LIFE SCRIPTS

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. 24 “ ‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. 26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.’
Exodus 20:22‭-‬26 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/exo.20.22-26.NIV.

God warned His people again from idolatry. Why? Probably we might ask. A few moments ago, He had provided for them the ten commandments upon which He still warned them against idolatry. Israelites were a nation enroute to the promised land…a divine heritage God had set aside for them. A land filled with idolatrous people called the Canaanites. Ultimately, the Israelites would be affected by the practices of these people. They would be lured to pay homage to idols as was the case in times to come. They would be reminded by these instructions from God… Not to bow down to any idol. God also gave instructions on the type of altar He wanted His people to build. One which is earthen but if made out of stone, then not dressed stones. He also instructed them not to place terraces on the altar for obvious reasons…not to expose each other’s nudity while ascending because people those days dressed in robs. God discouraged a lot of complications in the structure of the altar because it’s main purpose was worship. As we worship God in His altar, we should not be distracted by other things which are not necessarily essential. Whether the altar was earthen or stone, no other additions were necessary…no need for chiseled stones…no need for terraces (however magnificent it would look)…what mattered was being in God’s presence. What matters isn’t the glamour of the altar but the sincerity of the sacrifice. Those days, they offered livestock for atonement. Today, Christ our great sacrifice offered Himself to die on the cross. Our focus is Him. In fact scripture even reminds us that where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, He’s there in their midst. So whether we meet in homes or even online through video, God is here with us. The most important thing is not the infrastructure facilitating our meeting but the presence of our great eternal sacrifice, Christ Jesus. Our redemption is in Him and nowhere else.