"Whatever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). A prophet's life is not a happy situation. Required fields are marked *. These soldiers would surrender themselves to the other side to be given a bit of favor and put into prison. For instance, Amos 2:7 describes a deliberate act of ritual prostitution in a pagan temple: "A man and his father go in to the same girl, to defile My holy name." A DSS fragment has it spelled Iaw in Greek (iota-alpha-omega), which is consistent with Yahoah; see ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/lxxjewpap/4QLevB.jpg. Baal was a god of prosperity, god of harvest, sex and fertility. Prepare to Meet Your God! This full-body immersion was required for converts (giyur) to the sect called The Way (HaDerech) in Acts whether a Pharisaic/Saddusaic Jew or a Gentile proselyte (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_to_Judaism). An example of Israel going after Baal leads to their loss of direction and, ultimately, scattering at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in the temples. In others, they rejected Yahweh worship altogether and fully turned themselves over to the idols of Canaan (2 Kgs 17:14-17). The tablets, although closely attached to the worship of Baal at his local temple, probably represent Canaanite belief generally. . They were Phoenicians. Or about Yahweh? However, God shows there is a possible harmful, secondary effect: As people become financially secure, their attention is diverted from His purpose to vain and unimportant things. Because of their self-absorption, God's "sudden" punishment will stun the people of the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, and the other nations of modern Israel, including some members of the true church. This chapter reports on the behavior of the people placed in Israel after Israel's conquest and deportation by Assyria between 722-720 BC. . Baal transformed into Zeus, who transformed into Jupiter, etc. Ashtoreth in the Bible - Definition, Meaning and References For one to keep on coming to services and leaving, like a theatergoer, without his options, opinions, or decisions resolved but deferred, is an erosion of character. Anath then dismembered Mot, scattered and burned the pieces, and gave them to the birds. The eschatological traits were taken over with the Canaanite myths. Now the word isai, simply means music in Tamil. It is related that on one occasion a strange ruler came to the place where Peor was worshiped, to sacrifice to him; but when he heard of this silly practise, he caused his soldiers to attack and kill the worshipers of the god (Sifre, Num. The sequel to this action is furnished by the group of texts which recount Baal's confrontations with Mot. In the Bible, Jezebel is notorious for persecuting the worship of Yahweh and for demanding that the Israelites worship Baal. They believed in a Creator God, but they worshipped Him at the shrines they erected to the Baals. Check out her books at hopebolinger.comfor clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Who were the Sidonians of the Iron Age (c. 1200586 B.C.E.)? Baal worship spread rapidly when the king of Israel, Ahab, married Jezebel, the princess of Tyre (1 Kings 16:31-32). He wanted people to like him, which is understandable. But when heat is applied, and the blood begins rushing into the affected areas, pain immediately occurs. In distress some would naturally revert to the old ways of reviving or reactivating the rain-god prayer, mourning, self-laceration, dancing, and water-pouring (I Kings 18:2628; Hos. They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. Baal was the god of agriculture and fertility in Canaan, becoming a fallen angel and a demon. For this reason, God shows that the preacher, not the civil authority, is the most vital part of the community. The open-air altar shrine, called a bamah (plural bamot), is known through several books of the Biblical canonbut none more so than the Book of Kings, where they play a prominent role in assessing the performance of a king.Often referred to as "high places" in translations of the Bible, bamot were worship sites that usually contained an altar. FREE ebook: Israel: An Archaeological Journey. The Bible is full of colorful characters, from Noah to Moses to Jesus. Asherah was a fertility goddess. That afon designated the "north" in Hebrew is presumably due to the fact that Mount Casius lies directly north of Palestine. Baal Worship A falling away is taking place right now. PDF Canaanite Child Sacrifice, Abortion, and the Bible They were not committed to the side that they were supposed to be on. Archaeologists at Sidon have uncovered a 12th11th-century B.C.E. In other words, God is saying that He was driven to defeat and scatter Israel because they were guilty of exactly the same sin as the Samaritans! But not all years are good, and in a bad year, or a series of bad years, when the rains fail, the skies become like iron, the land like brass, and man's toil is futile for the earth will not yield its increase (Lev. The worship of this idol consisted in exposing that part of the body which all persons usually take the utmost care to conceal. Canaanite Religions and Baal Worship by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson Audio (12:51) Free E-mail Bible Study Grace: Favor for the Undeserving. The Kingdom of Israel fell below the historian's radar. And of all the foreign gods the Israelites came into contact with, they appeared to struggle the most with worshipping this one. Before we explore what Scripture says about Baal, lets establish a brief depiction of the Canaanite deity. The Tetragrammaton should be rendered as Yahoah, with the vav being pronounced as the o in Torah, menorah, Eloah (singular form of Elohim), and Yehoshua (=Joshua, Christs REAL name). So it was in the northern kingdom of Israel after its division from the kingdom of Judah. