The Tail of Two Goats

A Gospel-Centered Study from Leviticus 16

Yes, the title is a little cheeky. But when you’ve spent weeks studying the book of Leviticus, knee-deep in sacrificial blood, grain offerings, priestly garments, and laws about mildew, a little humor is fair game.

But don’t let the lightheartedness fool you. What we’re about to dive into is one of the clearest, most stunning shadows of the gospel in the entire Old Testament. In fact, it might just shift how you understand forgiveness—and help you release the guilt and shame you’ve been carrying for far too long.

Because these two goats in Leviticus 16? They’re not just animals. They are a picture of Jesus. And they show us what it really means to be both forgiven and free.

Two Goats. One Offering.

Let’s start where Scripture does:

“He shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering.”

— Leviticus 16:5

Wait—two goats for one offering?

That’s the first clue something deeper is going on. These aren’t separate rituals. They’re two halves of a single message. A gospel message.

• One goat will be slain.

• One will be released.

• Together, they make one atonement offering. One act of grace with two movements—cleansing and removal.

The First Goat: Forgiveness Through Blood

“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil… and sprinkle it over the mercy seat.”

— Leviticus 16:15

This goat is sacrificed. Its blood is carried into the most sacred place in Israel—the Holy of Holies—and applied to the mercy seat, where the very presence of God dwells.

Why blood?

Because sin brings death. Because justice matters. Because we serve a holy God who cannot ignore evil. But this isn’t about condemnation—it’s about substitution. God made a way for mercy.

“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

— Hebrews 9:22

And more than that:

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.”

— Ephesians 1:7

Jesus is our slain goat. The Lamb who took our place. The one whose blood doesn’t just cover sin—it cleanses us from it.

The Second Goat: Freedom Through Removal

But what about the other goat?

“Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel… and he shall send it away into the wilderness.”

— Leviticus 16:21–22

This goat isn’t killed. It’s led away. But not empty. First, it’s loaded with the confessed sins of the people. And then it is taken far from the camp—into desolation, into exile.

Gone.

This is where we start to see the emotional weight of what God is showing us. Because for many of us, forgiveness feels abstract. But removal? That hits home.

“As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.”

— Psalm 103:12

“You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

— Micah 7:19

Jesus didn’t just pay for your sin. He carried it away.

Jesus Is Both Goats

This is the part that left me undone. These weren’t two random rituals. They were always meant to be seen together. And they were always pointing forward.

“He entered once for all into the holy places… by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

— Hebrews 9:12

And…

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

— Hebrews 10:17

In Jesus, we see the fulfillment of both goats.

• His blood provides forgiveness.

• His cross and resurrection carry our sins far, far away.

Gone from God’s memory. Gone from your record. Gone from your future.

But What If I Still Remember?

Here’s where it gets real.

Some of us can quote these verses. We believe them in our heads. But deep down, we’re still haunted by what we did. We feel forgiven… sort of. But not clean. Not new.

We remember the failure, the fall, the shame.

But God says:

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”

— Psalm 103:10

And again:

“I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

— Hebrews 8:12

God forgetting is not a weakness in His memory. It’s a choice made in His mercy.

He knows what you did—but because of Jesus, He chooses never to bring it up again. Never to hold it over you. Never to tie it to your name.

That’s the gospel.

If You’re Still Carrying It…

Maybe this is the moment you need to hear:

That scapegoat is gone.

It’s not coming back.

You are not what you did.

If you’ve placed your trust in Jesus, the sin that once defined you is no longer part of you. It’s been carried away—into the wilderness of His mercy. Buried in the grave He walked out of. Lost in the sea of His forgetfulness.

You are clean.

You are free.

You are His.