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To Build An Altar
Ezra 3:3
The altar needs to be the center of our life, because the altar is a place a sacrifice, the place of death, the place of worship and life, and it is also a place that is representative of God’s abiding presence.
When we look at the nation of Israel, we can learn many things from their history and apply it to our lives as we live for God. In Ezra 1: 2-4 we find that the king of Persia, King Cyrus, made a proclamation that the children of Israel could go back home and begin to build the house of God. Israel was in bondage in Babylon because of sin and idolatry, but by the mercy and grace of God they were able to come back home.
Sin equals slavery:
Romans 6: 12 “let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
John 8:34 “Jesus answered them, verily, verily, I say unto you whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”
Even though we may be enslaved to sin by the mercy and grace of God we can make our way back home.
The first thing that Israel did when they came back to Jerusalem was to build an altar. The first thing we need to do is give ourselves back to God and build an altar.
Rom. 12: 1 “I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
The altar needs to be the center of our life, so that we can give our life to God as a living sacrifice. If we want our names in the lamb’s book of life that we have to be willing to pay the price of sacrifice upon the altar.
In 2nd Sam. 24: 18- 25, David was instructed by God to build an altar. When the owner of the land saw David the king coming, he inquired of David what he wanted. David told him to buy the threshing floor to build an altar unto God. The owner of the land was willing to give David the land and a sacrifice but David said:
Verse 24 “and the king said unto Araunah, nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.”
Israel rebuilt the altar upon its bases, in other words, they looked and they searched until they found the original foundation of the altar, they put it back where it belonged. No doubt, they had to a clean away trash and rubbish from 70 years of debris and destruction. The same thing can apply to our lives that when we build the altar we have to clear away the trash and the rubbish out of our lives and build the altar back upon its foundation.
Jeremiah 6: 16 “thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and asked for the old paths, where is the good way, and walked therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”
We cannot build upon the shifting sand, or that which we think is convenient to any easy, we must build upon the rock.
Matthew 16: 18 “and I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 7: 24-25 “therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon the rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock.”
1st Cor. 3: 11 “for other foundation can no man lay then that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Times and fashions may change, people may change, but truth does not change.
Noah, after the destruction of the earth, and experiencing salvation by water in the ark came out of the ark and the first thing he did, was to build an altar. Genesis 8: 16-20.
When Abram was called out of his homeland and to go into the promise land; when he came into the promise land, we find in Genesis 12: 7 Abram built and altar and name the place Bethel which is called the house of God.
When the altar is built in our life it is the beginning of the house of God and faith has laid a foundation in our life to begin to build the Tabernacle.
Why did Israel rebuild the altar when they came back home to Jerusalem? Ezra 3: 3 gives us the answer: enemies.
They were not going to build walls, they were not going to make treaties or compromise, they were not going to gather Allies, but they were going to build the altar for protection in guidance. We do not need to compromise we do not need to make treaties with the world, but we need to rebuild the altar because we should realize the dangers of the world and sin, we should stay on our knees.
First Peter 5: 6-7 “humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time 7 casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
