Meet Me at the Altar

Today's Verse:

And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. ~Genesis 12:8 

---

The altar was a place established for the worship of God. The altar was identified by sacrifices that the offeror burned at this location. The altar identified the offeror as a worshiper of God. It was meant to stir the devotion of the person. It was also a place where important decisions were made. Our devotion this morning centers on the first altar that Abraham built as a pilgrim. He built this altar between Bethel and Hai. 

We see Abraham’s faith. 

He built this altar between two locations: Bethel, which means "house of God," and Hai, which means "heaps of ruins." When he was a pagan, he made sacrifices to the moon god. As a true believer, he made it known in the land of the Canaanites that he was a worshiper of the God of Heaven and Earth. His altar identified his prayer time with God: there he called on the name of the Lord. His altar identified his sacrifices and devotion to God. His altar was also the place where he received his orders from God. 

We see Abraham’s fight. 

Standing between Bethel and Hai, Abraham was facing spiritual conflict. Bethel pointed him toward faith in God. Hai was pulling him toward faith in the world. Hai always looks tempting, but we must remember that it leads to a heap of ruins. Wherever you establish your altar, expect to be in a fight. Our enemies will try to pull us away from the altar. 

We see Abraham’s flight. 

Abraham journeyed, going on still toward the south. The altar beckoned him to stay and trust God. However, the pressure of taking a stand for God among pagans and a famine in the land made him trust his heart more than God. The hardest thing to do as a Christian is learning to stay and wait on God. When things look bad around us, we want to keep going on. The problem is always which direction we should be headed in. Abraham was going away from God. 

We see Abraham’s flesh. 

After being away from his altar for many days, he arrived at Egypt. Egypt was the gateway to success and all that the world had to offer. He had made up his mind that he was going to sojourn for a while in Egypt, but in doing so he resorted to his old ways of thinking. Abraham instructed Sarai to lie about her relationship with him. He told her to do this for his personal safety. His dishonesty was eventually discovered. Even though he prospered materially while he was in Egypt, that did not mean he made the right decision. By living in the flesh, he sinned by lying and being a stumbling block to the Egyptians and his own family. 

We see Abraham’s finding. 

The king of Egypt sent him away. Abraham had enough of going south. He decided to go home. He journeyed back to the same place he came from, and in doing so, he came to a familiar place: the altar he built between Bethel and Hai. His soul was stirred once again to prayer and sacrifices. He called on the name of the Lord there once again. Abraham realized God was not in his prior decisions and it was important that the altar would be the place where he would build his faith and find his leading. Many people “pray about decisions” when in reality they are looking for affirmation and not to be led. 

Stir up the fires that need to be burning on your altar. Keep your face pointed toward Bethel, and not toward Hai. Stay at the altar until God is the One Who tells you it’s time to move on. 

Have an altar-intense God Morning! 

Bible Reading Schedule: Judges 8-9

#Genesis #Altar #Decision #Devotion #Prayer