Leviticus 16
Leviticus is a book in the Bible that tells us about rules and laws that God gave to the Israelites a long time ago. Leviticus 16 is a chapter in this book that talks about a very special day called the Day of Atonement.
The Day of Atonement was a day when the Israelites asked God to forgive them for all the bad things they may have done throughout the year. This was a very important day for them because they believed it was a way to stay connected to God and be forgiven for their sins.
On this special day, the High Priest (the most important religious leader) had to do some very specific things to make sure that God would forgive the Israelites. First, he had to take a bath and put on clean clothes- this was a way to show that he was clean and pure before God.
Next, he had to offer a special sacrifice- this was like a gift to God to show that the Israelites were sorry for their sins. The sacrifice was a goat- but not just any goat- it was a special goat picked just for this day.
Before the High Priest could offer the goat as a sacrifice to God, he had to do something very important. He had to take another goat (called the "scapegoat"), and put his hands on it while confessing the sins of the Israelites. This was like a way of saying sorry to God and asking Him to forgive them. Then, the High Priest sent the scapegoat away into the wilderness, symbolically taking the sins of the Israelites with it- like getting rid of all the bad stuff.
Finally, once the High Priest had offered the sacrifice and sent away the scapegoat, he could go into the sacred place (a very special room in the sacred tent where God was believed to dwell) and sprinkle blood from the sacrificed goat on things to show that they were now clean and pure before God.
All of these things- the sacrifice, confessing sins, sending away the scapegoat, and sprinkling blood- were very important to the Israelites because it helped them stay connected to God and ask for forgiveness. Even though we don't do these things in the same way today, many people still celebrate the idea of asking for forgiveness and being connected to something bigger than themselves.
The Day of Atonement was a day when the Israelites asked God to forgive them for all the bad things they may have done throughout the year. This was a very important day for them because they believed it was a way to stay connected to God and be forgiven for their sins.
On this special day, the High Priest (the most important religious leader) had to do some very specific things to make sure that God would forgive the Israelites. First, he had to take a bath and put on clean clothes- this was a way to show that he was clean and pure before God.
Next, he had to offer a special sacrifice- this was like a gift to God to show that the Israelites were sorry for their sins. The sacrifice was a goat- but not just any goat- it was a special goat picked just for this day.
Before the High Priest could offer the goat as a sacrifice to God, he had to do something very important. He had to take another goat (called the "scapegoat"), and put his hands on it while confessing the sins of the Israelites. This was like a way of saying sorry to God and asking Him to forgive them. Then, the High Priest sent the scapegoat away into the wilderness, symbolically taking the sins of the Israelites with it- like getting rid of all the bad stuff.
Finally, once the High Priest had offered the sacrifice and sent away the scapegoat, he could go into the sacred place (a very special room in the sacred tent where God was believed to dwell) and sprinkle blood from the sacrificed goat on things to show that they were now clean and pure before God.
All of these things- the sacrifice, confessing sins, sending away the scapegoat, and sprinkling blood- were very important to the Israelites because it helped them stay connected to God and ask for forgiveness. Even though we don't do these things in the same way today, many people still celebrate the idea of asking for forgiveness and being connected to something bigger than themselves.
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