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I want to talk to you briefly about the “alter”. An altar is any structure upon which offerings OR sacrifices are made for religious purposes. This is why in traditional churches the offering pan is often placed on the altar and people come to the altar to give their offering.

The word altar is first used in Genesis 8:20 when Noah built an altar to the Lord after leaving the ark. However, the idea was present as early as Genesis 4:3–4 when Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices to the Lord. They most likely presented their offerings on some type of altar, even though the word altar is not used in that passage.

An altar always represented a place of consecration. Before God gave His Law to Moses, men made altars wherever,  out of whatever material was available. An altar was often built to commemorate an encounter with God that had a profound impact.

During times of Israel’s rebellion and idolatry, the Lord’s altars fell into disrepair. Elijah’s restoration of the altar was significant, given the rampant paganism of his day. “Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, symbolizing the unity of God’s people in his construction: to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, ‘Your name shall be Israel.’ It was on this rebuilt altar that God rained down fire and put the Baal-worshipers to shame (verses 38–39).

In the broadest sense, an altar is merely a designated place where a person consecrates himself to someone or something. Many church buildings have “altars” for prayer, communion, weddings, and other sacred purposes. Some Christians create their own “altars” in their homes for personal worship as visible reminders of Romans 12:1, which says to “present yourself as a living sacrifice.”

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