From the book Thy Kingdom Comes
They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. John 8:39
What did Abraham do that was counted as righteousness and how was it so different from the corrupted conditions found by Christ upon His arrival in the kingdom of Judea? Where do we find the potency of Abraham’s character? How do we become a part of God’s blessing for him and his seed? Did God asked Abraham to do something unique and seemingly out of character with Jesus Christ?
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said … and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. Genesis 12:7
Why did God want Abraham to build an altar? Was it to kill animals and burn their lifeless carcass upon a pile of stone and earth? Does God delight in the blood of beasts? What is the purpose of the altar?
To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. Isaiah 1:11
Jesus expounded upon the absurd idea that the blood of beasts was a delight to God when he spoke with the scribe who understood the nature of the kingdom of God on earth.
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love [his] neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. ... Mark 12:33-34
If God does not delight in the bloody sacrifice then why did he want Abraham to build an altar? What function did it fulfill? Have we missed the true purpose of these altars?
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Ecclesiastes 11:1
If the Bible is always taken literal then we should go out every morning and cast bread on ponds and rivers and oceans. The metaphoric meaning is often clear yet sometimes is lost in the confusion of impractical historians and religionists. Casting your bread upon the waters has little to do with bread or water. And burnt offerings unto the LORD is not really about burning up dead carcasses so that God will be happy with the sweet smell of it.
When Abram left his Father’s house he took with him many people who likely believed things very much the way that Abram had begun to see things. Abram was not a poor goat herder but a literate, wealthy and respected man with a substantial following.
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan… Ge. 12:5
As Abram traveled he continued to spread his ideology, his beliefs and teachings. As a man with a mission, he spread his “tent” and built his “altars” amongst the people wherever he went. Where people would listen and abide in God’s way there was His 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. Genesis 12:8
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