Day 2 of 14
After Eden: Altars, Sacrifice, Longing for God's Presence
Humanity reaches back toward the lost sanctuary
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Genesis 4:3-7 and Genesis 8:20-22. In these passages, we see humanity's first recorded acts of worship after the exile from Eden. Abel brings an offering. Noah builds an altar. Both are reaching back toward the presence that was lost.
Reflection
The expulsion from Eden created a problem that runs through the entire Bible: how can sinful humanity dwell in the presence of a holy God? The cherubim and flaming sword at the garden's entrance (Genesis 3:24) are not just a barrier — they are a statement. Access to God's presence is no longer automatic. Something must change.
And yet, even in these early chapters, we see people reaching for God. Abel brings the firstborn of his flock — the best he has — and the Lord "has regard" for his offering (Genesis 4:4). After the flood, Noah's first act on dry ground is to build an altar and offer burnt offerings. The Lord smells the "pleasing aroma" and makes a covenant promise (Genesis 8:21).
These altars are primitive, open-air affairs — nothing like the grand temple Solomon would later build. But they serve the same purpose. They are points of contact between heaven and earth, places where sinful humans approach the holy God through sacrifice. Every altar in Genesis is a miniature temple, a small patch of ground made sacred by worship and the offering of blood.
Graeme Goldsworthy writes: "The theme of the temple is really the theme of God's presence with his people. Every altar in Genesis is a pointer back to Eden and forward to the true temple." The altars do not solve the problem — the cherubim still guard Eden — but they keep alive the hope that God and humanity will one day dwell together again.
N. T. Wright makes a similar observation: "The story of the Bible is about the marriage of heaven and earth, and every altar built by the patriarchs is a sign of longing for that reunion." The patriarchs who followed — Abraham at Shechem, Isaac at Beersheba, Jacob at Bethel — would continue this pattern. Each altar whispers: we were made for more than this.
Going Deeper
Notice how sacrifice is always tied to approaching God's presence. This is not incidental. The altar tradition from Abel onward establishes a principle that culminates at the cross: drawing near to God requires the shedding of blood. How does this shape your understanding of what Jesus accomplished?
Key Quotes
“The theme of the temple is really the theme of God's presence with his people. Every altar in Genesis is a pointer back to Eden and forward to the true temple.”
“The story of the Bible is about the marriage of heaven and earth, and every altar built by the patriarchs is a sign of longing for that reunion.”
Prayer Focus
Pray that God would give you a holy longing for his presence — the kind of longing that drove Noah and Abel to worship.
Meditation
Where in your own life do you build 'altars' — places and practices that help you return to God's presence?
Question for Discussion
Why do you think drawing near to God has always involved sacrifice, from Abel's offering onward? Is the connection between worship and cost something our culture has lost, and if so, what has that cost us?