The Scapegoat For Our Sins
"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 goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed to the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert." -- Leviticus 16:21-22
I grew up hearing the term "scapegoat" but it wasn't until I started reading the Bible from start to finish that I learned that it comes from -- you guessed it! -- the Bible. A scapegoat is someone who gets blamed or punished for something that someone else did. The poor goat got that job in the Old Testament.
On the Day of Atonement, Aaron was to present two goats to the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Aaron cast lots to determine which goat would be sacrificed to the Lord and which would become the scapegoat. God would forgive our sins through the sacrifice of the first goat and He would remove our guilt through the scapegoat. Thankfully, Jesus' death replaced this ritual. God forgives our sins and removes our guilt when we place our faith and trust in Jesus.
We humans are always wanting to blame someone else rather than take responsibility. Remember Eve? She blamed the serpent. And, for those men out there feeling superior at that memory, read a little further. Adam blamed Eve. Of course, Adam was right there and willing to eat the fruit. He could have said no. It was just easier to do what he wanted, then blame someone else.
How often do we look for a scapegoat in our own lives? Is money tight because of things we can't control or is it tight because we refuse to give up eating at restaurants several times a week? Is our loved one being unreasonable or are we simply too stubborn to compromise? So the finger pointing continues.
None of us wants to admit responsibility when things go wrong. We'd prefer to point that finger, lay the guilt on someone else, and stand aside while someone else pays the price. That's not the way it's supposed to work.
Jesus died for us. God sacrificed His only Son, to take our sins upon Him, so that we could have eternal life. Jesus paid for our sins. The least we can do is step up and accept responsibility when we do sin.
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