PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 309: Altar Building, Part 2
LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell
EPISODE 309
: Altar Building, Part 2
It is important to have our personal time with God, but God wants THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD to meet with Him. How does this work out in our homes?
Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.
Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies. Here we are together and continuing our series on “Altar Building.” As we begin, I’d love to read you a lovely quote. In fact, I have so many quotes from some of the old preachers of the faith, where family devotions were just the norm at that time. This is a quote from Arthur Pink.
He says here:
“It is not enough that we pray as private individuals in our closets. We are required to honor God in our families as well. At least twice each day, in the morning, and in the evening, the whole household should be gathered together to bow before the Lord, to confess their sins, to give thanks for God’s mercies, to seek His help and blessings. Nothing must be allowed to interfere with this duty. All other domestic arrangements are to bend to it.
“The head of the house is the one to lead devotions, but if he be absent, or seriously ill, or an unbeliever, then the wife would take his place. Under no circumstance should family worship be omitted. If we would enjoy the blessing of God upon our family, let its members gather together daily, for praise and prayer.”
We are up to point number three today.
No. 3. WE BUILD A FAMLY ALTAR FOR THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD
This is a very powerful point. In fact, I noticed in this quote that I just read, he says here, “at least twice each day, in the morning, and in the evening, THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD should be gathered together to bow before the Lord.”
Well, that’s a man writing, but let’s see what God has to say, and what the Word of God has to say. We’re going to go back to Genesis 35:1, to this passage when God told Jacob to go up to Bethel and build an altar.
Here we are: “And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar.” Go down to verse two: “Then Jacob said unto his household,” there it is, ladies. “Unto his HOUSEHOLD.” The word is right there.
It doesn’t stop there. “And to ALL THAT WERE WITH HIM.” Now, I want you to hear these words again, because they are very powerful. “And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar.” Go down to verse two: “Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him.” Then he tells them things they had to do. We’ll talk about them later. But this is our point at the moment.
Now, Jacob’s household must have been pretty big, because it was only a few years later, after this, that the famine came. Then eventually he went down to Egypt to save his whole family from the famine. The Bible tells us in Exodus chapter one that Jacob went down from Canaan to Egypt with 70 souls.
Now there’s not only Jacob, but there are his children, and his children’s children. There’s at least three generations, maybe more. Then, of course, there are his servants, and helpers, and shepherds for all their sheep, and maybe even his soldiers.
Remember his grandfather Abraham had his own army in his own household. Remember when Lot was taken by these kings and Abraham went out to rescue him? He went out with 318 trained warriors in his own household (Genesis 14:14). I am sure that Isaac and Jacob carried on that same pattern of having soldiers so that they could protect their whole families. There obviously were a lot of people but God didn’t allow any to be missing. The message is to the household, and to all that were with him.
We see an example of this in Abraham. Genesis 18:19: “For I know him, that he will command,” (that word “command” again. Do you notice it? “That he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.”
We already know that Abraham’s household was as very big household. We see here that this is the pattern that God gave and it is the pattern for us, lovely ladies. God wants everyone in the household to be there for our family devotions, or our family altar, or whatever you call it. Family Bible time. Everyone must be there. It is for the whole household.
Of course, it is important for us, as individuals, father, mother, and children who are getting to the age of reading, to establish our own personal time with the Lord. I remember growing up, that we were encouraged and instructed from the pulpit that we must have our Quiet Time. I don’t know why they called it a Quiet Time but that meant a time when you personally got away with the Lord, to pray and to read His Word.
You did it the moment you got up in the morning. You started the day. Before you did anything else, you had your Quiet Time. Well, you don’t have to call it your Quiet Time. You can call it your “Bible Time. You can call it your God and Me Time or whatever you want to call it. But it’s important for us to do that.
Personal times with the Lord are very important. I think I was sharing this with you a few weeks ago and shared how I do have an article called, “How to Read the Word of God in Your Quiet Time.” If anyone wants to get that, just email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I’ll be happy to send it to you.
It's very important to encourage our young people to have this time, and establish this time with the Lord. I was blessed that I did that as a young person. As a late teenager I began to do this. It became the habit of my life.
Of course, when I got married and children came along, it wasn’t so easy to do that. Maybe there are some of you lovely darling young moms, and you’ve got little ones all around you. You’ve got a little baby, and you think, “Oh, how on earth do I ever have time to get away with the Lord on my own?”
Oh, I know, it is so difficult to do that. I faced that as my children came along. First baby, and then second and third babies came at once. I had twins unexpectedly. Didn’t even know I was having them until they were being born! So I had three children in 17 months. Then I had four children under four. So, those were incredibly busy days.
