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This Sunday is the Biblical Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur. As Believers, it is a sacred day to reflect on the remembrance of the atoning work of Jesus. One of the nuances of the rites in the older testament is the figure of Azazel. Azazel is the name of the goat which is sent out to the wilderness after receiving the guilt, shame and sin of the nation of Israel.
Many of us, without realizing it, take on the personality and character of Azazel. We become the scapegoat. We take on other people’s guilt, we try to be the one who will fix and “set right”. At times, we may take our issues and place them on another; making our loved one, friend, or neighbor to be the one who bears our shortcomings.
This week, let us learn the power behind the Day of Atonement. Let us bear responsibility and not cause others to be our scapegoat; let us not become the scapegoat for others. This can only be accomplished by truly looking to Jesus and understanding the full depth of His Atoning Sacrifice.
“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
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