There is much debate among sports enthusiasts of who is the GOAT, the Greatest Of All Time. In football, some say it’s Tom Brady with seven Super Bowl wins as quarterback. In basketball, we hear names like Bill Russell who led the Celtics to 11 NBA championships to Michael Jordan’s six championships at Chicago. Baseball’s Willie Mays and Babe Ruth are among the GOATS. One of my personal favorites is track star Jesse Owens, who left Adolph Hitler’s race theories in the dust by winning gold at the 1936 Olympics. All these athletes were extremely gifted by God, and worked countless hours at their craft to be deserving of inclusion in the GOAT discussion. Being the GOAT is the result of great sacrifice.
On the sacred day of Yom Kippur, Aaron was instructed by the LORD to enter the Holy of Holies and offer very specific sacrifices. Among the sacrifices were two goats selected by lot. One goat was designated for the LORD as the sin offering for the people, and his blood was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The fat of the offering was burned on the Copper Altar in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. The flesh and hide were burned outside the camp. The other goat, designated for Azazel (a name of an accusing angel), was called the scape goat. It was not slaughtered, but sent away carrying all of the sin and iniquity of the people to a “place uninhabited.” The phrase scape goat was translated by William Tindale from the Hebrew word seir mishtale’ach—“scape goat.”
The two goats are considered to be a single sacrifice for Yom Kippur, but with two aspects—the blood of the first goat was given for atonement, the second goat was given for banishment of sin from the Devine Presence. Jesus is both our atoning sacrifice (Isaiah 53:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24), and our “scape goat.” Psalm 103:12 says, “He has removed our sins from us, as far as the east is from the west.” There is a difference between atonement—forgiveness of sin–and removing the shame of that sin. And that is what Christ accomplished for us on the cross! The fulfillment of this most solemn day of the year—Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur–will be complete upon Christ’s return to atone for Israel, and all the nations’ sins, and then establish His Kingdom on the earth.
Yom Kippur is the prophetic picture of the Day of the LORD spoken about by the prophets of Israel, revealing the coming judgement in the last days associated with the “rapture” of the believers in Christ, when National Israel will be restored to the LORD, and their sins purged (Matthew 24). Kippur is taken from the Hebrew word Kapporah meaning—“covering,” “protection,” “purification,” ”cleansing,” “forgiveness.” It is God’s heart for you. Jesus is not only our High Priest, but also our Passover Lamb of God—and Goat of God, whose blood was sprinkled upon the Mercy Seat on Yom Kippur (Hebrews 9:11-12, 24), to cleanse us from sin and give us everlasting atonement, restoring our right relationship with the Father. So when we are talking GOATs, Jesus our Messiah is no doubt the Greatest Of All Time.
