| Church School Lesson: What A Day |
"What A Day!"
March 30, 2025
Background: Leviticus 16; Print: Leviticus 16:11-19;
Key Verse: Leviticus 16:16; Devotional: Psalm 40:9-17
Leviticus 16:11-19 (ESV)
11 “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself.
12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil
13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.
14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.
16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.
18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around.
19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.
Leviticus Chapter 16 (Commentary)
16:11-15 Aaron entered and left the most holy place three times during the day’s sacrifices and rituals (16:12-15). The first time was to burn fragrant incense before the Lord (16:12-13). The second time was to get some of the bull’s blood from his sin offering and sprinkle it against the east side of the mercy seat and before the mercy seat seven times (16:14). His third entrance into the most holy place was to bring the blood of the male goat for the people’s sin offering and sprinkle it on and in front of the mercy seat (16:15).
16:16-19 Once Aaron had purified the most holy place in this way for all the Israelites’ sins, he was to do the same for the tent of meeting itself (16:16). As this purification was taking place, nobody else was allowed into the tabernacle from the time Aaron entered until he had made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel (16:17). The congregation of Israel—who also had to cleanse and prepare themselves for this solemn day (see 16:29, 31)—would know all was well when Aaron emerged to make atonement for the altar of burnt offering with the blood of the sacrifices (16:18-19).