A Goat for Azazel

Explore Enoch 10 and Leviticus 16 with me. 

The internet was set on fire this week by the tragic passing of Chuck Norris. And it included a revival of Chuck Norris jokes. One said, “When Chuck Norris arrived in heaven, he was the one who had to tell the angels, ‘Fear not.’” 

Another said, “Chuck Norris didn’t die. Death has had a near-Chuck experience.”

Another one: “When Chuck Norris goes into a room, he doesn’t turn the lights on. He turns the dark off.”

And I found this great one that said, “Chuck Norris once read Leviticus…and liked it.”

Now, that’s a good one because Leviticus is no one’s favorite book of the Bible. Leviticus is the book about clean and unclean foods, about what to do if you find mold in your house, about how to treat infections- oh yeah, and sacrifices sacrifices sacrifices. There’s a lot of blood in this book, and a lot of details about sabbaths, feast days, and the sacrifices that the Israelites were supposed to do at these appointed times.

And chapter 16 is perhaps the most peculiar. This describes the Day of Atonement. It involves a strange ritual where there were two goats presented before the people. The High Priest would pick one goat to be used as a sacrifice; the other would be sent off into the desert. 

Kinda weird, huh? But it gets weirder. Listen to this:

Leviticus 16:8

And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.

Wait a minute. Azazel may sound familiar, especially if you’ve been listening to the podcast this year. That’s because Azazel is one of the rebellious Watchers in the Book of Enoch, who came down to deceive humanity and teach them forbidden knowledge in the pre-flood world.

But what ever happened to Azazel? We’re going to explore Enoch’s 10th chapter to try and answer that question today as well, so that we can understand why Azazel gets a cameo here in the often-skipped book of Leviticus.

You know, maybe Chuck Norris died, maybe he didn’t. Personally, I’m not gonna believe it until we hear it from Chuck Norris himself.

But I do want to take a closer look at Leviticus 16 and see if I can enjoy it as much as Chuck Norris reportedly did.

Because I find this goat ritual to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 

Turn to Leviticus 16, and let’s get weird.

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0:00 - Introduction

2:30 - The Scapegoat

5:15 - Azazel in the Book of Enoch

12:35 - Two-Way Atonement

21:50 - Next Time

23:50 - The Son of the Father

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Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!