Hebrew Word Study – Abandon – Ya’zov – יַעֲזֹ֤ב Yod Ayin Zayin Beth

Isaiah 55:7: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

We are told to forsake out wicked ways.  Therein lies our problem of theology, how can we forsake our wicked ways if we are just too depraved to even recognize our own wickedness and do we really have the ability to forsake  our wickedness even if we do recognize it. Perhaps this verse is not really addressing that issue at all but something else.

Let’s examine this word forsake.  Of course we all know it means stop doing wicked stuff.  Forsake in Hebrew is ya’zov from the root word ‘azov. Yet, there is a school of thought that would suggest the root could be ‘azol l which is the same root that you get the word for the scape goat or the azezel.   The scapegoat was the fall guy during the Day of Atonement when the high priest offered the sacrifice of a bull for his own sins and then took two goats to the door of the temple to deal with the sins of the nation.  By lottery one goat was chosen, called the Lords Goat and offered as a sacrifice whose blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies.  This was to deal with the forgiveness of sins, the atonement for sins.  The other goat was set free to wander off into the wilderness as an outcast.  Although I did read in the Talmud where this goat was thrown off a cliff.  This was the azezel he was the scape goat who was to deal with the guilt we feel for our sins. Being thrown off a cliff would fit the metaphor as guilt will lead us to destruction.  In other words even when God forgives our sins, we could still live with regret.  That was the purpose of the azezel or Scape Goat. As Christians, we see that Jesus not only was the Lord’s Goat who sacrificed Himself for our sins, but He was also our Scape Goat who took the burden of our sin, our feelings of guilt, remorse and shame and sent them out into the wilderness to be an outcast, to never be seen again or thrown off a cliff to bring this guilt to an end. 

So when Isaiah tells the wicked to forsake their way, he is telling them to take all their wicked ways and place them upon the Redeemer who will not only make atonement for their wickedness, but will also remove the guilt that comes with it.  

My grandfather once told me a family secret about my great, great grandfather who killed a man.  The Revenuer had come to take over grandpa’s farm.  Grandpa met him at the door with his shot gun and said: “You come on my land, I’m a shottin.”  The Revenuer replied: “This is my land and I’m a comin.”  Grandpa said: “Well, I’m a shottin.”  And he came and Grandpa shot the Revenuer in the heart, shot him dead.  Grandpa turned  himself over to the sheriff who hated the Revenuer and he and his deputy went up and buried the Revenuer and told the U.S. Marshall, who hated the Revenuer more than the Sheriff that he died of a heart attack.  They just didn’t say it was buck shot that attacked his heart.  My Great Grandpa was never arrested for this crime.

When Grandpa told this story he was very clear to say: “Your Great Grandpa was never free, he prayed every day that God would forgive him for killing that man but went to his grave feeling God never forgave him.”  

Many times we as Christians make the same mistake my great, great grandfather made.  We forget there is the Lord’s Goat and the Scape Goat.   Sometimes we do not completely forsake, abandon or desert (azov or azel) our wicked ways. We may accept the sacrifice of the Lord’s Goat but if we spend our lives living in the guilt of our sins we have not accepted the azezel or the work that Jesus did as a scape goat, by also taking the guilt and shame of our sins and sending them away into the wilderness or over a cliff.  Sometimes we as Christians will not accept the azezel of others who truly repent and receive the Lord’s Goat.  We keep searching for the azezel and keep hanging the past sins of that person over his head.   Sometimes we have to let God send that Scape Goat into the wilderness or over a cliff and also forgive.   The Jewish Targum and the Book of Enoch mentions a fallen angel or demon named Azezel.  That demon of guilt has been banished, let him remain banished.

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