Jesus is Our Goat

Scripture: And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness. Leviticus 16:21

Observation: God is describing the Day of Atonement, a ceremony of purification and cleansing for God’s people. Two goats are used. One is killed as a sin offering, and one has the sins of the people transferred to it and is sent away. Death and Separation, the two consequences of sin. I am not sure how shed blood pays for sin, or how an invisible thing like guilt is transferred to a goat. I wonder how much the people of this day even understood it.
As they watched the goat go away, what did they feel? Was it joy, watching their guilt walk away? Was it sadness, seeing their guilt manifest itself in a poor creature?
I am not sure exactly how this ceremony worked in dealing with sin, but the visual of the consequences of sin and the promise of forgiveness were unmistakable.

Application: The cross is the visual aid for us. Jesus is our goat, killed for our sin. He is out goat, sent away to bear the weight of our guilt. I see the cross with joy, knowing I am forgiven. I also see it with sadness, knowing my guilt put Christ there.
Today, I choose to believe I am forgiven. The blood of Christ has purified me to serve God. The goat has left.

Prayer: God, help me live today like a forgiven man. Your sacrifice was not in vain for me. I want to walk through today with the joy of freedom and forgiveness and extend that to others.