Because You Ask

Because You Ask

Question: What is an Altar (not alter, because alter means changing something from its place, original location to another place or changing what you have said before etc. Some people make mistake of writing alter when they mean altar)?

 

Altar

Having clarified the word altar and alter, I now which to answer your question based on altar because I presume it is altar you want to know something on.

Altar is defined as a structure or place on which sacrifices are offered or incense is burned in worship.

Bible dictionary defines it (altar) as structure on which offerings are made to a deity.

The Hebrew word for altar is mizbeah (,ebzim) which means to slaughter while the Greek word for altar is thusiasterion (qusiasthveion) both words mean altar is a place of sacrifice.

Question: What makes up an altar?

Answer:

Altar before God takes Israel out of the land of Egypt has no special components.

(A) Altar After the flood: first recorded altar made is the one constructed by Noah (Gen. 8:20)

(B) Patriarchal altars: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Gen. 12:7; 13:4; 22:9; 33:20; 35:1; 35:3)

(C) Altar after Exodus: Altar after the children of Israel were taken out of Egypt (Exod. 17:15)

These altars are erected on stones (unhewn stones)

(D) Altars commanded in the Law

After the children of Israel were taken out of Egypt, God desires to have communion with the people, his people, as he used to do with Adam (and later Eve) in the garden thus he commanded that they should have altars in the laws to guide them that was given them through prophet Moses. The stated components of the altars depend on the make of the altar, which could be

(i) Man made or

(ii) Naturally made.

(i) Man Made Altars: The components of man-made altars are stones, earth, metal and brick

(ii) Naturally Made Altars have unhewed rock as its components.

However, when God commanded them to have altars, he specified to Moses what would make up those altars and they are these: wood, covered with brass (for altar of burnt offerings) and wood covered with gold (for altars of incense).

In summary the components of the altars are: stones (or rock), wood, (stick in case of Abraham (Gen. 22:7)) brass and gold

Unhewed Stones

Question: What Do You Know About The Word Altar?

In Hebrew word, it is called “מזבּח”, mizbêach, (phonetically spell as miz-bay'-akh) while in Greek word it is “θυσιαστήριον”, thusiastērion (phonetically spell as thoo-see-as-tay'-ree-on), which is a place of sacrifice. An erected place where sacrifices are made to deity.

Question: How Does It (Altar) Relate to Humanity And God (Yahweh)?

Answer: It is place where divine and human world interact. It is place where communion takes place, place of exchange and influence.

Question: What Is A Secret Place?

Answers: Secret is something that is kept hidden from knowledge or view.

Place is a particular area, building, town or country; it is also defined as a spot.

Now secret place means a concealed spot.

Jesus in Matthew 6 talks about secret place when he says when you want to pray enter your closet and shut the door and talk to your father in secret and the father who sees and hears you in secret will answer you openly.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matt. 6:6)

Apostles Peter also prayed in the upper room without being disturbed by people he went and visit in Acts 10; apostle Paul resorted to mountain in Arabia to pray before launching out (Gal. 1:17), Jesus himself prayed secretly whole on earth (Mark 1:35)

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

“On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour.” (Act 10:9)

“Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.” (Gal. 1:17)

Secret place is a closet, your closet, a place where you commune with God as a child talks to a father

Question: What Are the purpose of the secret place? Secret place is a place of communion with God (Psalms 91), a place of prayer.

Question: What is secret place used for? It is a place where you commune with God, talk with him without hinderances or disturbances.

Question: What is its importance? It is a place where God keeps you safe, it is a place were you are under the shadow of God etc. (Psa. 91)

Question: Why must we have an altar?

Altar is a place where you sacrifice to deity (God). Today our sacrifice is praying to Yahweh in Jesus name. So, we are not expected to have altars in the sense of altars presented in the old testament because Jesus has broken the barriers, he has offered himself a ransom once and for all. No more altars, no more places of offerings. But we can have places of prayers which Jesus adeptly puts in Matthew 6 to be your closet.

You don't need a special secret place because of Jesus posit and the apostles utterances.

However, in case you think people could be disturbing you when you want to pray, you can do as apostle Peter did or before you start ministry you can do what apostle Paul did.

However, apostle Paul talks about praying ceaselessly (1 Thess. 5:17) and Jesus talks about praying without faint (Luke 18:1)

If you will pray without ceasing you cannot be going to mountains every time or going back to your room every time for prayers, it then means that your HEART IS THE GREATEST CLOSET, THE SECRET PLACE FOR PRAYER ALWAYS.

Secret Place

Question: Can the word altar relate to the secret place?

Initially altar is an open place, in the days of Noah, Abraham and before God gave them rules. After he gave then rules one of the altars became a secret to all while the other is not. The altar with gold covering is the hidden one, while the one with brass covering is not, and it is said that people, Israelis could offer their offerings there, because it is not situated in the most holy place where high priests only can enter.

Question: What do they have in common? Sacrifices in the olden days are considered to be prayers which we pray to God in the name of Jesus today.

Question: What are their differences? They offer sacrifice on altar but today Jesus has offered himself. Jesus is the difference we don't have to go there repeatedly like before and Do not need any thing to be offered there.

Question: Are they (altars and secret places) the same? No, they are not.