a holy sound

I am a dreamer, a wishful thinker. Along with Anne of Green Gables, I "soar on the wings of anticipation". I imagine, I picture.

This week of studying the goat for Azazel has deeply impacted me. My soul has been still and my soul has soared. I have been reminded yet again that Leviticus paints the sky and weaves the golden, scarlet and purple threads. But is is not the book of Leviticus is it? What is Leviticus? It is the voice of Jehovah. If you took your red pen and underlined every word that is Jehovah speaking..you would find pages and pages of red in front of you.

He, by His own words and voice, patiently and with great love (and I believe delight and merriment) explains all that He wants us to know. What an incredible picture he draws for us...it is truly a picture of thousands of words.

I imagine the Day of Atonement in the day of the Israelites...before we reach Isaiah and God's disgust of what the day has become to them.

All are gathered....all is prepared...He, Jehovah God is there in the cloud of incense above the mercy seat. The sacrifices are ready and waiting. All who have a role in this great day are prepared, cleansed and purified. It is a HOLY day.

Jehovah has said many things about the day and the two that touch me today are that it is to be a Holy Convocation and they are to humble their souls.

A convocation is a calling out, a voice, there is sound in this picture. There is the ram's horn blowing, there is the sound of the animals, the babies, the small children. There is crackle of fire and hiss of fat. The splashing of water. There is the confession and calling out of iniquities and transgressions by the High Priest.

The role of the people is one thing only: to humble their souls, afflict their souls. Do we have any concept in 21st century America what this means? to humble our souls? O Beloved the sound that is made from this humbling, this affliction.

Their is crying out, wailing, weeping, singing, howling. There is sound, there is noise , there is voice and togetherness. There is no work, there is only rest...and what a vocal rest it is! What a journey from mourning into dancing.

As I think about this Day of Atonement, I read Psalm 116 in a whole new understanding.

Psalm 116

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.

I love the LORD, because He hears
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
The cords of death encompassed me
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
"O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!"
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
I believed when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
I said in my alarm,
"All men are liars."
What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
I shall lift up the cup of salvation
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I shall pay my vows to the LORD,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people.
Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His godly ones.
O LORD, surely I am Your servant,
I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid,
You have loosed my bonds.
To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I shall pay my vows to the LORD,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the LORD'S house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

Thank You, Thank You o Father, Son and Holy Spirit....that You have delivered us from death into life.

for such a time as this

Lev. 16:21 -

"Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.

The One who led the goat for Azazel into the wilderness continues to intrigue me. After studying the scriptures I see the Father placing His hands upon this goat/upon Jesus Christ and transferring all of our sins . This goat/this chosen Son carried the burden of all iniquity into the wilderness/sheol.

Tradition states that the goat was taken to a cliff and thrown down. I do not see this in scripture yet, if at all. And to be honest, if we go with tradition then the analogy breaks down. God has provided this analogy for us...would he allow it to be incomplete?
Is there anything in scripture that tells us the fate of the goat for Azazel?

22 "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

A solitary land: G@zerah, a separated place , a cut off land. A separation of death from life.

"Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other ."

By the hand of the One chosen for just this time the goat for Azazel shall be sent into the wilderness and released into the wilderness. Life shall be divided from death, death from life.

send and release : Shalach: to cast out, to drive out, divorce, to let go

The One who was ready for such a time as this walked the path with the goat for Azazel and then had to let it go.....the One could go no farther and then had to begin the long walk back to the camp.

O what anguish of soul as the Beloved was separated from the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Can I ever fully comprehend the depths?

the anguish of His soul

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation,
who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people,
to whom the stroke was due?
His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
But the LORD was pleased To crush Him,
putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors


What do I learn about the Father through what His Son went through?

My Father took my sins into His hands and placed them upon HIS Son.

The Light Bringer placed his hands upon the goat for Azazel and placed the iniquities of Israel upon the goat for Azazel.

This is no abstract concept, no distant scene. This is my Father who loves me desperately, taking my transgressions and iniquities into His own hands and placing them upon the head of His Son. This is His Son, my Saviour, willingly carrying that burden upon His soul and delivering it to where they belong....the pit, the grave, the abode of the Prince of this world.

This is my Father and His Son and the Holy Spirit with their soul laboring under the burden of iniquity and grieving.
This is my Father satisfied.
This is my Father beholding me as cleansed and righteous.
This is my Father's full knowledge and of what His Son, the Righteous One, has done.
This is my Father never abandoning my soul to darkness.

This is what has been accomplished for us as we believe in Him.

Our Father allowed our sins to be placed on His Son but He did not allow His Son's soul to stay in the pit with our sins and He will never allow my soul to go to the pit of hell. What an active role the Father had....how could I have not seen that before?

the Light Bringer shall

Studying the goat for Azazel led me to outline Leviticus 16....and oh what precious truths He shows us in His scriptures.

Over and over in this chapter we see "Aaron shall" . Aaron "Light Bringer". Jesus Christ, the One who brought us Light.....look at what He and He alone has done. He has done and continues to do the work.



