“Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:3
Altar building is a lost art—at least, altar building for God. We often put quite a bit of our time and money into man-focused altars. But altar building for God is not nearly as common. In the Old Testament, the altar is an important place both for sacrifice and as an object by which to remind God’s people of His faithfulness. One of the first such altars is found in Genesis 35:3 in response to God delivering Jacob from his brother Esau.
To say there was bad blood between these brothers would be quite the understatement. Let’s just say that Esau had all kinds of reasons to want to kill his brother. So, rather than become another Abel, Jacob fled his home giving Esau some time to cool off—about two decades. But at his homecoming, he knew that not even the distance of 20 years would guarantee his safety. So, when he heard reports of Esau coming to “greet” him with 400 men, Jacob was a bit concerned.
As a result, Jacob contrived a way to assuage Esau’s anger and preserve his life—he sent waves of servants bearing gifts for Esau ahead of his family. And his family served as the final wave to greet Esau before the brothers came face to face. Jacob hoped that the women and children would soften Esau’s heart.
As it turns out, Jacob’s fears were unfounded, for Esau welcomed his brother with open arms. Esau had come with his men to offer Jacob and all his family and livestock protection for the last leg of their journey. As was often the case, Jacob’s scheming was of no real value. Why? Because God went before him. The verse above reveals a Jacob who finally realizes that his blessings came not from his scheming, but because God was with him.
I wonder how many of us could say “God has been with me wherever I have gone”? I am not talking about an easy life, or a perfect life, or a life of material wealth and pleasure. I am simply talking about the realization that the God of all creation is for me and is working everything out for my good (Romans 8:28).
Jacob celebrated God’s goodness by building an altar. As we read in Genesis 35:14, “Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.”
At the parsonage where Debb and I lived, in Oregon, there was a huge stone and cement structure built in the backyard for use as a BBQ. We always used to refer to it, however, as our altar, for that is what it looked like to us. We never did make any sacrifices on it (unless you count cheeseburgers or hot dogs).
The New Testament doesn’t talk that much about altars. Of the 442 mentions in the Bible, only 25 are found in the New Testament. In a sense, the church sanctuary has become our altar as the place where we celebrate God’s faithfulness. And though we do not pour out drink or oil offerings, we do offer a sacrifice of praise, as we read in Hebrews 13:15, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”
But in addition to the significance of weekly worship, in a very real sense, our very lives are altars which are being built unto God. We can offer the sacrifice of praise “continually” as we acknowledge God’s goodness in our daily lives not only through what we say to or about God, but also by the very way in which we live. I imagine that is what Paul had in mind when he mentioned offering our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).
How good it is to remember that the same God who was with Jacob is with each of us who are His children. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Our God is faithful. So, maybe we should all become a little more adept at the art of altar building, not only by prioritizing the weekly gathering of God’s people, but by letting our very lives more and more become living testimonies to the goodness of God.
Pastor Dan