Altars

Last week we studied about those who "walk with God" as Enoch and Noah did. This week, we will look at one of the great men of scripture, Abraham, a servant and friend of God. We can see Abraham's relationship with God beginning in Genesis 12. For the first time, we hear God's communication with Abram: "Now the LORD had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen. 12:1-3). Based upon those commands and promises of God, Abram obediently left his father's house, which had been in Haran, to begin his walk with God into this new unknown. The LORD brought Abram to the land of Canaan, and promised to give the land to Abram's descendants (v. 7). At the place that the LORD appeared to Abram with this covenant promise, Shechem, scripture says: "And there he built an altar to the LORD who appeared to him." (Gen. 12:7). Shechem, the place in Canaan where Abram built an altar, has an interesting meaning in Hebrew for those who know Christ. Shechem refers to the upper part of the back and shoulder blade area. It can also mean "consent" (see Jn. 10:18) or "portion" (see Isa. 53:12). It is the same word used in the following verses: "...and the government will be upon his shoulder..." (Isa. 9:5, 1 Cor. 15:24-25). and "The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder..." (Isa. 22:22, Rev. 3:7). Shechem also means "the member on which blows are inflicted" (see Isa. 50:6: "I gave my back to those who struck me"), and Shechem also means "those that bear either a burden or a yoke" (see Mt. 11:28-30). The Hebrew root word for Shechem is sakam meaning "to rise up early" (see Jn. 21:1). Therefore, this first place of arrival of Abram in Canaan, having followed God's directions, is also a place of meaning regarding our Messiah, Jesus. To us, therefore, Shechem is the perfect place for Abram to build an altar, a place of sacrifice to God. The Hebrew word and root word for altar, mizbeah/zabah, means just that: sacrifice, slay, offer, to slaughter in divine judgment, to immolate. Abram built other altars to God as God instructed him to: "Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you." (Gen. 13:17). Abram built an altar between Bethel (meaning "the house/family of God") and Ai (meaning "a heap of ruins"): "...there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD." (Gen. 12:8). Now, the altar is also used by Abram as a place to call upon the name of the LORD. It is a place of intercession. At one point, as Abram walked the land, he returned to the first altar that he had built at Shechem. An altar is also a place to which we can return in order to re-visit or renew our relationship with God. After having revisited this altar, Abram allowed his nephew Lot to take the seemingly best land for himself in order to end the strife that had arisen because of the two herds sharing the same location (Gen 13:9-11). This must have been a sad day for Abram, as he separated from his nephew, and sacrificially gave him the best of the land, but that isn't the end of the story. Immediately after this (v. 14), the LORD not only repeated His promise to give all of the land to Abram, but also revealed to Abram that his descendants would be so many that they would not be able to be numbered (v. 14-16). This promise of God to Abram was made to an elderly man whose wife was barren. What a remarkable promise this was for Abram to receive! What did Abram do? "Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt...in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD." (Gen. 13:18). Hebron has a powerful meaning in both the Hebrew and Arabic languages. The Hebrew meaning and root is "association, conjunction, to unite, to join together, to couple together". In Arabic, Hebron is referred to as "the city of the friend of the merciful God". Abram found a deeper, more intimate relationship with God at this altar, even as his relationship with his nephew, Lot, changed. As New Testament believers, we may think that the altars built by the patriarchs like Abram have no application to our lives and walk with Christ. However, I think that they have even a deeper meaning for us, not as to building a physical place necessarily, but as establishing spiritual places in our lives that act as altars. We generally overlook the preciousness of the altar in the sight of God, and the impact of the altar in a believer's "walk". As believers in Christ, we also need to keep in mind the kind of altars that we establish throughout our spiritual walk. Are we building altars to the gods of this world? What a terrible shame that would be! Along my spiritual walk, I want to build the kinds of altars like Abram built - altars that memorialize the Lord's sacrifice and promises to me, and places and occasions where I have called upon His name, and He has heard me. Some think that the only altars that are important are the ones that are officially consecrated, and contained within a church building, but the altars established in our personal and intimate walk with Christ are important also, perhaps even more so. These personal spiritual altars are the ones spoken of in the New Testament, as we will see. The locations of the altars that Abram built would have a great importance to Israel in future generations. What of the spiritual altars that we build, and the impact that they will have for future generations? Let's also look at the Hebrew letters in the word for altar, which also have individual meanings, and will give us a deeper look into the meaning involved here. The Hebrew word for "altar" is mizbeah, מִזְבֵּחַ, and the letters that comprise the word are mem, zayin, beth, heh. One of the meanings of these individual letters when placed together is: "The mighty water and blood that comes from within the pierced body is revealed or seen". This is so beautiful to me in the amazing Word of God! Even each individual letter testifies of Christ, just as Jesus told us. The purpose of the altar in our lives, as in the Old Testament, is to reveal the sacrifice of Christ, and the place where we spiritually sacrifice ourselves as we take up our cross and follow Him (Mt. 16:24/Lk. 9:23, Mk. 10:21). Here is the altar in the New Testament: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable (meaning speech, the sayings of God, the living voice, of the mind, soul, spirit) service (worship of God, perform sacred services). And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Rom. 12:1-2). We build altars in our lives. They need to be the kind of altars that exhibit Christ's sacrifice and victory for us and in us, and the place where the will of God is proven in us. If you would like to be an altar-builder in your walk with Jesus, you can join in this prayer as I pray for myself: "Lord Jesus, You sacrificed Yourself for me, not on an immaculate, beautifully arrayed altar in a grand edifice, but on an altar outside the holy city, at a place meant for shame where common criminals were executed, at a place called "The Skull". It was at that altar that You called on the Name of the LORD, and took the sin burden of men on Your shoulders. You have called us also to this kind of altar where we take up our cross and follow You. Because of You, it is no longer an altar of shame and condemnation, but an altar for the glory of God, impacting us, and our future generations as well. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit who shows me how I may become a spiritual altar-builder for the glory of God, and for the establishing of His good, acceptable, and perfect will. I ask this in Your name, AMEN."