Genesis talks about how God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and how God established their faith. If you’re familiar with the incidents in Genesis, there is a unique patriarch that represents their faith.

For Abraham, the object that symbolises his growth is the altars. For Isaac, it’s the wells. For Jacob, it’s the pillars. For Joseph, it’s his clothes. For our mutual encouragement today, we shall focus on the journey of faith of Abraham and discuss his life of building the altars.

Each altar Abraham built represents a different stage of his faith. Let us learn from these altars and grow in our faith. Let’s turn to the first altar in Genesis 12:4-7;

4 ‘So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord , who had appeared to him. ‘

Here tells us that Abraham obeyed the instructions of God. He was called out of Haran and he departed out of Haran. When he departed, he didn’t know where to go and this is confirmed in Hebrews 11:8;

‘By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ‘

Now we turn back to Genesis 5:12;

‘Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. ‘

Abraham, together with his household, livestock, and possessions walked about 800km and arrived at the land of Canaan. However, Abraham didn’t know that this was the promised land of God. Therefore in v7 when the Lord appeared to Abraham and told him that to his descendants He would give this land, Abraham’s reaction was that he built an altar to the Lord.

This journey Abraham took from Haran to Moreh was a very difficult journey. The journey was far (at least 800km) and perhaps due to the lack of transport and infrastructure, the distance may be up to two times more. It would have taken him weeks or months to travel this road. They didn’t have cars and airplanes then, so Abraham and his household most likely walked. Because the human settlement then was scattered, they had to walk through vast lands of wilderness. Together with his possessions, Abraham was vulnerable to thieves and robbers.

What was even harder for Abraham was this: he didn’t know his destination. How long will the journey take? When would he reach the promised land? He didn’t know. Therefore when God appeared to Abraham at Moreh, it was a great piece of news to Abraham for he has finally arrived at the promised land. Therefore the altar Abraham built at Moreh can be said to be an altar of thanksgiving - Thanksgiving for the journey and the guidance of God throughout the journey, thanksgiving that he has reached the promised land.

Today just as the experience of Abraham, God has called us out of Egypt and we have started our journey toward this promised land. Our life on this earth is a journey. Last weekend, Elder Lai shared with us that life is a road toward the kingdom of the journey. In this journey of ours, there are ups and downs, there are detours and obstructions, and there are crossroads where we have to make decisions. There are roundabouts where we have to walk in circles, and there are u-turns so that we can come back to the right path. This journey that we have embarked has not been plain sailing and it will not be plain sailing. The Bible tells us that this is a narrow work and we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of heaven.

From Jacob’s life summary, we learn that there are times we meet with hardships - it may be obstructions from family from our faith, persecutions, troubles in our family or troubles in our lives. It may be the sudden loss of a loved one and many of these difficult moments are moments we cannot comprehend. These are challenges to our lives and these hardships are just a roadblock and obstruction to our lives. They can also seem to be like steep slopes on the road.

In this journey, there are bound to be many such things but when we look back on the journey we’ve tread on so far, there’s one thing we realise - no matter how hard the journey has been, God was there with us. God has protected us throughout this journey and the grace of God has been with us. Just as in Psalm 23:4;

‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.’

Here tells us though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we shall fear no evil for our shepherd is with us and His staff and rod comforts us. Therefore as we face the challenges of life and faith, let us be assured that our God is always with us and His protecting hand is with us. He has been guiding us on this journey and we just have to trust in Him, take His hand and take a step forward. He will surely be with us.

Therefore as we journey along, let us remember to build this altar of Moreh, the altar of thanksgiving, to thank God for His protection. Let us continue to entrust this journey unto God.

Let’s turn to Genesis 12:8;

‘And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord . ‘

Here records the second altar Abraham built which was between Bethel and Ai. Bethel means the house of God and Ai means ruins. The altar between Bethel and Ai represents the struggles in our life of faith. The altar represents prayers to God when we face troubles. Our journey of faith and our life is a road. We will not always have strong faith. There are times we will also have weaknesses in faith and such moments of weaknesses if we draw away from God and the house of God, we are drawing away from the love and protection of God. We are exposing ourselves to a roaring lion. This roaring lion is walking to and fro to devour those he can devour. We are the one who is likened to be drawn nearer to Ai, meaning that our lives are in ruins.