I had been used, before I was married, to getting away and spending three hours with the Lord every morning, before I even went to work. That was my pattern. Now I couldn’t even find five minutes! I hardly had time to go to the bathroom! I said, “What on earth am I going to do? Help!”
I would put my Bible up on my windowsill where I was doing dishes and preparing meals. I would put it to Psalms or Proverbs. Every now and then I could look up and read one little Scripture. I would keep a Bible in the toilet and one where I was nursing the babies. Just to get a little bit here and there.
But God does understand our seasons, lovely mothers, and if you are going through that season at this moment, He understands. I love that Scripture in Isaiah. It says that He feeds His flock like a shepherd, and gathers them in His arms, and He gently holds them. He gently leads those that are with young.
I just hadn’t turned to it to read it to you properly. I’d like to get it exact. Here it is. Isaiah 40:11: “And He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” When you’re pregnant, when you have little babies, your Good Shepherd doesn’t expect you to be at the front of the flock. He doesn’t expect you to be up at five o’clock, having your three hours with the Lord in the morning. No, you’re still in bed, nursing your baby. Then your little ones are going to be waiting and all needing you.
God understands this time. He gently leads you. Gather what you can get. You know, just a verse here and there can give you sustenance. Listen to this podcast when you are doing something else and you can be getting fed and hearing the Word of God. But then there come seasons. Your children grow, and you’ll have time again to do that. But we don’t rely only on our personal time with the Lord. God is very concerned about the family, and the family gathering together, the whole household.
Let’s go over to Joshua 8. This is when Joshua came into the Promised Land with the Israelites. In fact, back in Deuteronomy 29:10-13, you can read there when God told them: “When you go into the Promised Land, I want you to make an altar and worship before Me there.” Now we’re reading from Joshua where they are fulfilling what God told them to do.
Here we go. Joshua 8:30: “Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal.” He built it right there. That was Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. It was an amazing place, right there in the valley between those two mountains. It’s one of the most amazing places in the world to be able to hear. A man can speak and it echoes all around. So, God knew the right place where He told them to read all the Words of the Lord.
Joshua 8:31-35: “As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses,” that was Deuteronomy, “an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings. And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
“And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.
“And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before . . . ” Listen to this: “ALL THE CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.”
Did you notice that? God wanted everyone there. This was not only a family, but a gathering of all the families. God did not leave one person out. Now, let’s see: “All the women, and all the little ones.” Oh, but the little ones! Oh, goodness me! How do we cope with them? In fact, even at our own family altar, how do we cope with the little ones? Oh, my, they don’t know how to sit still. Then they cry, or they want something. How do we do it?
Well, lovely ladies, little by little, we train them. But we never leave anyone out. When we gather, we gather as a family, father, mother, the oldest down to the youngest. Now, maybe the baby is sleeping in another room. But also maybe the mother is holding the baby and nursing the baby as father is reading the Word of God.
That is such a wonderful thing, because as the mother is sitting near the husband, she’s nursing her baby, that Word, that Word is going into him. Baby doesn’t know what’s being said, but the anointing of that Word is going in. The sooner the Word goes into your little ones, the greater it is. In fact, that Word can be going into them even when you’re pregnant. Especially in those last three months of pregnancy, the baby can hear. When the baby is near the husband, and he's reading the Word, the baby, even in the womb, can hear the Word of the Lord.
I remember when my beautiful granddaughter Meadow was born. She was born at home. She began to cry. Charlie, her father came right up to her and held her and began to talk to her. She immediately stopped and became aware of him. She knew his voice, because he had spoken to her over and over in the womb. She knew his voice as she came forth from the womb.
So, our little ones can hear the Word of the Lord. They may not understand it, but they’re getting the anointing of it. I love that Scripture over in 2 Timothy 3:15. Can I just turn to it here, and read it to you again, because I think it is so wonderful. “And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
“That from a child,” that word in the Greek is brephos. That word is used of a babe in the womb. It was used of Jesus when He was in the womb of Mary. That word is used of a little baby that’s born. In fact, it was used when Jesus was born and lying in a manger. They said “You will find the Child,” and it was brephos, this newborn. It’s used of little ones.
Here the Word of God is saying: “That from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures,” even before the age of understanding. Even in the womb, even as a nursing babe, these Scriptures are going in. When the Scriptures are going into a little child, even from birth, those Scriptures prepare them for salvation.
Even as they get to three and four years of age, they can have an understanding of salvation. They can be ready for salvation because the Word says: “the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.” So, children in a godly home, hearing the Word of God, from a very young age, can come to know the Lord at three and four years of age.
