Once Israel entered the land, God permitted no altar for the normal ceremonial worship of Him except the one national altar at the central sanctuary He Himself would choose (Deuteronomy 12). Every Canaanite altar was to be destroyed, and no Israelite could erect an altar wherever he pleased. This rested on two concerns: exclusive loyalty to God and the unity of Israel as a nation bound by religion. All sacrifices except Passover, along with the festival rituals, tithes, and the waving of the sheaf, belonged at the Tabernacle's brazen altar. The Tabernacle was not set up at Shiloh until the land had rest, about seven years after the crossing (Joshua 18:1). That is why Joshua 5:10-11 mentions no altar, priest, offering, or wavesheaf, and why it cannot prove a wavesheaf was waved. The apparent exceptions fit this rule. The altar on Mount Ebal (Joshua 8:30) was built at God's explicit command for a one-time covenant renewal, not for normal worship. The altar-shaped structure the eastern tribes raised (Joshua 22) was only a memorial of their unity with the western tribes. Even so, the western tribes nearly went to war over it, because a competing altar would be rebellious idolatry that destroyed national unity under God.

The altar is symbolically the place of purification. The fire under the altar, which had its source in God, was the only fire acceptable for use in worship and service to Him. The priests were responsible for keeping this fire, which represents passion and enthusiasm for service to God, continuously burning. They used this fire to take coals to the incense altar, located in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and Temple, where incense was burned twice daily. The incense had to be made according to God's specifications, as only that which God recognized as authentic was acceptable. The censers used by the rebels in Numbers 16 were holy, and after the rebellion, they were hammered into plates and fastened to the altar, serving as a reminder of the folly of rebellion against holy things and that only the priests, descendants of Aaron, were permitted to offer incense before God.

The altar serves as the central place of meeting for the offerer, the priest, and God during the peace offering, embodying the essence of sacrificial service and devotion. In the process described in Leviticus 3:1-5, the offerer brings the offering to the altar, lays his hand on it, and slays it, while the priest sprinkles the blood upon and around the altar. The animal is then cut up, with God's portion placed on top of the already burning burnt and meal offerings on the altar. This act of burning on the altar pictures God consuming a meal and being satisfied, reflecting the satisfaction and acceptance that result from devoted service. The altar, therefore, represents the focal point where sacrifice facilitates peaceful communion and fellowship among all parties involved, highlighting the profound connection between devotion and the resulting harmony.