Altar

 

    Th Altar is a raised place of worship where God's people make offerings to Him.  In Hebrew, altar is majebee'ach (מִזבֵּחַ).  In Aramaic it is mizbeaḦ, which means "place of slaughter".  In Greek it is thusiasterion (θυσιαστήριον).  thusiasterion appears in the New Testament 24 times since Greek was the common language in the middle east at the time.  We get the English word altar from the Latin word altare.

    The first time the word altar is mentioned is in Genesis 8.  Noah built an altar to God where he sacrificed burnt offerings.  God approved of this.  Noah lived in a godless time, he survived when he saw everyone else he knew outside of his family die.  He needed to do something to honor and thank God.  This choice pleased God.  In return God promised never to curse the earth to be wiped out by a flood again.  He meant a global flood. He never promised that there would not be flooding in different places.  

    Over time building altars to God became a thing.  So much so that pagans started to imitate it for their purposes.  God decided to specify how His altars would be made, so that He was set apart.  God's altars were to be made of Acadia wood in a square shape (7/5 ft long, 4.5 ft high).  The four corners would have horns covered in bronze.  Even the tools to be used were specified.  God's altar had polls attached to it, so that it could be carried where ever God's people went.  It was built just as God had shown Moses on the mountain.

    Sacrifices at the altar changed as the environment of God's people changed.  Once they were established, sacrifices were made at the altar at God's Temple.  It became a permanent home for God.  That means that the sacrificing also became refined.  Jesus pointed out that if you have an issue with someone, then resolve the issue before you make your sacrifice to God.  God made us to need each other, so that means that we need to work at getting along and not hurting each other to make God pleased.

    To swear by God's name or in His temple is binding.  It makes fools of those that swear.  It is more important to be purified than to look the part of a Christian.  The altar is binding.  Your heart and mind set is more important than the offering itself.  Be careful in how you use your words.  They hold power and sometimes they are binding for life and eternity.

    Those who serve God get their food from what we give as offerings.  They serve at the altar, so they get sacrificial offerings to live on.  It is  the churches duty to support their pastor.  Do not give more than what you have, so they can become rich.  At the same time, do not hold back what you do have at their expense.  You will answer to God for your choices.  

    The altar in the Tabernacle is the one location in which God's priest were not to eat from.  It would have been like reaching over onto God's plate and eating His food.  The priest made sin offerings there.  They bled animals to make the place holy.  Jesus is that last sacrificial animal to be bled.  He died to make us holy.  He bore all people's disgrace as if it were his own, so that we could have a permanent home in Heaven.  

    Abraham showed us how to have a holy heart.  He was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on God's altar.  It was faith in action.  He was willing to give up his only son because he trusted God.  In return, his faith was made complete.  Faith complete is what makes us righteous.  However faith means nothing if you do not put action behind it.

    The last altar is found in Revelations, when Jesus broke the fifth seal.  Under the altar were all the souls of the martyrs who died for their faithful testimony.  They shouted to God honoring, but asking when their deaths would be avenged.  They were all given white robes and told to rest a little longer until all the martyrs have joined them.

Genesis 8:20-22, Exodus 27:1-8, Matthew 5:23-24, 23:16-22, 1 Corinthians 9:13-16, Hebrews 13:10-14, James 2:21-24, & Revelations 6:9-11