By His Word · November 15, 2026
“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar.” (Leviticus 17:11, NIV)
Have you ever put off a conversation because you wanted to get yourself together before facing the person you had hurt? You thought you might call tomorrow, after you had found the right words or done something to show you meant well. I wonder how often we bring that same instinct into prayer. We know what we said, what we concealed, or what we promised to change and did again. So we give ourselves a few days to behave better before we speak honestly to God. When I read Leviticus 17:11, the words I keep coming back to are “I have given it to you.” God speaks first. He gives His people the means of atonement because He intends to dwell among them.
Leviticus makes more sense when we remember where Israel had been. God had already delivered the people from slavery in Egypt, and the tabernacle stood among them as a sign of His presence. Leviticus 16 shows how seriously Israel was to take that gift. Aaron, the high priest, could enter the Most Holy Place behind the curtain only as God directed. On the Day of Atonement, he brought a bull as a sin offering for himself and his household. He then sacrificed one of two goats as a sin offering for the people and sprinkled its blood on and in front of the atonement cover. Over the head of the second goat, he confessed Israel’s sins, and an appointed man led it away into the wilderness. The worshipers could see that goat leave the camp. The rite gave them a picture they could remember the next time an old sin came to mind. Their wrongdoing had been confessed before God and carried away.
The Hebrew verb kāphar, translated “make atonement,” helps us understand what God provided. Leviticus uses it for the cleansing of the sanctuary from the effects of Israel’s sins and for atonement made on behalf of the people. Leviticus 17 places its explanation of atonement within instructions forbidding the consumption of blood. The blood represented the creature’s life, and God had set it apart for use on the altar. Taken together, the two goats help us see the cost of dealing with sin and the relief of having it taken away. The God who brought Israel’s sin into the open also gave Israel a way to lay down its burden. That gives me reason to be honest in prayer about the very thing I would most like to avoid.
Hebrews 10 carries us from the annual observance to the once-for-all offering of Jesus. The sacrifices were repeated year after year. Jesus gave Himself, and Hebrews invites believers to draw near to God on the strength of His sacrifice. The Greek word parrēsia, translated “confidence” in Hebrews 10:19, can also carry the sense of openness or freedom to speak. I find that especially comforting when my prayers are halting. I can name the sin plainly and ask for help with the harm it caused. If I spoke harshly to someone at home, for instance, I can tell the Lord what I said and then go back to that person and ask forgiveness without explaining away my words. Christ has opened the way to the Father, so I can pray honestly even while I am learning to make things right.
What does Leviticus 17:11 teach about forgiveness and assurance? In Leviticus 16–17, God provides atonement for Israel through sacrificial blood and depicts the removal of the people’s sins through the goat sent into the wilderness. Hebrews 10:10–22 shows how Jesus fulfills what the yearly observance anticipated. His one sacrifice gives believers a lasting basis for drawing near to God with a sincere heart. When an old failure comes back to mind, I can let it remind me to give thanks for what Jesus has done. If there is still an apology to offer or a wrong I can repair, I can ask Him for the courage to take that step today.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you put the wisdom of this passage to work in one choice today. And if someone confides in you about a failure of their own, listen gently. You may have an opportunity to remind them that because of Jesus, they can speak to the Father about it today.
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