A while ago I was reading through Genesis and was struck by the number of altars Abraham built. I was only consciously aware of one of his altars – the one that involved the almost-sacrifice of his son. I began to do some research on the altars and what they might represent for us today. I found that there is a parallel between the altars in Genesis and the example made of Abraham in Hebrews. I have shared this study with a handful of short-term teams that have visited Jordan and will take the next few days to share it here with you.
Altars have multiple meanings in the Scriptures. They represent a place of worship – often we see someone building an altar and bowing down in reverence. Along the same lines, they are sometimes a place of communion – a place where God made Himself known to the worshiper. They are also occasionally referred to as a testimony among unbelievers. But altars aren’t just memorials. They are a place of sacrifice.
One thing I love about living in the Middle East is the way it has expanded my mental geography of much of what happened in the Scriptures. When I read, for example, that Abram’s father, Terah, left Ur of the Chaldeans and traveled to Haran, I can imagine his caravan traveling from Southern Iraq (a place I was hoping to visit in 2020) to Turkey (where I almost got stuck instead of being in Egypt!). Genesis 11:31 actually tells us that it was Terah’s intention to go to the land of Canaan – but he ended up settling in Haran.
By the time the Lord called Abram in Genesis 12, he was aware of what it meant to travel. He had lived in two different cities, and I wonder if he dreamed of fulfilling his father’s plan to travel to Canaan even before the Lord called him. Whether or not it that was his plan, the Lord came to Abram and told him to separate from his extended family in Haran and “go to the land which I will show you” (12:1). In these few verses there are a couple of different action words, and they’re put right next to each other in verse 5: “they departed to go to the land of Canaan.” I think that for many gospel workers, going is easier than leaving. It’s exciting to go to the field – and difficult to leave friends, family, and familiarity.
For Abram, this journey was a matter of obedience. Hebrews 11:8 tells us, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” It was an obedience of faith – trusting that God would not only provide for him, but that He would show him where he was to go.
The Genesis account gives no detail of his trip into Canaan – the long 400 miles from Haran to Shechem. Wikipedia says that the average camel caravan could have traveled anywhere from 10 to 25 miles in a day. Abram traveled in the direction of Canaan for a month or more. I can imagine him wondering each day: Will this be the last day of travel? Will God show up today and tell me to settle? How much longer will this last? (Does this sound familiar to anyone besides me in this season of uncertainty?)
Finally, one day after the had crossed into Canaan, it happened. God showed up. And Abram responded: “So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him” (Gen 12:7). We could call this altar an Altar of Obedience. God had told Abram to go, and he went.
People often go overseas with a lot of unanswered questions. “I don’t know all the details, but I do know that God told me to come, and so I’m here in obedience,” I hear quite often, especially from visitors or short-term workers. God honors this obedience – He shows up in wonderful ways.
What is your obedience right now? In what ways is God calling you to leave your comfort zone and go to the place He will show you? I don’t think you need to wait until your obedience is “complete” before you build an altar and dedicate yourself to obedience to His voice, even if it means following Him in the midst of a lot of uncertainty.