Leviticus 16:1

Leviticus 16:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;  This would seem to be a look back in time, since the death of Aaron's two sons was before the laws concerning the leprosy and uncleanness were given.  The chronology really doesn't matter, since it all was God's word to Moses whenever it occurred.  Verse two adds, And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.  Moses was to warn Aaron that he was not to come into the holy place without being prepared properly because God would appear before the mercy seat as a cloud.  We should not come to God today without being spiritually prepared, and we certainly should never take God for granted.  Since we as followers of Christ are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, we should realize that we are always in the presence of God and should act according to His word.  Verse three continues, Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.  When Aaron came into the holy place, he was to bring a young bullock for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.   Verse four declares, He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.  Aaron was to be attired in the holy garments when he went in to make the sacrifice.  We today do not have holy garments, but we should still come into God's presence with reverence.  Again, since we are indwelled with the Holy Spirit, this means the we should always be reverent to God.  Verse five adds, And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.  Aaron was to take two kid goats and one ram from the people as a sin offering for the people.  Aaron first made a sacrifice for his sins, then he made a sacrifice for the sins of the people.  Before we begin to point out the sins of others, we need to make sure that we have confessed our own sins.  Of course, we cannot make a sacrifice for our own sins, and neither can anyone else, but we must ask for forgiveness from Christ.  Verse six continues, And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.  As just stated, Aaron was to first offer a sacrifice to make atonement for his house and himself, just as we must first deal with our own sins.  Verse seven states, And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.  Then , Aaron was to make the sacrifice for the people of Israel with the animals that they had brought.  Aaron could not just go and get animals to make a sacrifice for the sins of the people, but they had to bring them.  We today cannot offer a sacrifice for our sins, but must simply present our self to Christ as living sacrifice daily.  Verse eight adds, And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.  Aaron was to cast lots to determine which goat was to be the sacrifice and which was to be the scapegoat.  This was to allow the two to be used under the guidance of God, which the lots represented.  Verse nine continues, And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.  The goat chosen by God to be the sacrifice was to be offered for a sin offering.  God has already chosen the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins today, and that is the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the cross.  We simply choose to accept or deny this gift of salvation.  Verse ten concludes, But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.  The other goat was to be presented to God as a scapegoat, symbolically representing a taking on of the sins of the people and then the goat was to be turned loose in the wilderness.  We have no scapegoat today, but we have something much greater, and that is a Savior Who not figuratively but literally takes on our sins so that we can become a part of God's family.