“Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” - Genesis 12:7, NIV.
When we hear altars we think of power and sacrifice; just as there are evil altars, we have godly altars too. God asked Gideon to destroy his father's altar to Baal and build a godly altar unto him. A godly altar is a place separated for worship or fellowship with God. It could also be a place of intercession/covenant with God.
In the Old Testament days they worshipped God by building physical altars where they built stones and poured oil on it or sacrificed animals. God appeared to Jacob at Bethel in a dream to confirm His covenant with him; when Jacob woke up, he took the stone he slept on and built an altar to signify an encounter with God and His covenant.
When Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went to his place of altar – room upstairs where the windows opened toward Jerusalem and three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed. In the New Testament, Jesus has become our Ultimate Altar and sacrifice by His death on the Cross which gives us direct access to God. So our sacrifices are spiritual. Our bodies and heart which is the most important must be our spiritual sacrifice to God.
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5). We also have personal altar – a place you spend time with God in prayer and study of the Word, family altar – where the family meet to fellowship, church altar – place of worship. Our money and time given to God can also be altars.
