Scared Altars and Holy Offerings - Noah Builds an Altar (Genesis 8:13-22; 9:11-13)

During the summer months, we're exploring worship, sacrifice, and offerings. On Sundays, at 9:00 a.m. we’ll be looking at the following themes:

The Genesis of Altars and Sacrifices

• The Offerings of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-16) - June 1
• Noah Builds an Altar (Genesis 8:13-22; 9:11-13) - June 8
• Abraham Makes an Offering (Genesis 22:1-14) - June 15
• Isaac Calls on the Name of the Lord (Genesis 26:24-33) - June 22

Jesus and the Temple

• The Boy Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) - July 6
• Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-8) - July 13
• Cleansing the Temple (John 2:13-25) - July 20
• Jesus Predicts the Temple’s Destruction (Matthew 24:1-14) - July 27

Christians and Sacrifices

• Christians as God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 3:10-23) - August 3
• Our Bodies Belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:12-20) - August 10
• The Two Made One (Ephesians 2:11-22) - August 17
• Sacrifices of Praise (Hebrews 13:9-21) - August 24
• Living Stones in a Spiritual Temple (1 Peter 2:1-12) - August 31

On Sunday, June 8, we looked at the altar built by Noah after the flood. (Genesis 8:13-22; 9:11-13). The discussion and passage is below. 

Genesis 8:13-22 [New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition]

In the six hundred first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked and saw that the face of the ground was drying. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. Then God said to Noah, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. And every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the ark by families.

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing odor, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of humans, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

As long as the earth endures,

    seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,

summer and winter, day and night

    shall not cease.”

I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.