I won't tell you that the study of this book left me without questions, but I will tell you that being aware of this book has opened my eyes to the Old Testament concept of sin, and to the writings of scholars on the topics I had in question.

No question was more baffling to me than trying to understand the role of the "scapegoat" on the day of Atonement. Why drive a goat into wilderness? Well, I found the answer in the writings of the same scholar who created my Greek curriculum...and I must say that a proper understanding of it completely changes my perspective on the event. I hope this enhances your understanding of the book as well.  Enjoy the entire article from William Mounce by clicking here.

Rather than the traditional "scapegoat" translating la ‘^aza,zel here, we should read instead "to Azazel" (NRSV; NJB).¹ We know that ‘^aza,zel should be the proper name of a party capable of ownership because a lot ceremony designated one goat layhwh, "belonging to Yahweh," and the other goat as la ‘^aza,zel , "belonging to Azazel" (16:8). However, we do not know what the name "Azazel" means.²

The fact that Yahweh, owner of the goat slain as a purification offering (16:9, 15), is supernatural suggests that Azazel, owner of the live goat, is also some kind of supernatural being. Because transporting a load of Israelite toxic waste, consisting of moral faults, to Azazel in the wilderness and abandoning it there by the command of Yahweh (16:10, 22; cf. Zech 5:5–11) is a singularly unfriendly gesture, it appears that Azazel is Yahweh’s enemy.⁷ Therefore, Azazel is most likely some kind of demon (so Jewish tradition recorded in 1 En. 10:4–5), who dwells in an uninhabited region (cf. Lev. 17:7; Isa. 13:21; 34:14; Luke 11:24; Rev. 18:2).⁸

Also, If you want to see the layout of the book of Leviticus, you can take a look at my book chart, in excel format, here.

Lessons to be gleaned from this experience:
1. If you find a book of the Bible boring, trying studying with more depth.
2. Seeing the structure of a book adds quite a bit of depth to your study. Trying creating a book chart (more on this later).