Does your church have an altar? I heard Alistair Begg speak about this recently. As he explained the effect of the Reformation, he made the case that the church needs a pulpit, a sacred desk to teach God’s word. But we do not need an altar to offer sacrifices to God. In view of Christ’s once and for all sacrifice, he made a strong case that the church has no altar except the cross on which Christ died.
Altars played an important role in the history of ancient Israel. Mizbeah, the Hebrew word for altar, is first used in the Bible, in this passage. It can mean the place of sacrifice or a mound of earth or a structure of uncut stone. It was the place where sacrifices were offered. Noah built it to the Lord. Then he sacrificed animals. Great question from yesterday’s devotional: where did Noah get the animals without depleting the ones needed to repopulate the earth? In a year on the ark, the animals had multiplied. He had enough to sacrifice. Like Abel before him, he burnt the animal and the Lord smelled a pleasing aroma. In response, God promised never to destroy the world again by flood. The last verse reads like a poem or song to express God’s heart: life will continue. The rhythm of the earth will not be interrupted again by a flood. Time will be marked by seasons as well as days and nights.
Abraham would later follow Noah’s example by building altars to the Lord (Genesis 12:8). Elijah rebuilt the altar which had fallen into disrepair and disuse on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:30). Worship as sacrifice even carries into the New Testament. Paul says we offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1). Hebrews says God is pleased with sacrifices of praise and good deeds to others (Hebrews 13:15-16). Truly, Christ became our once and for all sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:10). But in our worship, we offer our lives up to God as holy and pleasing sacrifices. I remember when Pastors used to talk about the family prayer altar. Have our electronics replaced the place of prayer in our hearts? Do our homes have an altar of prayer to the Lord? When do we pray with our families and friends? Today would be a great day! Let’s rebuild the altar of prayer in our hearts and homes.