The LORD spoke to Moses
• After the death of Nadab and Abihu
o Sons of Aaron
o Approached the presence of the LORD and died
The LORD said
• Tell your brother Aaron
Aaron
• Shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil
• Before the mercy seat which is on the ark
• Lest he die
• For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat
Aaron
• Shall enter the holy place with this
o A bull for a sin offering
o A ram for a burnt offering
Aaron
• These are holy garments
o Shall put on the holy linen tunic
o shall be next to his body The linen undergarments
o shall be girded with the linen sash
o attired with the linen turban
Aaron
• Shall bathe his body in water and put them on

Aaron
• Shall take from the congregation
o 2 male goats for a sin offering
o one ram for a burnt offering
Aaron
• Shall offer the bull for the sin offering that he may make atonement
o for himself
o for his household
Aaron
• Shall take 2 goats
o Present them before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting
Aaron
• Shall cast lots for the 2 goats
o One lot for the LORD
o One for Azazel
Aaron
• Shall offer the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell
o Make it a sin offering
• Shall be presented alive before the LORD the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell
o To make atonement upon it
o To send it into the wilderness as AZAZEL
Aaron
• Shall offer the bull of the sin offering
o Make atonement
• For himself
• For his household
• Shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering
o Which is for himself
Aaron
• Shall take
o a firepan of coals of fire from upon the altar before the LORD
o 2 handfuls of finely ground sweet incense
• bring it inside the veil
Aaron
• Shall put the incense on the fired before the LORD
• That the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony
• Lest he die
Aaron
• Shall take some of the blood of the bull
o Sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side
o Sprinkle some of the blood with his finger 7 times in front of the mercy seat
Aaron
• Shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering
o Which id for the people
o Bring its blood inside the veil
• Sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side
• Sprinkle some of the blood with his finger 7 times in front of the mercy seat
Aaron
• Shall make atonement for the holy place
o Because of the impurities of the sons of Israel
o Because of their transgressions, in regard to all their sins
Aaron
• Shall thus do for the tent of the meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities
• When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place
o No one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out
o That he may make atonement
• For himself
• His household
• All the assembly of Israel
Aaron
• Shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD
• Make atonement for it
• Shall take some of the blood
o Of the bull
o Of the goat
• Put it on the horns of the altar on all sides
Aaron
• Shall with his finger sprinkle some of the blood on it 7 times
o Cleanse it
o Consecrate it from the impurities of the sons of Israel
Aaron
• Shall offer the live goat
o When he finishes atoning
• For the holy place
• The tent of meeting
Aaron
• Shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat for Azazel
o Confess over the goat for Azazel all the iniquities of the sons of Israel
o Confess all the transgressions in regard to all their sins
Aaron
• Shall lay them on the head of the goat for Azazel
• Shall Send the goat for Azazel away into the wilderness
o By the hand of a man who stands in readiness
The goat for Azazel
• Shall bear on itself
o All their iniquities
o To a solitary land
The man who stands in readiness
• Shall release the goat for Azazel into the wilderness
Aaron
• Shall come into the tent of meeting
o Take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place
o Shall leave the garments there
Aaron
• Shall bathe his body
o With water in a holy place
o Put on his clothes
• Come forth
o Offer his burnt offering
o Offer the burnt offering of the people
o Make atonement
• ‘for himself
• for the people
Aaron
• Shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar
The man who released the goat for Azazel
• Shall wash his clothes
• Shall bathe his body with water
• Afterward he shall come into the camp

they who burn
• shall take outside the camp
o the bull of the sin offering
o the goat of the sin offering
• whose blood was brought into to make atonement in the holy place
• shall burn in the fire
o their hides
o their flesh
o their refuse
• shall wash his clothes
• shall bathe his body
• afterward he shall come into the camp
THIS
• Shall be a permanent statute for you
o In the seventh month
o On the 10th day
You- whether the native, or the alien who sojourns
• Shall
o Humble your souls
o Not do any work
ATONEMENT
• Shall be made for you to cleanse you
YOU
• Shall be clean from all your sins before the LORD
• It is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you
• That you may humble your souls
• It is a permanent statute
The priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as a priest in his father’s place
• Shall make atonement
• Shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments
• Shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary
• Shall make atonement
o For the tent of meeting
o For the altar
• Shall make atonement
o For the priests
o For all the people of the assembly
YOU
• Shall have this as a permanent statute
• To make atonement
o For the sons of Israel
o For all their sins once every year
And just as the LORD had commanded Moses, so he did.

azazel

I continue to think about what Christ said " I have come that you may know Him". In looking at the burial of Christ, how do the scriptures related to that bring me into a deeper relationship of knowing Him.

#2 of JP's list

2.) The burial of Christ is important in fulfilling Old Testament types:

First, I need a better understanding of types. How do we know if a passage in the OT is a "type" of NT truths? I look at the list below and I am intrigued as to how they apply to Christ's burial. Some seem more obvious than others: Noah in the ark, Joseph in the pit, Jonah in the fish. Others quicken my senses......ahhhhh: the scapegoat, the rod. Father, what is here for us to learn, to see, to hear? Father, thank you for giving us Your Son so that we may know You.

• The scapegoat into the wilderness (Lev. 16:5-10, 26; cf. Jn. 1:29)

"and he (High Priest) shall lay them (iniquities and transgressions) on the head of the goat for Azazel and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. And the goat for Azazel shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat for Azazel in the wilderness"

Who is the man who stands in readiness? Who is this one who walked with the goat for Azazel into the wilderness?

Thank you Father for so much to meditate upon.