Goats (Leviticus 17:1-9)
In a bit of an aside here in the central part of Leviticus, ever notice all the goats? You might argue that a book that focuses on the sacrificial system would logically talk about goats a lot, but here in chapters 16 and 17, we get three important goats in quick succession. The sacrificial goat, the scapegoat, and here in 17 the goat demon!
There can be some confusion related to these various goats (although not much since most people seldom get around to reading Leviticus), but it is quite simple.
Two goats were prescribed for the annual atonement of Israel. One was sacrificed to pay the penalty to the sins, and the other symbolically carried those sins away, never to be seen again. One source of confusion comes the Hebrew word for “scapegoat” Azazel. When that term has been transliterated rather than translated, it has caused some people to think that Azazel is the name of a demon or the devil. This is not the case.
However, that confusion can be understood when Leviticus goes on to talk about goat demons being worshiped out in the wilderness.
Human civilization has frequently taken ceremonial elements and imagery and created corruptions and fictions based on them. There are numerous examples of people claiming to worship the true God in idolatrous, corrupt ways. There are patterns of idolatry and pagan worship that repeat over and over through history. The idea of a goat—the typical animal of sacrifice—becoming the thing worshiped is not a stretch. And Leviticus is all about a) describing correct sacrificial systems and b) prohibiting idolatrous, false systems of sacrifice.
Religious ceremony is ultimately not the solution, the Biblical account goes on to show. But it is an important thing to get right when it is practiced because the danger of falling into idolatry is a constant danger in religious ceremony.
Don’t get your goats mixed up!
There can be some confusion related to these various goats (although not much since most people seldom get around to reading Leviticus), but it is quite simple.
Two goats were prescribed for the annual atonement of Israel. One was sacrificed to pay the penalty to the sins, and the other symbolically carried those sins away, never to be seen again. One source of confusion comes the Hebrew word for “scapegoat” Azazel. When that term has been transliterated rather than translated, it has caused some people to think that Azazel is the name of a demon or the devil. This is not the case.
However, that confusion can be understood when Leviticus goes on to talk about goat demons being worshiped out in the wilderness.
Human civilization has frequently taken ceremonial elements and imagery and created corruptions and fictions based on them. There are numerous examples of people claiming to worship the true God in idolatrous, corrupt ways. There are patterns of idolatry and pagan worship that repeat over and over through history. The idea of a goat—the typical animal of sacrifice—becoming the thing worshiped is not a stretch. And Leviticus is all about a) describing correct sacrificial systems and b) prohibiting idolatrous, false systems of sacrifice.
Religious ceremony is ultimately not the solution, the Biblical account goes on to show. But it is an important thing to get right when it is practiced because the danger of falling into idolatry is a constant danger in religious ceremony.
Don’t get your goats mixed up!
Comments
Post a Comment