Watch over your children. Be aware of what is going on in their hearts, especially when it’s your devotion time. Sometimes you can see God working in their lives, and you know this is a moment when they can open their hearts and literally receive Jesus into their lives because they are prepared. The Word of God has prepared them and they’re open and ready to receive.
They are not too young. No. All of our children came to know the Lord at four years of age, except our eldest. He was older. But it was only at that young age, and every single one of them, that moment is still real with them today. They have continued to follow the Lord. It’s been part of their lives.
Of course, someone from a non-saved home, even an atheist home, maybe they can come to Christ later in life, or even as a teenager, when they hear the gospel. But sadly, they don’t have that opportunity when they’re young, because they’re not hearing it. But you can expect that in your home, as you are daily reading the Word, because God wants everyone in the household there. The babies, the toddlers, yes, those toddlers! Yes, even those little ones.
Of course, the little toddler, a little one, can sit on your husband’s knee even as he’s reading the Word. If you have older children, they can hold another toddler or young one on their knee. When they’re little, you don’t have to make them sit up there in a chair, all on their own, with their back straight. No! Let father, or an older sibling, hold them and cuddle them, so they’re feeling comfortable and loved as they are listening to the Word of God.
It should be a beautiful thing. It should be something of such comfort and love as they are listening to the Word of God. Of course, they will be so much happier as they are being cuddled and being hugged, warm and close, as they are hearing the Word of God.
But God wants the toddlers there. The word in the Hebrew is taph - T.A.P.H. It’s very interesting. This word refers to “the tripping gait of little children, their quick steps. It’s the toddlers.” It’s used 42 times in the Old Testament. Mostly it’s in the context of God bringing His people together to hear His Word being read and He will include the little ones. Isn’t that amazing? Of course, they’ve got to be there too.
NO EXCUSES
And, of course, all your older ones. No, they don’t have any excuses. It’s THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD. Of course, that’s normal, if you have started family devotions when your children are little. They grow up knowing this is part of life. This is habitual. If you are starting it when your children are older, it is a little more difficult to perhaps get them used to this. This is a new thing and you will have to ask the Lord for wisdom to know how to encourage them so they will be part of it.
Of course, one of the main things is for them to see the Scriptures that God wants them to part of it, that everyone in the whole family is there. Sometimes, as children get older, they can make excuses, but we don’t allow excuses unless they are legitimate excuses. Someone is in bed sick, or as I found with our own children when they were getting older and they were still living at home and yet already out working. I would always make sure that they knew that they had to be home for the evening meal, and then devotions, unless they let me know that something had come up that was important, and they couldn’t be there. But otherwise, that was part of their lives if they lived in our home. Anyone living in your home does what you do in your home.
What about people who are visiting? Or visiting, or maybe even staying in your home. Maybe they have different values to you. They don’t even do family devotions in their home. What do you do about them? Well, you include them too. I often wondered about this, because we have always opened our home in hospitality. We always had people visiting us for meals but also staying with us. Often you face different situations.
At first, I wondered, “What should I do in this situation? These people are not really people who want to be part of family devotions, but what do I do?” Then the Lord showed me His Word. Oh, lovely ladies, God shows us everything in His Word. I want to give you some Scriptures, because this helps us to answer the problem. I think I’ve given you these Scriptures before, actually, but oh my! I think we need to hear them again. I need to hear them again, because they show you God’s heart.
Exodus 12:48-50: “One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.”
Leviticus 24:22: “Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.”
Numbers 9:14: “. . . Ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.”
Numbers 15:14-16: “And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations,” listen to this: “As ye do, so he shall do. One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance forever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.”
And I have so many more Scriptures. If you want them all, you’re welcome to email me, and I will send them to you. But I think you can see, I have read enough there, that God shows us. It doesn’t matter whoever is in our household, they must be part of what we are doing. It’s the whole household, not just the immediate family, but the extended family, and whoever is living in your home.
Of course, we will adjust and use wisdom. In our home, when we are having family devotions, after my husband has read the Word, we all pray. Everyone in the family and who is living in our home. But if we had some people who were not Christians who we invited to a meal, we wouldn’t do that.
But we would still have our family devotions. My husband would read the Word, and then he would pray for everyone. We wouldn’t put visitors who are not used to such a thing. We wouldn’t put them on the spot and expect them to suddenly pray. Maybe they’ve never prayed in their life. We can still do it, but we will do it in a way that can encompass those who are living in our home at the time.
Are you getting this message, wonderful ladies? This is such an important thing, that we include the whole household. I remember one time I had a young man staying with us. He was a Christian, but I have to say, he wasn’t really walking with the Lord. He was a Christian in name only. He’d been with us for a week or so, being part of family devotions. He had been part of it, because he knew he had to be. But it was his last day, and he came to me. He said, “Oh, Mrs. Campbell, I won’t have time to have family devotions with you this evening because I’ve got to pack. I’m leaving in the morning.”
