Posted on: 26th July 2023

There were a lot of altars in the Old Testament. I like looking at their names and purposes.

In Judges 6:24, after he had been visited by the angel of the Lord, ‘Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.’

In Exodus 17:15, ‘Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner’, after the victory against the Amalekites where Moses held his staff up throughout the battle.

In Joshua 22:34, the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar and called it, ‘A Witness Between Us—that the Lord is God.’ It was a sign to Israel that even though those tribes had moved across the Jordan, they still served the same God.

Can you think of metaphorical altars that you have in your life? For example, I can remember a specific time when the Lord showed me He was my Liberator. It’s a marker in my life that I can remember and lean on. I can think of another time when He showed Himself to be my Provider. If I’m ever struggling with finances, I can look back to that memorable time and I have peace.

Something that struck me about these altars in the Old Testament was that they were built for future generations. They were built to last. They were like signposts so that the descendants that followed would be able to see what the Lord had done in years gone by.

In the case of Moses’ altar, the Lord told him to make sure Joshua heard about what happened when he was leading the battle (Exodus 17:14). It was important for Joshua to know and remember this victory of God when eventually he led the next generation of Israelites into the promised land.

In the case of the altar in Joshua 22, the altar wasn’t for themselves, but it was specifically made to last for future generations so that all the tribes of Israel would know they served the same God and had their share in Israel, even though they were separated by the Jordan River.

We need to remember the things that God has done for us so that we can tell them to future generations. Our ceiling must become the floor that the next generation stands upon. Our children might not have experienced what the Lord has done in our lives, but we can tell them about it!

Let’s give future generations a solid foundation by making sure we share and proclaim the fulfilled promises and miracles of God that we can testify to!

Mary Swain, Dayspring Church & Seeds Creative Dance.