I love a good devotional that makes you slow down with Genesis. Charisma ran a piece on an episode of “Biblical Archaeology” on TBN that follows Abraham’s travels across Israel through four altars, from the promise to the mountain where God asked for the thing he loved most.
The four altars
- Shechem: near the great tree of Moreh, God promised the land to Abraham’s descendants, and Abraham built an altar to the Lord who appeared to him (Genesis 12:6-7).
- Near Bethel: he built another altar and called on the name of the Lord.
- Mamre, at Hebron: another altar, in worship as he walked by faith.
- The mountain in Genesis 22: God asked him to offer Isaac. Abraham obeyed, the Lord stopped him, and a ram caught in a thicket was the sacrifice instead. God provided.
What stood out
- Victor Kalisher, director of the Bible Society in Israel, pointed to the covenant in Genesis 15, where God put Abraham into a deep sleep. His point: Abraham isn’t an active part of that ceremony, God takes full responsibility, so it’s an unconditional covenant.
- Composer David Loden told how he moved to Israel with his wife, guitars, suitcases, little money and one-way tickets, and later helped develop Hebrew worship music. He also described a night of doubt on a beach, then a word he received the next day: “It is not your faith that’s important. It’s my faithfulness.”
My take
Notice Abraham never stayed put. Every time God spoke, he built an altar right where he was. An altar is a place where heaven touches earth, and it starts with a yes. The Holy Spirit wants to meet you in the middle of your own journey too, in the kitchen, in the car, wherever you are.
And that line from Loden is gold. On the days my faith feels small, His faithfulness hasn’t moved an inch. Genesis 22 even points to the cross: God provided the ram, and later He provided the Lamb. So build an altar today. Give Him your worship, your plans and the thing you’re gripping tightest.
Have a blessed day! And Happy Hacking!