The book of Ruth records of this family - the family of Abimelech. Because of this family in Bethlehem, they decided to depart and migrate to a foreign land, the land of Moab. In short terms, it seems like a good decision. They gained food and two family members because the two sons married a wife each. But because they departed from the grace of God, in the short span of 10 years, they lost all the males in the family. Abimelech passed away and so did his 2 sons. The whole household struggled for livelihood and they had no hope for the future. When they left and departed from Bethlehem, they were departing in the hopes of a better life. They sought an escape from the family yet they lost the protection of God. Their so-called better life turned into a tragedy and is a true ruin.

The altar the Abraham built between Bethel and Ai tells us that our life is a constant struggle. In our life of faith, there are highs and lows, and there are times we feel God is very near us and we can talk and rely on Him. He can guide us to a victorious life in Christ. Yet, there are times we feel are far from Him and we can’t feel Him in our lives. We feel that we are met with troubles after troubles and we don’t feel His guidance. Therefore, we make our own decisions based on our regressions. At such times, we must learn from Abraham to build an altar between Bethel and Ai, to kneel and call on the name of the Lord to return and draw near to God.

In James 4:8;

‘Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ‘

In Genesis 13:3-4;

‘And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord .’

Here tells us that Abraham once again returned to the altar between Bethel and Ai and called out to the name of the Lord. What happened after Genesis 12:8 after he built the altar? Where did he go? What did he do? Why did he return to the same altar to call out the name of the Lord again?

If we read the verses between Genesis 12:8 to Genesis 13:4, we see that Abraham and his family continued to journey South. Because of the famine in the land, they went into Egypt and dwelt in Egypt. In Egypt, Abraham almost lost his wife Sarah to the pharaoh if not for the intervention of God. As Sarah was a very beautiful lady, Abraham was afraid that the Egyptians may want her and kill him and so Abraham and Sarah agreed that they would be called brother and sister instead of husband and wife. Because of this decision, the princes of Egypt took Sarah for Pharaoh and if not for the intervention of God, Abraham would have lost Sarah. God intervened by giving a plague to the pharaoh.

After this whole saga, Abraham and his family returned to the place of the second altar between Ai and Bethel to once again call out the name of the Lord. This altar also represents a return to God.

Dear brothers and sisters, in our journey of life, there are times we will go astray and draw away from God but if we’re willing to build the altar once again to call out to God and rely on God fully, God will be willing to accept us. He wants to accept us with open arms, just as how the father accepted the prodigal son. This is also the experience of Abraham. He almost lost his wife to the pharaoh and his life was almost in total ruins. But because of the intervention of God, because of the protection and guidance of God, Abraham and his household remained intact and unharmed. Therefore Abraham and his family returned to the altar between Ai and Bethel to once again call out to God.

If we feel that we are drawing away from God, be it because of the troubles in our lives or problems at home or the office, or because of the perfections and objects faced, or the pursuit did this world causing us astray, let us remember the altar between Bethel and Ai. Let us return and call back to our God, to once again call out to our God.

We turn to Genesis 13:14-18;

14 ‘And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are— northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.
16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.
17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord .’

Here records of the third altar Abraham built -The altar of Hebron. From Genesis 13:5-13;

5 ‘Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord , like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord .’

Here records the separation of Abraham and Lot because of the constant conflict of the herdsmen between Abraham and Lot. The land could no longer support the possessions and we know Abraham allowed his nephew to make the first choice and Lot chose for himself the better land. At that point of time, Abraham was very sad and disappointed but in v14-17 we read; The Lord spoke to Abraham about the promise and covenant God made with Abraham. God once again affirmed this covenant with Abraham that God will give this land to the descendants of Abraham and his descendants of the dust of the earth so they cannot be numbered. At this point, God asked Abraham to walk through this promised land. V18;

Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord .’

After the words of God to Abraham, Abraham moved His tents and finally came to dwell in Hebron. Here, he built an altar and so this altar signifies the promise of God. It’s also an altar of assurance and comfort to Abraham. Abraham believed in God and held on to the covenant of God from the very beginning. In chapter 12 was one when God asked Abraham to go out of his country to go to a land God would show him. Abraham believed and followed the commandments of God faithfully.

Just now the verse read in Hebrews 11:8 tells us that by faith, Abraham obeyed. He started his journey based on his belief in the covenant of God and this covenant and promises seemed to be so far away back then. It seemed so far from fulfilment. Throughout the journey from Haran to Canaan, to Egypt and now back to Canaan, Abraham continued to hold fast to this promise of God and he experienced the faithfulness, guidance, and protection of God through the many adversities. After Lot left, God once again confirmed the covenant and that Abraham was stepping on the promised land. This tells us that our God is faithful and His promises will never change. if we hold fast to Him we can be assured and comforted.

