And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon. Numbers 4:13 Research tells me that biblically, the origin of the altar goes clear back to the book of Genesis when Noah built an altar to offer sacrifices after the flood. I believe it was in Genesis chapter 8 & verse 20 where it talks about how Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean beast and bird and offered them as burnt offerings on the altar. After that, if you check, you’ll find that there are many other references to the altar, beginning with Abraham and continuing through to the New Testament. Now watch this, in Old Testament times, there was a list of instructions that God gave concerning the altar which included certain restrictions and regulations on how the altar was to be constructed. For example, in Exodus 20:24-26, God told Moses that the altar was to be made “of earth or stone that had not been shaped or cut with human hands” and “there were to be no steps up to the altar.” And then, in Deuteronomy 27:5-6 and Joshua 8:31 it makes reference to the fact that if the stones were hewn or cut that they would pollute the altar. So God was very specific about what He expected when it came to the altar. Now we all know that the purpose of the altar was for worshipping God and making animal sacrifices to Him, but here’s the interesting thing to note; the purification process of the altar was accomplished by sprinkling it with the blood of these animals. Also interesting is the fact that most of the altars were often erected in places where the Lord had accomplished some great work or delivered some prophetic message. Before the children of Israel reached the Promise Land the altars were built in the tabernacle in the desert and once Solomon’s temple was built there were altars in the temple. Watch this; the Lord not only gave directives on how it was to be built but He even gave very detailed instructions about where the altar was to be placed. So now, the main function of the altar was for sacrifice and worship therefore special care had to be taken to keep it holy, and part of that special care was to get rid of the ashes that accumulated on a daily basis. Now why was that important? I’m glad you asked. I’ll answer your question by telling you something I remember growing up. One year my family and I went down South to attend a family reunion and while there we stayed at one of my grandparent’s house. I’ll never forget this, sitting in the middle of the living room was a big black stove. At first I thought it was kinda strange but I later found out that it was a pot belly stove. It was what the old folk used to heat the house and it was fueled by coal. Apparently it was very popular back during their time because not only did it keep the entire house warm during winter seasons but it was also used to cook the meals as well. You see, back in those days folk didn’t have gas or electric heaters and stoves like we have today, so they used coal. I was too young to know much about this but I’m told that once a week the coal man would come and dump a load of coal down in the basement, and they would go down there with a bucket and bring up a load to put in the stove. Now having the coal was alright, but coal is dirty and if you aren’t careful you can have coal dirt everywhere! Not only that, but after the coal burns out, it leaves a big pile of black soot... and if it’s not removed from the stove every so often, it will smother the fire and cause it to go out. One of the jobs of the priests in the Old Testament was to never let the flame on the altar go out, because the flame represented the presence of God, but they didn’t have coal back then - they used wood. And since the altar flame burned day in and day out, night in and night out, the priest [on a daily basis] would have to go to the altar and scrape the ashes off — because if they left them there, the ashes were subject to put out the fire and bring down punishment or judgment from God on them and the entire camp... and then the priests would redress the altar with purple cloth. Now I’m looking at all this and I’m wondering, “So God, what are you saying?” This is what the Holy Spirit dropped in my spirit: watch this, He said, “My people are losing their focus, and it’s not just about the correct attitude of worship but My people need to get into the proper position for worship whereby they can begin to scrape off the stuff that’s causing them to miss their deliverance and causing their fire to go out.” He said, “They are wondering why they can’t get a breakthrough... but it’s because they’re trying to come to Me for a blessing, yet they’re holding on to mess in their life!” I hear the Spirit saying, “They want their finances blessed but they won’t stop gambling and playing the lottery and even worse they won’t give Me My tithes or even a proper offering.” He says, “They want their marriages fixed, but they still want to sleep around! They want to be used to minister in the church on Sunday, but they haven’t learned how to get along with the people they see every day! They want the new car, or new house, or new job, but their blessings are being delayed because I’m waiting for them to scrape off their ashes! Listen, God is saying, “I want to feed you with a full course anointing but all I can give you right now is a snack because your divine entrée is being contaminated by ashes!” I looked up the biblical context of ashes and I found out that in Bible days anytime a person was in mourning they covered themselves in sackcloth and ashes as a sign of sorrow or deep distress. When I saw that I said to myself, “Aha, I see what you’re saying Lord” but I heard Him say, “No, you haven’t quite got it yet, look a little deeper” and so I looked at that word again and I found out something that I never knew. In scripture, the orientation or the proclivity behind ashes is also symbolic of the same terms used to describe wickedness, cruelty, weakness, or embarrassment. Our altars, the place where God’s presence is supposed to dwell has become infected with all forms of iniquity, all sorts of evil; instead of kindness, our altars have been defiled with spirits of vindictiveness and malice; we’re losing the strength of our worship experience and it’s being replaced with a weak, pathetic imitation that brings no glory to Whom we’re supposed to be worshipping. Since we’ve left the heart of the worship, we’re no longer comfortable in worship, insomuch that we seek to get out of His presence as soon as possible so as not to be exposed and made to feel ashamed…God, take us back to the heart of worship!!! In verse 13 it says: “And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon.” In other words, before the sacrifice could be made, the ashes from yesterday’s sacrifice had to be cleared away and the royal, kingly color of purple had to be draped over the altar. What this says to me is that, before they could receive God’s favor they had to first get rid of the leftover residue and then they had to dress the altar like it was fit for a king. I want somebody to recognize that if you’re looking for a fresh anointing from God, before you can receive it, you must get rid of yesterday’s ashes and dress the altar of your life in a manner that is pleasing to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! It’s time to get the ashes off the altar!!! Word For Today The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out. – Leviticus 6:13 - A watchful life is imperative if we would maintain godliness within. Prophetic Word Hear the voice of the Lord, “This is the season of change in every area of society, for you shall see transformation in ways you have never imagined. Look, for it has already begun but watch with a prayerful spirit for in this season as excitement gives way to expectation you shall need the guidance of My Spirit to navigate your course.” In every nation, there is a need for the people of God to draw near to Him in sincerity and in intercession. Your voice will be heard as you lift up a sound to be heard in the heavenlies. Even as it has already been heard, so shall the Lord hear from His throne and cause a wave of His anointing to flood every walk of life. Your voice does make a difference.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 04:10:01 +0000
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