Altars

In biblical times, altars were central to worship and sacrifice, serving as a physical representation of devotion and covenant with God. The Hebrew word for altar, "mizbeach," signifies a place of sacrifice. Altars were constructed from earth or uncut stones, as instructed in Exodus 20:24-25: "You are to make an altar of earth for Me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. If you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with cut stones, for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it."

The patriarchs, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, built altars to commemorate divine encounters and to offer sacrifices to God. Genesis 12:7 records, "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'I will give this land to your offspring.' So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him."

In the Tabernacle and later the Temple, altars played a crucial role in the sacrificial system. The altar of burnt offering, located in the courtyard, was used for animal sacrifices, while the altar of incense, situated in the Holy Place, was used for burning incense, symbolizing the prayers of the people rising to God (Exodus 30:1-10).

Altars also served as places of refuge and intercession. In 1 Kings 1:50-51, Adonijah sought sanctuary by grasping the horns of the altar, a practice that underscored the altar's significance as a place of divine mercy and justice.

Idols

Idolatry, the worship of idols or false gods, is consistently condemned throughout Scripture. The first and second commandments explicitly prohibit the making and worshiping of idols: "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath" (Exodus 20:3-4).

Idols, often crafted from wood, stone, or metal, represented deities of surrounding nations and were seen as a direct affront to the sovereignty and holiness of the one true God. The prophets frequently denounced idolatry, highlighting its futility and the spiritual adultery it represented. Isaiah 44:9-10 states, "All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing?"

The Israelites' struggle with idolatry is a recurring theme in the Old Testament. Despite clear prohibitions, they often fell into idol worship, influenced by neighboring cultures. This disobedience led to divine judgment and exile, as seen in 2 Kings 17:16-18: "They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and sorcery. They sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence."

In the New Testament, idolatry extends beyond physical idols to include anything that takes precedence over God in one's life. The Apostle Paul warns against idolatry in various forms, urging believers to flee from it: "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry" (1 Corinthians 10:14). He also equates greed with idolatry, emphasizing the heart's allegiance: "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5).

The biblical narrative consistently calls for exclusive worship of God, rejecting all forms of idolatry and affirming the centrality of altars as places of true worship and sacrifice.