Daily Thought

In all, Abraham built four altars, and the first two are in Genesis chapter 12 verses 7and 8. Abraham built altars, Isaac dug wells, and Jacob erected pillars. We should do all three. Men and women of faith, Heb. 11. 9, must worship like Abraham, find refreshment like Isaac, and salute the faithfulness of God like Jacob.

‘And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him’. His first altar was built in the plain of Moreh, with the telling observation, ‘and the Canaanite was then in the land’, v. 6. C. H. MACKINTOSH reminds us that ‘there, too, he finds the Lord’. How often we too feel the power of ‘the Canaanite’, and the life of faith looks decidedly uncertain. It is then, like the disciples on Galilee, that we hear our beloved Saviour’s voice, ‘Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid’, Matt. 14. 27. In thankfulness, we build an altar.

‘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’. Mountains are so often places of communion with God. The Lord Jesus, ‘when he had sent the multitude away went up into a mountain apart to pray’, Matt. 14. 23. A mountain frees us from the distractions of the busy world below and gives us perspectives that are impossible on the plain. But those rewards are not won without time, effort, and discipline.

Abraham looked west and saw Bethel. He looked east and saw Hai. In one direction, the ‘house of God’. In the other, ‘the heap’, which is strongly suggestive of ruins. Between the house of God, and the heap of ruins, an altar! We should bow in worship as we consider the work of the Lord Jesus, who has delivered us from eternal ruin, enabling as to say, ‘I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever’, Ps. 23. 6. Like Abraham we too must call ‘upon the name of the Lord’; first to give thanks that in infinite love He has given us an eternal home, John 14. 2, and then to pray and intercede for our fellow men and women who stand in jeopardy of eternal banishment from His presence.