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. God set up the Levites within Israel to function as the teachers of His way of life, and He sent the prophets as watchdogs on the Levites and civil leaders. Because such people are drunk through riches' deceptive promise, their judgment is in danger of being radically altered. The god Baal was the heathen sun-god spoken of in the Old Testament. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two), Searching for Israel (Part Six): Israel Is Fallen, Is Fallen, He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true. Who Is Baal in the Bible - History and Mythology - Crosswalk.com He began to prophesy in a time of immediate crisis, one that would become far worse before it ever improved. Actually, there were two gods which were essentially worshiped the same way, Baal and Ashtoreth. Whoever is missing shall not live.". Baal and Asherah were two giant stumbling blocks for the people of Israel. Thus the basis of the Baal cult was the utter dependence of life on the rains which were regarded as Baal's bounty. Baal Worship - Jewish Virtual Library Near Baals temple was that of Dagon, given in the tablets as Baals father. But who is Baal? In contrast, the church has had periods of strength and weakness all throughout its historyit goes through cycles of rallying around truth and then gradually letting it slip. The bird cannot make up its mind where it wants to settle down, so it just keeps hopping around. This establishes the fact that the Cannanites (Phoenicians) has connections with the Tamil speaking ancient Kerala mariners. This is the crux of our salvation through Jesus Christ. Ashtar the Awful (ttrr) was then nominated to replace Baal, but when he ascended the throne, his feet did not reach the footstool nor his head the top and so he declined to reign on the heights of apn and descended from Baal's throne, but ruled over all El's earth. Biblical Sidon is perhaps most infamously known as the birthplace of the Phoenician princess Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31), who became queen of the Israelites during King Ahabs reign in the ninth century B.C.E. When Elijah preached his message, it put the people in a bind because they knew their conscience was telling them that they had to commit themselves to God or to Baal. In their ignorance, the people do not realize the terrible calamity that is coming soon upon modern Israel. a deeper walk-What were the child sacrifices, high places and The word bel can be transformed into vel or val. because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. Scott Broberg Fig Tree Ministries. Today, some evangelicals attempt to prepare the people for what is to come, but their teaching is a mixture of right and wrong. Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? Baal, god worshipped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities, especially among the Canaanites, who apparently considered him a fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the pantheon. This article is about Baal worship in the Bible. If it is of men, it will not work very long. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. This life-and-death struggle pitted the worship of Baal against the worship of Jehovah. The practice of Baal worship was wide spread in Bible times and was very evil. In artistic depictions and archeological finds, Baal took the shape of a bull or ram and had associations with fertility. God's difference from us is that He is holy; He is moral and we are immoral. PDF WE ARE PRACTICING BAAL-PEOR WORSHIP LIKE ISRAEL OF OLD WE - Numbers1317 Most often, it condemns Baal worship. In short, Scripture has nothing positive to say about Baal. Worshipers of Baal Killed. Our god is what we give our lives over to. Their commitment went one way, and then it went the other way. . The Devil is behind a. Pagan Religious Practices. 18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. BAAL-WORSHIP AMONG THE GENTILES.The evidence is hardly of such weight as to justify us in speaking of a worship of Baal. The Jordan River (Nahar ha-Yarden) qualified as a mikveh as its flowing living waters originated from a natural spring (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_River). The Israelites fell into the worship of this idol(Numbers 25:3,5,18; Deuteronomy 4:3; Psalm 106:28; Hosea 9:10). Nevertheless, despite the biblical tendency to avoid the use of the word as a proper name, it is now quite clear that by pre-Israelite times the term had become the usual name of the weather-god of Syria-Palestine. And that happened with the Canaanites and Baal. (the Middle Bronze Age). If anyone could get an award for Having the Worst Neighbors, it would most likely go to the ancient Israelites. "But there was no voice. (NASB). The worship of Baal extended in this region to the Jews, Canaanites and the Phoenicians. Most modern translations use "false," "deceitful," or "faithless," and none of these are wrong, including "divided." But what was its real effect on the participants and the nation? Since the root tr in Arabic is connected with artificial irrigation, it is apparent that Ashtar's failure to measure up to Baal represents the inadequacy of irrigation as a substitute for natural rainfall. Thus it is clear that Baal, representing the life-giving rains, fluctuates in his ability to withstand the power of Mot, who represents drought, sterility, and death. 