Altars in the Bible were places of worship, sacrifice, and dedication to God. Today, we’ll explore the significance of altars and what they teach us about our relationship with God.
Also Read: What Does The Bible Say About Alone
What Does The Bible Say About Altar
Genesis 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.
This verse depicts Noah’s act of building an altar as an act of worship and gratitude to the Lord. The altar symbolizes a place of surrender and offering, where Noah presented sacrifices to honor God.
It reminds us of the importance of acknowledging God’s faithfulness and responding with reverence and thanksgiving. The altar represents a physical space where we encounter the divine presence and offer ourselves as living sacrifices.
Exodus 20:24
“’Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.'”
In this verse, God instructs the Israelites to build altars as places of worship and sacrifice. The altar serves as a meeting point between God and His people.
It symbolizes the need for consecration, obedience, and a right relationship with God. Altars create a space for divine encounters and blessings. They highlight the importance of worship and bring God’s presence into our lives.
Leviticus 1:9
“He is to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.”
This verse details the specific instructions for offering a burnt offering on the altar. It emphasizes the importance of following God’s prescribed manner of worship.
The act of burning the entire offering on the altar symbolizes complete dedication and surrender to God. It serves as a reminder to present ourselves fully to the Lord, offering our entire being as a pleasing aroma unto Him.
Joshua 22:34
“The Reubenites and Gadites gave the altar this name: ‘A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.’
After building an altar on the Jordan River, the Reubenites and Gadites name it as a witness to affirm their loyalty and commitment to the Lord.
This verse highlights the significance of altars as tangible reminders and symbols of the covenant relationship between God and His people. Altars serve as witnesses to our faith and devotion, declaring the Lord’s sovereignty and faithfulness in our lives.
Judges 6:26
“Build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”
God instructs Gideon to build an altar and offer a burnt offering as a means of worship and consecration on the spot where idolatry once stood.
This verse reveals the transformative power of altars. They represent places where we renounce idolatry and dedicate ourselves solely to God. Altars symbolize a fresh start, a place where we can offer our lives as a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord.
1 Kings 18:32
“With the stones, he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. “
Elijah builds an altar out of stones as he prepares to confront the prophets of Baal and call upon the Lord to send fire from heaven.
This verse highlights the symbolic significance of altars, representing a place of encounter with the living God. Altars can serve as a platform for showcasing God’s power and inviting divine intervention in our lives.
2 Chronicles 7:7
“Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the LORD, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, the fat portions and the drink offerings.”
Solomon consecrates a specific area to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord due to the limitations of the bronze altar within the temple.
This verse illustrates the practicality and adaptability of altars in worship. Altars can be constructed and designated in various locations, adapting to the changing needs of offering sacrifice and worship to God.
Nehemiah 13:9
“I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.”
Nehemiah takes steps to cleanse and restore the rooms where the equipment and offerings for the house of God were stored.
This verse implies the importance of maintaining and preserving the sacredness of altars. Altars should be treated with reverence and purity, as they serve as holy spaces for worship and offerings to God.
Psalm 43:4
“Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.”
The psalmist expresses the desire and determination to go to the altar of God, finding joy and delight in offering praise and worship.
This verse portrays the altar as a place of joy and encounter with God. Altars become spaces where we can pour out our hearts in adoration and experience the delight of communing with the Lord.
Psalm 84:3
“Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.”
The psalmist expresses a longing to dwell near God’s altar, recognizing it as a place of security, provision, and intimate communion with God.
This verse highlights the significance of altars as places of refuge and spiritual nourishment. Altars provide a sense of belonging and a safe space where we can grow and thrive in our relationship with the Lord.
Isaiah 6:6
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.”
In Isaiah’s vision, a seraphim takes a live coal from the altar and touches the prophet’s lips, symbolizing purification and empowerment for ministry.
This verse portrays the transformative power of altars. They serve as a source of divine purification and equipping, enabling us to fulfill our purpose and engage in the Lord’s work.
Jeremiah 17:1
“Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.”
Here, the prophet Jeremiah speaks of the deep-rooted sinfulness and idolatry of the people, symbolically engraving their transgressions on the horns of their altars.
This verse illustrates the danger of corrupting the purpose of altars with sinful practices. It calls for genuine repentance and restoration, removing the stain of idolatry and returning to the true worship of God.
Ezekiel 6:3
“You are to say: ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.”
In this verse, God announces judgment on the false altars and high places, denouncing the idolatrous practices of the people.
It conveys the importance of aligning our worship with the truth and purity of God’s word. Altars should be dedicated to the LORD alone, devoid of any false gods or unbiblical practices.
Matthew 5:23-24
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
In this passage, Jesus teaches the significance of interpersonal relationships and forgiveness in worship. He urges believers to prioritize reconciliation before offering their gifts at the altar.
This verse emphasizes that genuine worship involves not only vertical communion with God but also horizontal reconciliation with others. Altars become spaces where we pursue peace and unity within the body of Christ.
Mark 12:41-44
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.'”
Here, Jesus observes people bringing their offerings to the temple treasury, emphasizing the sacrificial giving of a poor widow who gave everything she had.
This passage compels us to assess the condition of our hearts as we approach the altar. It challenges us to offer ourselves and our possessions with wholehearted devotion and sacrificial generosity.
John 2:14-16
“In the temple courts, he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!'”
Jesus reacts to the temple being turned into a marketplace, displaying righteous anger by driving out those who were exploiting the sacred space for their own gain.
This passage underscores the importance of maintaining the holiness and integrity of places set apart for worship, including altars. They should not be desecrated or used for commercial purposes but rather be reverenced as sacred spaces dedicated to the Lord.
Acts 17:23-24
“For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.”
Paul, in his address to the Athenians, points out an altar dedicated to an unknown god. He seizes the opportunity to introduce them to the true God they unknowingly worship.
This verse accentuates that altars, although they serve as meeting points with God, do not confine His presence. God is not limited to physical structures but desires a genuine relationship with His people.
Romans 12:1
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Paul encourages believers to offer themselves as living sacrifices, considering it as true and meaningful worship to God.
This verse signifies the transformation of altars from physical structures to the lives of believers. We are called to present our bodies, minds, and hearts as holy offerings to the Lord, surrendering ourselves fully in true worship.
Hebrews 10:19-22
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
This passage highlights the access believers have to God’s presence through Jesus’ sacrifice. It encourages them to draw near to God with sincerity and assurance.
It reveals the transformation of altars, shifting from physical structures to the spiritual reality of being able to approach God directly. Altars become a matter of the heart, where we offer ourselves through faith and find cleansing and forgiveness in Christ.
1 Peter 2:5
“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.”
Peter addresses believers as living stones, depicting them as part of a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices to God.
This verse signifies the transformative nature of altars, no longer limited to physical structures but extending to the lives of believers. Our very existence becomes an offering, our worship extending beyond a specific location but reaching into every aspect of our lives.