Leviticus 16:15
““Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat.”
What does Leviticus 16:15 mean?
On the Day of Atonement, the high priest would take a second goat, this one designated for the people's sins, and offer it as a sacrifice in the same way he had just offered a bull for his own sins. The blood was carried into the innermost part of the temple, the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled on the mercy seat (the lid of the ark of the covenant), which was the place where God's presence was believed to dwell. This ritual symbolized that sin creates a barrier between God and people, but that barrier could be bridged through sacrifice and atonement. The priest's action of sprinkling blood in God's most sacred space represented the removal of that barrier, restoring the people's relationship with him. For those reading this today, it points to how deeply God cares about reconciling with us, even when we've done wrong, and foreshadows how Jesus would later become the final sacrifice that makes ongoing atonement possible.