Hey there,
Today I wanted to write and share knowledge about this ancient architecture from the bible; Mizbeach or what modern words called it “The Altar”.
Then the Lord appeared to Abraham and said: “To your descendants, I will give this land.” And there he builds an altar to the Lord, who has appeared to him. (GENESIS 12:7)
New Living Translation After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the LORD, and he worshiped the LORD. (GENESIS 12:8)
18 So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.(GENESIS 13:18)
From the passage above, whenever Abraham decided to move to another place, he would build an altar to the Lord. Hence, it’s pretty symbolic, since throughout Abraham’s life he had to continuously deal with “Altars” – A place of sacrifice.
Facing Your “Altars” will not get easier as we endeavor into life journey, as times goes by; Facing your “Altars” will get “HARDER”.
Abraham’s last “Altar” that he had to face is “Offering” Isaac, His one and only son, his most precious possession of all to God with blind Faith towards God who promised had finally come to pass after many years of waiting.
Let’s look into the word “Altar – Mizbeach in the temple of Jerusalem”
Altar: Is nothing more than a slaughter place.
– It is not a pretty sight;
– It is a place of blood;
– It is a place of fire and smoke;
– It is a place of burning flesh.
It is a PLACE filled with the STENCH OF DEATH
Now! We live in the next chapter called the “New Testament”
We do not need to sacrifice animals for our sins, which is a huge Kudos to God, our creator for sending His son, Jesus, to die for our sins on the cross!
No more blood staining hands for having to tear apart animals for our sins each time we committed a sin. We do not have to commit to doing so much preparation works before the ceremonial session, the sprinkling of blood at the horn of the altar or the washing of hands for the priest. Talking about hours, not minutes of sanctification involved as well.
We live in the AGE OF THE SPIRIT
God is calling us to offer ourselves to Him in a special Way.
Altar in the New Testament has become a
– Spiritual Place;
– Place of Submission;
– Place of Personal Sacrifice
– Place of Pain (But it is for the Good!)
God chooses Our Altars
Psalm 37:23 (New American Standard Bible) The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in His way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.
The verse above should be an encouraging verse, for those who are being called into His Light. Cause it indicates that if we, as His Children of Light are living for God in sincerity and truth, every step along our pathway is being ordered by the Lord, Himself.
In life, when we are facing an Altar, it is because God Himself has determined that we need to be facing an Altar. If we simply (without struggle) submit to His will, we prosper spiritually.
BUT, if we try to walk around it, looking for ways to avoid it, then we fail to grow spiritually, PLUS, placing ourselves in grave spiritual danger.
How do we know we are facing the “Altar”?
When you find yourself powerless to change the circumstances. (with further explanation, You are Powerless if you are committed to staying within the will of God.)
For Example, It could be a situation you find to be very difficult or unpleasant.
It could be a situation where you are not getting what you had set in your heart.
ALTAR By Nature is Always Uncomfortable
“Altar” by nature is always uncomfortable
– It involves a certain amount of Emotional Pain to it.
– It is never something we enjoy having to go through.
The “Altar” designed by God
– pierces into our SOUL
– cuts deep into our Inner Man
– Strikes at the thoughts and intents of the heart
– It is designed to slaughter everything that is of the Flesh
It is a time of hurt, agonizing, excruciating. Hence, TIME SLOWS DOWN when WE ARE ON THE ALTAR.
It will only end until the Lord says: “It is finished!”
Who will live: The Spirit or The Flesh?
From this forward, I will be making a distinct point to let you see, why passing the “Altar” Test is so crucial. If you want to be a Radical Christian, always remember John the Baptist says this: “He must be Greater, I must become Lesser.” John 3:30
It is true, we are sinful humans by Birth. Whatever the world is showing or teaching us is not the ideal character and thinking that we should develop.
And because of our corrupted nature, God had to break our heart, remake it, like clay in the Potter’s hand, and give us a new heart to contain the things of Divine knowledge and character.
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
Kind Saul vs King David are two very good examples to be used to bring a fine distinction between “the Flesh” and “the Spirit”.
Example of King Saul sinned
King Saul ‘exalted himself, after his sin (1 Samuel 15:30) 30 Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.”
After King Saul disobeyed God, the only thing he was concerned is that Samuel will reject him as the King in the sight of the men. He was never concerned that his sin has made him a detestable person in God’s sight.
Conclusion:
The cost was He sacrificed/ killed his relationship with God.
Example of King David Sinned
King David, on the other hand, ‘though he committed a greater sin, he humbled himself to God.
Psalms 51:3-4 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.4, Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
David immediately put his flesh to death after confronted by the prophet, which allowed His relationship with God to deepen and flourish.
Is the “Altar” punishment of God for our Sin?
No! instead, it is a place where God causes us to grow and bring us closer to Him, it is one of his ways that He purified our Motives and Perfects our Character.
The “Altar” is an extremely important element in our spiritual growth.
It is the participation in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. God sees it this way, so should we, as His Disciples.
The problem with Living Sacrifice.
In the Old Testament time, the animals did not have a choice.
Thus, Living Sacrifice ‘Like Us’ can crawl off the Altar “Bind the sacrifice with cords to the hems of the ALTAR.” Psalm 118:27
But in Galatians 5:24-26 “And those who are in Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
These are the marks of a man who has remained on the Altar until the flesh, with all its desires and passion, has been crucified.
What can we do, as Disciples of Christ:
Persevere: set our face like a flint and step into it, TRUSTING THE LORD TO BRING US THROUGH.
Focus: Jesus’s joy was set before Him as He endured the cross. Faced it, Humbled Himself, Became Obedient, even Obedient towards the Cross.
The “Altar” is the Pathway to participate in the “Resurrection of Christ in Spirit” and a Pathway to “Spiritual Power”.
I hope you did enjoy reading the article and have a deeper understanding of the importance of facing your Spiritual Altar when it is placed in front of your journey as a Christian.
