Restricted Access and Preparation for the Day of Atonement
Access to God’s presence requires mediated atonement and careful obedience to His commands.
Leviticus 16:1-10 (BSB)
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD.
2 And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
3 This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
4 He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them.
5 And he shall take from the congregation of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
6 Aaron is to present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household.
7 Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
8 After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat,
9 he shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering.
10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.
What is the big idea of Leviticus 16:1-10?
Access to God’s presence requires mediated atonement and careful obedience to His commands.
How does Leviticus 16:1-10 point to Christ?
The restricted access and need for mediated atonement highlight that approaching God requires provision for sin and careful obedience, pointing to the necessity of a sufficient mediator.
Authorial Intent
This passage introduces the Day of Atonement by restricting access to the Most Holy Place and prescribing the required preparation of the high priest and sacrificial animals.
Questions for Reflection
- Why does God restrict access to the Most Holy Place?
- What does this passage teach about approaching God?
- Why must the high priest offer a sacrifice for himself?
- What is the significance of the two goats and the casting of lots?
Literary Context
After Leviticus 11-15 has distinguished clean from unclean across animals, childbirth, skin disease, houses, and bodily discharges, Leviticus 16 gathers the holiness and impurity concerns into the sanctuary's central annual rite. The reference to the death of Aaron's sons recalls Leviticus 10:1-3 and frames the chapter as a guarded approach to the God whose presence is holy, not common or manageable.
Historical Context
The unit belongs to Israel's wilderness sanctuary legislation and regulates the high priest's entrance into the inner sanctuary. It follows the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, whose unauthorized approach exposed the danger of treating the LORD's holiness lightly.
Chapter: Leviticus 16
The Day of Atonement: Cleansing the Sanctuary and Bearing Away Israel's Sins
The holy LORD provides annual atonement through His appointed high priest, blood, substitution, confession, cleansing, and removal so that He may continue dwelling among His sinful and unclean people.