'When he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place ... he shall

bring the live goat ... and confess over him all the iniquities of the

children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins,

putting them upon the head of the goat' (Lev. 16:20,21).

By comparing verse 16 with verse 21 we find that atonement was made for

Israel's transgressions in all their sins.  These confessed sins were

forgiven sins, and the whole point of the passage turns upon confession.

Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 bear eloquent and moving testimony to the need for

confession of sins, even though they be atoned for:

'When I kept silence, my bones waxed old ... I acknowledged my sin ...

I said, I will confess my transgressions' (Psa. 32:1 -5).

'Wash me ... cleanse me ... for I acknowledge my transgressions' (Psa.

'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our

sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness' (1 John 1:9).

In Leviticus 14, we have another double symbol.  Two birds, one killed,

the other set free, 'let loose' or 'let go', which teach the same lesson of

death and resurrection, which is implied in the goat for Azazel.

The initial redemption of Israel set forth in the Passover, is

completed by the offerings of the Day of Atonement.  All is now ready for the

final type, the Feast of Tabernacles.  This feast is called in Leviticus 23

the feast of tabernacles, but elsewhere it is called the feast of ingathering

(Exod. 23:16).  In addition the eighth day of the feast is particularly

marked out as a holy convocation (Lev. 23:36,39).  The word 'tabernacle' may

mislead the English reader here, as the mind immediately reverts to the

tabernacle in the wilderness.  This tabernacle is either the Hebrew word ohel

or mishkan, whereas the word used in the feast of tabernacles is the Hebrew

word sukkah, meaning a 'booth', a temporary shelter made with 'boughs'.  In

but one place is this word used of the tabernacle itself, namely in Psalm

The word sukkah is derived from the verb suk, 'to

make a hedge or fence', and the word translated 'tabernacle' is elsewhere

translated 'booth', 'cottage', 'covert', 'pavilion' and 'tent'.  The

temporary nature of this 'booth' is seen in Jonah 4:5, and in Job 27:18 where

it is likened to the house of a 'moth' or to the temporary structure built by

a vineyard keeper (Isa. 1:8).  The essential feature of the 'booths' for the

feast of tabernacles, was their frailty.  As a protection against enemies

they were useless, but this is most important, for in the antitype of this

feast the enemy will have gone, and peace at length be enjoyed.  The

following passages will make this point clear.

'I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.  In that day,

saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under

the vine and under the fig tree' (Zech. 3:9,10).

'They shall beat their swords into ploughshares ... they shall sit

every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make

them afraid' (Mic. 4:3,4).