In Deuteronomy 7:9;

‘“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; ‘

Here Moses talked about God, that He is a faithful God. He is a God who keeps the covenant and even for a thousand generations. But there is also a condition, a condition that is only granted to those who love Him and keep His commandments. Abraham was one who held fast to the promise of God. He was not faithless in this covenant. Therefore our God was faithful to him as well. God didn’t desert him and at this point, God even showed him the promised land. Although Abraham didn’t inherit it, he was stepping and living on the very ground.

How about us today? Do we similarly love God? Do we similarly hold fast to the words of God? Do we similarly believe that our God is faithful, that His words will come to pass? That one day He will come again to bring us to his heavenly kingdom? Do we still fast to this belief? The last altar is the altar of Mount Mariah. We read Genesis 22:1-2,

1 ‘Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”’

9;

‘Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. ‘

This altar that Abraham built in Moriah is an altar of faith. An altar of total submission to God. God told Abraham to offer up his son, his only son of his old age and this is the son whom he loves very much. This is the son God has promised the inheritance to, but now God asks Abraham to offer up his Son as a burnt offering to God. Yet, Abraham chose to obey the commandments of God and took his son wanting to offer him up.

V9 tells us that Abraham built the altar, put the wood in order and bounded Isaac on the altar. Why was Abraham so willing to offer up Isaac? The answer lies in the absolute faith he has in God. We read Genesis 22:5;

‘And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”’

Here tells us that Abraham believed Isaac will definitely come back to life and this is confirmed in Hebrews 11:17-19;

17 ‘By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”
18 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead,
19 from which he also received him in a figurative sense.’

Abraham had this absolute faith that the promises and blessings of God will be fulfilled through Isaac and therefore he believed that even if Isaac was offered as a burnt offering, God will be able to raise Isaac from the dead. Therefore when Abraham was asked to offer up Isaac, Abraham willingly went on this journey. He came to Mount Moriah, built an altar, and laid Isaac. If God had not stopped Abraham, he would have surely struck Isaac with the knife and offer him up as a sacrifice.

We read James 2:20-22;

20 ‘But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ‘

Abraham’s faith was made perfect when he offered up Isaac. This was where his faith and his works were working together. Dear brothers and sisters, have we similarly built this altar on Mount Moriah? An altar of faith and submission to God? Have our faith and works work together where God is the centre of our life when we put aside all our personal views and desires and pursue only after God and have God guide our lives?

Recently the EXCO and ministers of the 4 churches held a retreat and one of the topics is this: The values of our present-day society affecting our church. One of the worrying trends identified is that more and more of us are being self-centric instead of God-centric. We realised that many of our members are subscribing to a new age philosophy, which is “all about I”. Some of the manifestations of this philosophy are this the success philosophy, “I have the potential to be as successful as I want to be,” and they will always motivate each other to work harder to lift to the fullness of their potential. They would have a motto they would always shout together and they always celebrated successes together.

There’s another philosophy called YOLO, meaning You Only Live Once, “Therefore, we must live life to the fullest. I don’t care about others, I want to live my life to the extreme”. This promotes people to take risks to try new things and do extreme things to impress others. These people want more likes on their social platforms. There’s also this philosophy of relativism where there’s no right or wrong, but a difference in perspective. The things frowned upon in our traditional societies such as LGBT are receiving more and more support and if you’re against LGBT, some think you’re old school and against human rights. This is the philosophy of relativism.

These philosophies are widely broadcasted today and can be seen in media and unknowingly, we are also affected by these philosophies. Therefore when it comes to the matter of God, we realise that although many of us are coming to church to worship God, we want to lead our own life. We want our pursuit in this world. Be it luxury, personal interests, or to try new things. We spend a lot of time to pursue these things but surely and slowly, God is no longer the centre of our lives and we have taken the place of God in our hearts. We want to do things we like, “the words of God that I like, I will do them. The words of God that I do not like, I conveniently forget about them.”

If we are the one who keeps the will of God according to our will and fancies, let us beware for God wants us to build an altar in Moriah. God wants us to have faith in Him to yield our lives in Him to have God as the king in our hearts.

We have studied the altars of Abraham and these are altars we have to build in our faith. The altar in Moriah is an altar of thanksgiving - thanksgiving for protection from God. The altar between Ai and Bethel tells us that we have to rely on and return to God in times of trouble. We have to rely on God to overcome our difficulties. The altar in Moreh signifies the altar of God if we keep our faith and is the altar of faith and full submissive of God.

Let us reflect on these altars and if we have built these altars in our lives. May the Lord guide us.