S4: Week 15 Day 2: Going Deeper in Leviticus 16:20-22 - A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace

Summary4 min read

Episode Summary: Season 4, Week 15 Day 2 - Going Deeper in Leviticus 16:20-22

Podcast: A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace
Host: The Daily Grace Co.
Release Date: April 8, 2025
Episode: S4: Week 15 Day 2: Going Deeper in Leviticus 16:20-22

Introduction

In this episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace, hosts Beth and Alexa delve into Leviticus 16:20-22, exploring its significance within the broader biblical narrative and its profound implications for understanding God's character.

Contextual Background

Beth (01:20):
"Last week we talked about the Israelites finally completing the building of the tabernacle and how God's glory, His presence, came to dwell there and be with his people. So this was essential to the covenant that God had made with Israel, particularly in Exodus 19."

Beth sets the stage by referencing the previous week's discussion on the completion of the tabernacle, emphasizing its role in God's covenant with Israel. This covenant, established in Exodus 19, underscores God's promise to dwell with His people, protect them, and expect their exclusive worship and obedience.

Understanding Sin and Purity

Beth (01:30):
"Leviticus speaks to sin as a form of pollution or disease that renders the people and the camp impure."

The hosts highlight the theme of sin in Leviticus, portraying it as something that contaminates both individuals and the community. This impurity threatens the very presence of God, who is inherently holy and cannot coexist with sin.

Alexa (03:05):
"That's super great. And like you said, I think that helps to deepen what we learned last week about being in God's presence."

Alexa connects the discussion back to the importance of maintaining purity to sustain God's presence among His people.

God's Character: Holiness, Grace, and Mercy

Beth (03:17):
"God provides for his people. He desires to dwell with them, so he provides a way to make that possible. It also highlights his grace and his mercy. In balance with his grace and his mercy, it shows us his holiness."

Beth elucidates how Leviticus 16:20-22 showcases God's multifaceted character. While His holiness demands separation from sin, His grace and mercy provide a means for atonement, allowing the relationship with His people to continue.

Beth (04:00):
"He can't be holy. He can't be just. He can't be good if he just completely ignores sin. But he does make it possible for that sin to be atoned for, to be covered up and cleansed and forgiven."

This underscores the necessity of atonement rituals in maintaining the covenant relationship, highlighting God's commitment to justice and mercy.

The Scapegoat: Symbolism of Complete Removal of Sin

Beth (04:15):
"The scapegoat shows us God's holiness as well, by showing how he doesn't just want to be cleansing the people and forgiving them of their sin. He also wants to send that sin far, far away to a dry and desolate land so it will be removed forever."

The discussion pivots to the significance of the scapegoat ritual, symbolizing the total eradication of sin from the community. This act reflects God's desire not only to forgive but also to completely distance Himself from sin, ensuring its permanent exclusion.

Alexa (04:33):
"That reminds me of Psalm 103:12 that says, as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. It's just really amazing to me how God takes our sins and casts them away."

Alexa ties the ritual back to broader biblical themes, reinforcing the concept of complete separation of sin from God's people.

Key Insights and Connections

Covenant Relationship: The rituals in Leviticus reinforce the covenant between God and Israel, emphasizing the need for purity to maintain divine presence.
Holiness and Mercy: God's provision for atonement balances His holiness with His mercy, ensuring that sin is addressed without compromising His character.
Symbolism of Rituals: The Day of Atonement and the scapegoat serve as powerful symbols pointing towards Christ's ultimate sacrifice, prefiguring the New Testament fulfillment.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Alexa (04:58):
"We hope you join us tomorrow as we discuss the Annotation day on Hebrews 9:24-26."

The episode concludes with an invitation to the next study session, promising a deeper exploration of New Testament texts and their connections to the Old Testament themes discussed.

Additional Resources

For further study, including journals and other resources to enhance your understanding and love for God's Word, visit thedailygraceco.com.

Notable Quotes:

Beth (01:20):
"Leviticus teaches us most is how sin is a problem. And so what this is doing... is showing us how God deals with the problem of sin even in his own people."
Beth (03:17):
"He can't be holy. He can't be just. He can't be good if he just completely ignores sin."
Alexa (04:33):
"Psalm 103:12... So far has he removed our transgressions from us."

