Leviticus 16-17 (The Daily Walk Bible).

From Dr. Ken Matthews: “What was the reason for the scapegoat, and what is its meaning for the ministry of Christ? The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; it occurs only in our chapter (vv. 16:8, 10, 26). Some versions render it the traditional “scapegoat,” based on the proposed meaning “the goat that departs.” Others simply transliterate the Hebrew azazel or Azazel, referring to a location in the desert or to the name of a goat-demon in the wilderness. The suggestion that it names a goat-demon is unlikely since there is a specific prohibition against making an offering to a goat-demon in Lev. 17:7. Scapegoat probably is the best choice since it reflects the role that the goat played in the ceremony. By the high priest placing his hands on the head of the goat and confessing the sins of Israel, the priest symbolized the transference of the people’s sin to the goat (vv. 16:20-22). Together the goat sacrificed and the living scapegoat showed that the goats were substituted for the people and that they bore the penalty of the sin…The sacrificed goat perished and the scapegoat took away the impurities and sins to the wilderness (vv. 16:8-10). The scapegoat pictures Jesus who bore our sins, and by taking them away, frees us from the guilt of our sins.”

Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”