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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 4
for the people. And the priest was to bring his blood within the
vail, and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat.
“And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of
the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their trans-
gressions in all their sins; and so shall he do for the tabernacle of
the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their
uncleanness.” [
Leviticus 16:8, 16
.]
“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live
goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel,
and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the
head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit
man into the wilderness; and the goat shall bear upon him all their
iniquities unto a land not inhabited.” [
Leviticus 16:21, 22
.] The
scape-goat came no more into the camp of Israel, and the man who
led him away was required to wash himself and his clothing with
water before returning to the camp.
The whole ceremony was designed to impress the Israelites with
the holiness of God and his abhorrence of sin, and, further, to show
them that they could not come in contact with sin without becoming
polluted. Every man was required to afflict his soul while this work
of atonement was going forward. All business was laid aside, and
the whole congregation of Israel spent the day in solemn humiliation
before God, with prayer, fasting, and deep searching of heart.
[265]
Important truths concerning the atonement may be learned from
the typical service. A substitute was accepted in the sinner’s stead;
but the sin was not canceled by the blood of the victim. A means
was thus provided by which it was transferred to the sanctuary. By
the offering of blood, the sinner acknowledged the authority of the
law, confessed his guilt in transgression, and expressed his desire
for pardon through faith in a Redeemer to come; but he was not
yet entirely released from the condemnation of the law. On the
day of atonement the high priest, having taken an offering from the
congregation, went into the most holy place with the blood of this
general offering, and sprinkled it upon the mercy-seat, directly over
the law, to make satisfaction for its claims. Then, in his character
of mediator, he took the sins upon himself, and bore them from the
sanctuary. Placing his hands upon the head of the scape-goat, he
confessed over him all these sins, thus in figure transferring them