This episode offers a profound exploration of Leviticus 16:20-22, revealing the intricate balance between God's holiness and mercy. Through examining these Old Testament rituals, Beth and Alexa illuminate how they foreshadow the ultimate act of atonement fulfilled in Jesus Christ, reinforcing the podcast's overarching theme of Christ's presence throughout the entire Bible.

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Transcript9 lines

[00:01]
Unknown Speaker
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[00:31]
Beth
Welcome to A Year in the Bible with daily grace. This year we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study Christ and all of Scripture. Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the new, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.
[00:48]
Alexa
Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire biblical story, but the center of it. Hi everyone. Welcome back to Year in the Bible. I'm Alexa and I'm here with my co host, Beth.
[01:06]
Beth
Hi friends. Today we're going to be taking a closer look at the passage that we annotated yesterday. Leviticus 16, 20, 22.
[01:14]
Alexa
Yes. So to start that discussion, Beth, could you tell us where this passage fits in the biblical story?
[01:20]
Beth
Yeah. So last week we talked about the Israelites finally completing the building of the tabernacle and how God's glory, His presence, came to dwell there and be with his people. So this was essential to the covenant that God had made with Israel, particularly in Exodus 19. So he tells them that he would be their God and that he they would be his people, which meant that he would dwell with them, protect them and bless them, and that they would worship him alone and keep his commandments. But we've already noted a lot in the last few weeks how human beings are sinful. So even God's people fail to uphold their end of the covenant. They're going to sin, they're going to worship idols, they're going to disobey God's commandments. And so one of the things that Leviticus teaches us most is how sin is a problem. And so what this is doing and putting it in the biblical story is showing us how God deals with the problem of sin even in his own people. And so the way that Leviticus primarily talks about sin is kind of like a pollution or a disease. It's something that makes the people's hearts in the camp itself impure or unclean. And since God is perfect purity, he is holiness. He cannot be in the presence of sin. His holiness would either destroy the people or his presence would have to leave the people and the camp. So all of this is the background for why Leviticus 16 is in our Bible. God provides the day of atonement as a way for the people to be able to maintain purity and be forgiven of the sins that pollute them and pollute the camp so that God's people could keep his presence with them and he could continuously dwell with them.
[03:06]
Alexa
That's super great. And like you said, I think that helps to deepen what we learned last week about being in. In God's presence. Okay, so we're already starting to get there. But what does this passage teach us about God?
[03:17]
Beth
Yeah, I think it teaches us what we noted yesterday, that God provides for his people. He desired to dwell with them, so he provides a way to make that possible. But it also highlights his grace and his mercy. In balance with his grace and his mercy, it shows us his holiness. So he provides a way to make atonement because of his great holiness. He doesn't just forget about or ignore the sins of his people. He can't do that and still be a holy God. He can't be holy. He can't be just. He can't be good if he just completely ignores sin. But he does make it possible for that sin to be atoned for, to be covered up and cleansed and forgiven, so that the people and the camp that he dwells in could be purified. So one final thing that I think we should also note is the whole part of this ritual that includes the second goat, the scapegoat. Like we talked a little bit about yesterday, this part of the ritual shows us God's holiness as well, by showing how he doesn't just want to be cleansing the people and forgiving them of their sin. He also wants to send that sin far, far away to a dry and desolate land so it will be removed forever. God does forgive sin through the atoning sacrifices that are made, but he also wants those sins to not even be present anymore. Hence the symbolism behind the scapegoat.
[04:34]
Alexa
That reminds me of Psalm 103:12 that says, as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. It's just really amazing to me how God takes our sins and casts them away. And what you're saying about the scapegoat really helps us to see that. Okay. We hope you enjoyed today's episode. We hope you join us tomorrow as we discuss the Annotation day on Hebrews 9:24 26. Bye friends. Thank you for listening to today's episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. Be sure to check out our show notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode. And make sure you're following Aalygrace Podcast and hedaily Grace Co on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement. We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow. Bye.