Atonement for the Priest and Cleansing of the Sanctuary
Atonement must purify both the mediator and the place where God dwells among His people.
Leviticus 16:11-19 (BSB)
11 When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.
12 Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil.
13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die.
14 And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat.
15 Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it.
16 So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them in the midst of their impurities.
17 No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.
18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.
19 He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.
What is the big idea of Leviticus 16:11-19?
Atonement must purify both the mediator and the place where God dwells among His people.
How does Leviticus 16:11-19 point to Christ?
The repeated application of blood for both priest and sanctuary shows that sin affects every level of access to God and requires cleansing through atonement before His presence can be approached.
Authorial Intent
This passage details the high priest’s offering for himself and the application of sacrificial blood to cleanse the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting, and the altar from the impurities of Israel.
Questions for Reflection
- Why must the high priest make atonement for himself before the people?
- What does the cleansing of the sanctuary reveal about the nature of sin?
- How does this passage shape our understanding of corporate responsibility for holiness?
- Why is blood applied repeatedly throughout the sanctuary?
Literary Context
Leviticus 16:1-10 established the warning, restricted access, priestly preparation, and two-goat arrangement for the Day of Atonement. Verses 11-19 now narrate the inner rite itself: the bull for Aaron and his household, the incense cloud in the inner sanctuary, the goat for the people, and the blood application that purifies the sanctuary complex. This unit stands at the center of Leviticus 16 and gathers the impurity concerns of Leviticus 11-15 into an annual cleansing of the dwelling place of the LORD among Israel.
Historical Context
Leviticus 16 is given after the death of Aaron's sons and within the Sinai covenant order. Israel's sanctuary system required priestly mediation because the holy God dwelt in the midst of a people vulnerable to uncleanness and guilty of sin. The Day of Atonement provided an annual rite for cleansing the sanctuary complex and maintaining covenant access to the Lord's presence.
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.