An altar is a structure on which offerings are made (such as sacrifices) as an act of worship and devotion to a deity. It was a focal point of worship in ancient religious practices. It was at the altar that the worshiper was given access to the one worshipped.
When God called Gideon to lead in the liberation of the Israelites from Midianite oppression, one of his first instructions was for Gideon to “build a proper altar to Yahweh your God” (Judges 6.26 NJB).
On the surface level, the instruction could simply mean “well-constructed” (HCSB) or “with stones laid in due order” (ESV). Or it could mean building the altar only with natural, uncut stones as specified by God in Exodus 20.25.
On a deeper level, the instruction was all about offering to God what was due him alone, and in a manner according to his will. The Israelites were in their current oppressed situation because of their disobedience to God and their disregard of his authority over them. “I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me” (Judges 6.10 NLT). The Israelites had turned to the worship of Baal and Asherah, setting up an altar to these gods on a prominent hill.
And so the instruction to build a proper altar to Yahweh starts with the tearing down of the altar to Baal and Asherah (Judges 6.25). The Lord of Israel was to be acknowledged as the one true God, who does not share his glory or authority with other gods (who really are not gods at all). The building of a proper altar, therefore, means removing all traces of devotion to any other god so that exclusive worship may be offered to God.
Contemporary Christian worshipers no longer use altars as ancient Israel did. Yet the matter of exclusive worship that is due the God of the Bible remains unchanged. Devotion to the one true God cannot simply be added to other objects of devotion. But the proper altar—the place where true worship happens and access to God is given—is Jesus Christ alone. Jesus has become the ultimate sacrifice for sin offered once for all (Hebrews 7.27). And through him alone is provided unrestricted access to the heavenly Father. Now, with repentance and faith, humanity can approach the holy God without fear (Hebrews 10.19-22). Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14.6 NLT).
—Keith Y. Jainga