He is only mentioned in one chapter (Leviticus 16), but I regard him as one of the most significant considerations of the Bible. This may seem especially strange since he is a goat. The word “Azazel” is attached to this goat either as a name or in reference to his destination.
More commonly and specifically, he is referred to as the “scapegoat,” and he played his role on the Day of Atonement. On this day, two goats were selected, one as a sacrifice and the other as “the goat of removal.” They were chosen by casting lots. After the first goat had been sacrificed, Aaron (the High Priest) placed his hands on the head of the second goat and confessed all of the sins of the entire congregation of Israel. This goat was then led into the wilderness and released. The one who led him there was required to wash and change garments when he returned.
The significance of this becomes immediately clear; it is God’s way of demonstrating how completely He removes our sins from us. I always associate this with a passage in the Book of Psalms: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12).
It is absolutely wrong to think of God as one who nurses grudges. I imagine we think of Him this way because holding grudges is our inclination. When God forgives our sins, that’s the end of it. Another passage helps me to understand this: “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19).
Whenever I am inclined to dwell on the sins that have piled up in my life, I try to recall these passages. Then I drum up my own “Azazel” or “goat of removal,” and I send my personal sins into the wilderness where God wants them to be and where I need them to be. Then I get on with my life.
[Editor’s Note: Not to excuse my personal sins, nevertheless, this brief article was of great encouragement to me. Like every other human who knows the difference between right and wrong, sin from to time creeps into my life, which subsequently must be expunged. What a relief it is to know that God is willing to forgive sins and that He does not remember forgiven sins against penitent Christians. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
