Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Leviticus chapter 16 verses 7 through 10:
7 He shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting; 8 and Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. 9 Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord, and offer it as a sin offering; 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.
Here is the Scripture from which we get the word “scapegoat”. The scapegoat is the goat upon which the judgment (in Latin “scepter”) falls. The scepter of judgment falls on the scapegoat, and all the sin of the people is then placed upon its head while another goat is cast out into the wilderness and made an offering to evil. So the people’s sin is atoned for — at least for another year.
It sounds wildly ancient and even ludicrous. But wherever you get a mass of people together, see if the anxieties and sins of the collective body do not all have away of being channeled into one place, or perhaps two. Someone or something is blamed or punished acutely, while another is demonized and made to leave.
This is still the way we often address our collective sins and anxieties within our institutions, whether they be our political parties and administrations, our corporate bodies, our hospitals, our universities, or even our churches.
Pay attention. Be aware. Open your eyes and see and then speak; for the satisfaction of the scapegoat will last a while, but soon there will arise need for another sacrifice and more casting out.
NOTE: Tomorrow’s Lesson will come from Leviticus chapters 19 through 21.
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