But I had noticed that he’d been sitting around all day, so I said to him, “Well, I see you’ve had plenty of time all day. You’ll have plenty of time this evening after devotions, so, yes, you will have to be with us.” I didn’t let his little excuse, I didn’t let him get away with it because it was only an excuse, and he had plenty of time to pack that evening. We have to watch out for excuses, even with our own children, don’t we?
Scott Pauley says:
“True revival does not start at the church house. It starts at our house.”
In fact, I think back to one of the great Puritans. I was reading about him recently. His name was Richard Baxter, who lived back in 1615 to 1691. He lived for 76 years. Now, we are 400 years later, after this man lived. But people are still reading his books and his writings.
He was a great man of God, but I must tell you the story of one of the first churches that he went to be a pastor at. It was a very wealthy community, but as one author says, the people were very ignorant, rude, and a reveling people. He came to this church, and really, there was nobody left. Nobody came to church. He thought, “Well, what am I going to do?”
This man, Richard Baxter, really believed in the family altar, so he decided he would visit personally every home in this town. The town was called Kidderminster. He therefore went to every home, every family, and spoke to them about the family altar, and taught them how to have the family altar, how to read the Word of God, and where to read, and how to pray together. He spent time individually with every family. And then how to worship. He established this in every home.
When he started, there was hardly a person coming to his church. About three or so years later, his church was full. They say that when he arrived at that town, there was hardly a person doing family devotions, but when he left, there wasn’t hardly a family in the whole town who was not having the family altar. In fact, the whole town actually came to the Lord!
It’s quite amazing. I was reading here. When he arrived, hardly anyone had an altar. After three years, there was barely a house on every street that was not having a family altar, morning and evening. He saw the whole, nearly the entire town of 2,000 people converted just by the family altar. Isn’t that amazing?
And then there was another great Puritan preacher too. His name was Thomas Boston. He also went to pastor a church. It was very much like Richard Baxter’s. The whole church was empty. But it was a different kind of people. These people were poor people, and they were in a slum. But he did the same thing. He went to every home of these poor people, and established a family altar in every home.
It wasn’t long before the church began to see revival and the church was packed. The church was full, because it started in the home. “The way to save the church, and the community, is to establish religion in the homes of the community, and build the family altar” one great commentator wrote.
And so, it wasn’t just preaching in the church. It was the family altar that changed the lives of these whole towns, in both these places where these ministers went.
I was reading recently something that really challenged me. It was about Lot. We know how Lot went down to Sodom and Gomorrah and lived there. Yet, he was a righteous man. The Bible says that Lot was a righteous man. Every day his soul was vexed by the evil that was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Peter 2:8).
But listen to what this commentary says, by John Morris: “Compare Abraham and his family to Lot and his family. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that Lot built an altar, and recognized God as worthy of worship. No doubt, as a direct result, Lot’s wife and sons and daughters totally rejected these ideas, preferring the sinful practices and mentality of Sodom.
“Lot was a true believer, but his lifestyle and lack of altar-building rubbed off on his family, to the detriment of himself and the people of God ever since.
“Here is the question: do we want to be Christians who ignore proper worship and total submission to God, and have families who do likewise? We don’t build physical altars today, but we do need daily times of prayer.”
I thought that was a powerful quote because it is so interesting. All the patriarchs builded altars, plus many, many other men of God in the Word. But never did it say that Lot builded an altar. And Lot was the one who lost his family.
Altar building is a way to keep our families walking with the Lord. Altar building, morning and evening, is the way to keep the fire burning in our hearts. Just as God says, if you’re going to keep the fire burning, you’ve got to tend to it morning and evening. Otherwise, it will go out. It’s so easy for it to go out.
So, be encouraged again, ladies. Be encouraged to keep your family altar as a household altar. This is the Scriptural understanding. May the Lord richly bless you.
“We thank You, dear Father, for showing us Your ways, and showing us that You have made this a household command. It’s not just individual. It’s household. You are interested in households, in families.
“Father, I pray that You will help each mother and father of each family listening to strengthen their families, to strengthen their family altar, to repair their family altar if they need to. Lord, I pray that You’ll give them great wisdom as they seek to gather their children and whoever else is living in their home, to gather them into Your Presence, to meet with You.
“I ask again that You will begin to, Lord, teach them more and more of Your ways. Give them such a heart to seek after You, and to know Your ways. Lord, we’re living in a deceitful age. Help us, Lord, to stand on Your Word, and not to be lured by the ways of this world. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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Transcribed by Darlene Norris
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