Ever find yourself being blamed for something that wasn’t your fault? Maybe your sibling blamed you for breaking the vase, or a co-worker threw you under the bus for a project gone wrong. Being the scapegoat isn’t fun, but in the ancient tradition of Yom Kippur, the scapegoat played a crucial role in Israel’s atonement.
In his message Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement, Michael Walker explained the significance of the scapegoat in Yom Kippur rituals. Every year, two goats were chosen: one to be sacrificed and the other to be sent into the wilderness, symbolically carrying away the sins of the people. This act was temporary, though, and had to be repeated year after year. But when Yeshua came, He became the permanent scapegoat for us all, once and for all.
Leviticus 16:22 describes the scapegoat: “The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.” This ritual was a picture of what Yeshua would ultimately do for us. When He took our sins upon Himself, He wasn’t just carrying them away temporarily—He removed them for good.
Michael emphasized how Yeshua didn’t just cover our sins, He removed them, taking them as far as the east is from the west. Imagine having all your wrongdoings, mistakes, and failures loaded onto one poor goat and then sent far, far away—never to return. That’s what Yeshua did for us, except instead of a goat, it was His own life that He sacrificed.
Do you ever feel like your past mistakes are still following you, even though Yeshua has already taken them away? How can you live in the freedom of knowing they’re gone for good?
Imagine if, year after year, the scapegoat wandered back into town, bringing everyone’s sins back with it! Yikes! But with Yeshua, that goat isn’t coming back. Your sins are gone, erased, forgotten. Michael reminded us that we don’t have to live in the shadow of our past mistakes anymore. The scapegoat has left the building—and it’s not coming back.
Let’s pray: Lord, thank You for taking my sins and casting them away forever. Help me to walk in the freedom that You’ve provided and to trust that my past no longer defines me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
You don’t have to carry the weight of your sins anymore—they’ve already been taken far away, never to return. Yeshua was the ultimate scapegoat, and His sacrifice has given you freedom from the past.
Call to Action: Consider sharing this devotional with someone who might need encouragement today. Check out the podcast replay of this message on your favorite podcast platform. Search for “CITCBA Insights” today. You can listen at churchinthecity.org/podcasts. And if you’re in the area, join us at Church in the City for one of our services. Our Saturday service at 10 a.m. has a Messianic theme, and our Sunday contemporary service starts at 10:45 a.m. Church in the City began as an outreach in the early 80s and became a church in 1991, dedicated to reflecting Christ in our community and the world.