Altars are interesting things. What we call an altar today bears little (or no) resemblance to the altars that the Israelites built during the time before the kings. From the time of Abram, altars had a special meaning. Every time there was an interaction with God, someone stopped and built an altar. They built altars when they were blessed, they built altars when they were disciplined, they built altars when God revealed Himself.
Altars in the Old Testament were special. They were built of "undressed stone" (just big rocks that were laying around nearby), they were named (and remembered) and often assembled of a particular number of stones (12 is the most common). Time and again these altars are spoken of as "and it is known by this name today" meaning that people of subsequent generations saw the altars and knew why they had been built.
Altars today are often little more than ornate (or not so ornate) tables that hold up candles, bibles and the host during communion. The commemorate nothing and stand for nothing. They have no special or lasting significance.
When was the last time you stopped and built an altar? When was the last time you acknowledged what God had done or was doing in your life and immortalized the moment? When was the last time you opened the photo album and walked your children through the altars of YOUR life? How many of us can recount even one event from our parents and grandparents lives showing the Hand of God? How many of our children will be able to do that for OUR lives?
Build an altar today. Create a memory/record of what God has done for you. Share it with your children so that THEY won't forget either. We need more altars.
blessings on your day
2 comments:
In the vast majority of cases, we do indeed have the wrong view of altars and their significance. They were most often used as a base for the fiery consumption of an animal being sacrificed as a burnt offering to God.
In addition to the great point you've made, this "offering" act is relevant for us today as well, in that we can take the "rock hard" things in our lives, bring them, and arrange them as a sacrifical offering to God. Figuratively set them on fire, and leave them there!
I recently heard artist Jimmy Needham talk about a similar idea. That of setting up an Ebenezer (stone of help) as a reminder of "thus far has the Lord brought us.")
We should all have more of those reminders and we should share them with our families and friends.
Thanks for the encouraging post today!
Post a Comment