Let’s look at one more illustration of the Covenant of Grace as shown in the Law. When the Law was given, God wanted to show people how they could find peace of mind and heart, knowing their sins were forgiven. Once a year, the people of Israel celebrated the Day of Atonement. During this ceremony, three animals were used: a young bull and two goats.
The first animal to be sacrificed was a young bull; it was sacrificed for the High Priest and his family for the sins they had committed during the previous year. His sacrifice was more significant than the peoples because he was the spiritual leader of the people and because he alone was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifices on the Ark of the Covenant’s Mercy Seat in the presence of Almighty God. As the animal’s throat was cut, the priest caught the blood in a bowl, went into the Most Holy Place, and sprinkled the blood on the Mercy Seat. The sprinkling of blood was the Atonement made for his sins; he was then able to represent the people for their sins. The animal was then burned on the altar.
The second animal to be sacrificed was a young goat; it was sacrificed for the entire nation’s sins. The blood was again caught in a bowl and taken by the High Priest into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled on the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins of all the people. Again, the animal was burned on the altar.
The third animal, the second goat, was not sacrificed in this way. Instead the priests laid hands on the head of the goat confessing the sins of the people. The goat was then driven into the wilderness to fend for itself with the knowledge it would be killed and eaten by wild animals. This was the original meaning of the “scapegoat”. All of this is explained in Leviticus 16.
This was all an illustration for the people to understand God’s promise of a future Messiah Who would bring redemption. “Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: ‘Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.’ But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.” Heb 8:1-6 (NLT).
Paul goes on to say, “So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood–not the blood of goats and calves–he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.” Heb 9:11-15 (NLT).
I highly recommend you study Hebrews 8-9 when you get the opportunity. All of the things recorded in Leviticus pointed to Christ and what the implications were for our salvation. When you read the Old Testament, keep in mind that it was always pointing forward to Christ Who would make a way for us to find forgiveness of our sins and peace with God.