unmistakable:
your sins are no longer here.

They were not merely forgiven.
They were removed.

The goat itself held no power to do this. It was a sign—an acted-out promise—that God intended to deal with sin more completely than this moment could hope to accomplish.

The New Testament tells us plainly what Leviticus only pictured.

“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.” (1 Peter 2:24)

“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus did not merely die instead of sinners.
He was identified with sinners.

Like the scapegoat, He carried what was placed upon Him.
Like the scapegoat, He was led outside the camp.
Like the scapegoat, He bore the shame so the people could remain near.

Hebrews tells us that Jesus suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people by His own blood (Hebrews 13:11–12). What the goat enacted symbolically, Christ accomplished finally.

The gospel does not say your sins are managed.
It says they are borne away.

• Reflection:  What sin or shame are you still holding onto that Christ has already carried away?
• Closing Prayer:  Merciful God, thank You for laying my sin on Your Son and carrying it away from me. Help me release what You have already removed, and teach my heart to live in the freedom of forgiveness You have secured. Amen.