I've heard this word before and maybe I knew it came from the Bible but I didn't know where until this morning. It's actually a very strange command that Moses and Aaron are given. They must first find two male goats. Then sacred lots are cast to determine which will be the sin offering and which will be the scapegoat. Once that is determined, the sin offering is slaughtered and its blood is used to purify the Tabernacle. The second goat, the scapegoat, is then brought into the Tabernacle, Aaron lays his hands on the goat's head, and he confesses all of Israel's wickedness, rebellion and sin. Then the goat is brought out into the wilderness and let go.
I'm not sure why this story stands out to me; perhaps it's because the last 20 chapters or so that I've read have been about sacrificing animals and people being unclean. There's something more profound in this story. The goat, walking around with all of Israel's sin, is left to wander alive in the wilderness. I wonder why this is. What's the significance of this goat? Why does one have to be slaughtered first?
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