The last known altar in Abraham’s journey of faith

Genesis 22:9 - When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.

 

In our previous devotion, we reflected on the altars Abraham built throughout his journey and the enduring lessons they offer us today. We saw that Abraham’s altars teach a simple yet powerful truth: worship, gratitude, and the conscious acknowledgment of God must accompany every step of our walk with Him. Wherever life placed Abraham, whether in familiar territory or uncharted ground, he paused to honour the Lord. In the same way, we are called to build “altars” in our own lives, at home, at work, at school, and even along uncertain paths. Each act of worship becomes a declaration of faith and a reaffirmation of our trust in the God who leads, protects, and provides in every season.

 

As we continue this reflection, we now turn our attention to Abraham’s last known altar, or the final altar Scripture tells us Abraham built. It’s an altar that reveals not only the depth of his faith but the ultimate surrender of a life fully yielded to God.

 

Genesis 22 does not appear suddenly or in isolation. It stands at the climax of a long, unfolding relationship between God and Abraham. Long before this moment on Mount Moriah, God had appeared to Abraham—calling him out of Ur, promising him a land, a people, and a future (Genesis 12). Over decades, Abraham learned to walk with God through faith, failure, waiting, correction, and renewal. He built altars at moments of revelation and reassurance, often when God spoke promises over his life.

 

By the time we reach Genesis 22, Abraham is no longer a novice in faith. He is an old man, seasoned by experience, marked by encounters with God, and holding in his arms the miracle son he waited for over twenty-five years. Isaac was not merely a child; he was the visible proof that God keeps His promises. It is into this context that Scripture says, “After these things God tested Abraham” (Genesis 22:1).

 

A test rooted in relationship

 

God’s command to Abraham was both clear and costly: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love… and offer him there as a burnt offering.”

 

This was not a test of cruelty but of faith—faith refined over years of walking with God. The God who asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac was the same God who had promised that through Isaac his descendants would come. The tension is intentional: would Abraham trust the promise, or the Promise-Giver?

 

From a human perspective, this must have been the most painful and difficult altar Abraham ever built. His earlier altars were constructed in moments of divine encounter, promise, and reassurance. This one was different. Every stone he placed, every piece of wood he arranged, would have carried the weight of a father’s love and a heart torn between obedience and affection. This altar demanded more than physical action; it required Abraham to surrender what was dearest to him—his son, his future, and the very promise God had given.

 

Yet even in this anguish, Abraham’s faith did not waver. He did not understand how God would resolve the tension between command and promise, but he trusted the character of the One who had called him. In building this altar, Abraham demonstrated that true faith is not the absence of pain, but obedience in the midst of it. This altar reveals that the deepest worship often flows from the deepest surrender, and that when God is trusted completely, He remains faithful beyond human understanding.

 

What did Abraham do?

 

The narrative is striking in its simplicity. There is no recorded argument, no delay, no bargaining. “Early the next morning Abraham got up…” (Genesis 22:3)

 

Abraham obeyed. He gathered the wood, took the fire and the knife, and began the journey. For three days, he walked toward the mountain God had shown him—three days carrying a command that cut deep into his heart. Yet even as he walked, faith spoke through him: “We will worship, and then we will come back to you” (v.5).

 

Abraham believed that God would remain faithful, even if obedience led him into mystery.

 

The altar on the mountain

 

When they reached the place God had told him about, “Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it”(Genesis 22:9).

 

This altar was different from all the others. It was not built in response to a promise received, but in obedience to a command that seemed to contradict the promise. Here, Abraham bound Isaac and placed him on the altar—not knowing how God would intervene, but trusting that He would. This moment represents the epitome of Abraham’s faith.

 

Key spiritual truths from Abraham’s last altar

 

1. Total obedience to God - Abraham obeyed fully and promptly. Partial obedience would have spared his emotions but broken his faith. True obedience is not measured by convenience, but by surrender. Faith obeys even when it does not understand.

 

2. Total surrender to God - Isaac was Abraham’s miracle, legacy, and future. By placing Isaac on the altar, Abraham placed his dreams, hopes, and identity before God. Nothing was held back. God is not asking for what He has not first given, but He often asks whether He still has first place.

 

3. Total trust in God - Hebrews 11:19 tells us that Abraham believed God could even raise the dead. His faith was not in outcomes, but in God’s character. He trusted that God would remain faithful to His word, even if the path was unclear. Mature faith trusts God not only for blessings, but with losses.

 

4. Worship at its highest cost - Abraham called this moment “worship” (v.5). True worship is not merely singing or offering, it is yielding. The altar teaches us that worship costs us something precious. Offering ourselves as living sacrifices on the altar of God - Roman 12:1

 

This Altar points us to Christ - This altar ultimately points us to Christ. Mount Moriah later becomes part of the region of Jerusalem, and not far from it stands another hill—Mount Calvary. On Moriah, we see a father willing to offer his beloved son in obedience to God. This moment foreshadows God the Father, who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all. Where Isaac was spared at the last moment, Christ was not. He was willingly offered on the cross, so that through His sacrifice, we might receive forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life.

 

Application for our lives

 

We may never be asked to place a literal sacrifice on an altar, but we are often asked to place our Isaacs there—things we love, rely on, or hold tightly. Abraham’s last known altar challenges us to ask:

 

• Is there anything God is asking me to surrender?
• Do I trust God even when obedience is costly?
• Is my worship rooted in comfort, or in surrender?

 

Closing Prayer

 

Father God,

You are the God who calls, tests, and provides. Teach us to trust You as Abraham did—not only when promises are fulfilled, but when obedience demands surrender. Help us to place everything we love, hope for, and hold dear upon Your altar. Grow our faith until it rests fully in who You are. May our worship be sincere, our obedience complete, and our trust unwavering. We declare You as Jehovah Jireh—the Lord who provides.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.