410; reconstructed text) which after the great "Weather-god, Lord of Mount azi" presents six other "weather-gods," numbered two through seven. With Baal's functions accredited to YHWH, it was natural and fitting that some of Baal's titles would also be taken over. Isaiah 14:13 alludes to this divine abode as "the Mount of Assembly in the recesses of afon" (har moed be-yarkete afon), the latter phrase being the equivalent of Ugaritic mrym pn or rrt pn, the height or fastness of apn. 10:25, 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18). It may seem easy to point the finger at the ancient Israelites and say, How could you let a bull statue into Israel? Notice the dramatic change of attitude in the people. But their carnality and their fear of men persuaded them to worship Baal, because they wanted to be friends with their fellow Israelites. How could you worship Baal? But if we dont exercise extreme discernment, we may find ourselves doing the same with modern-day baals. Since El and Dagn are distinct deities, this seeming confusion over Baal's paternity needs explanation. Some become discouraged with the church because we are always being toldto some measure anywaydisturbing things about ourselves. Such evil cunning. At the foundation of every community is a way of life that its people live and teach their children. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. What modern-day Baals have we worshipped in place of God? Since the Ugaritic verified the antiquity and authenticity of this divine name, additional instances have been alleged in the Psalter and in Job. In the books of Kings and Chronicles, we can read the record of a given king who turned away from God and served the Baals, and the foolishness sounds quick and casual because we are reading a summary. He is often accused of causing their pain. The first mention of Molech is in Leviticus 18:21 in which the . The latest archaeological discoveries shed light on Biblical Sidon and provide a window into the Sidonians polytheistic religion and worship practices during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some of Judah's kings spent years tearing down shrines and high places to foreign gods (II Chronicles 34:1-7). The right remedy, according to Israel's prophets, was to repudiate Baal completely and to seek and return to Israel's true God (Isa. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14). The violence and injustice in Israelite society ultimately stemmed from the false teaching proclaimed from the pulpits. When we see that our thoughts and ways are not His, we should reform and repent. Besides the names Baal and Haddu, the Ugaritic texts furnish a variety of other titles, such as "Mighty Baal" (aliyn bl) and "Prince, Lord of Earth" (zbl bl ars). The prize of the victory was kingship over the gods and the enthronement ritual guaranteed the natural order of life and the welfare of the society. You have a cuddly little Baal idol in your child's bedroom without even suspecting it. The rains were fully controlled by YHWH who called them from the sea and poured them out on the surface of the earth (Amos 5:8b; 9:6b). He takes something loathsome and vile, something that is a direct affront to almighty God, a pagan idol, and turns it into a cute little children's fairy tale, so that you can buy the book, see the movies, get the cuddly toy, and bingo! These people, who became known as the Samaritans, feared the Lord but worshipped their own gods. It was this Israelite worship of Baal which was challenged by the Hebrew prophet Elijah in his famous conflict with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in I Kings 18, when he challenged the. Baal, of course, could not talk to them, but if he could, he would probably have said basically the same thing, so the people were in a very uncomfortable situation. We must understand that our god is not what we say we worship but what we serve. But when a falling away happens around us, perhaps even beginning before we were born, it is easy for our minds to adjust to the point that we almost forget the continuing rebellion against God and His way. What the Bible says about Sacred sex was a key component. Right now, though, we are witnessing a steady defection from the basic principles of the Bible, away from what we call the Judeo-Christian ethic. Asherah, along with Astarte and Anath, was one of the three great goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon. Those familiar with the Biblical text will recall that Sidon was an influential, wealthy Phoenician city when the kings of Israel and Judah ruled during the Iron Age. The bulk of the Ugaritic mythological texts is concerned with the activities of Baal. The religion of Israel began with a man, Jeroboam I, who changed the true worship of God. The lesson for us becomes clear, because Jesus says the same thing (Matthew 6:24; 12:25). BIBLIOGRAPHY: W. Hermann, in: DDD, 13238; M.S. Before descending to the realm of death, Baal copulates with a heifer and begets a male offspring. ), from an original Baal-Zebul, which is preserved in this form in the New Testament (Matt. How many pagan ideas have we let seep in? Take the word isabel; it can be split as isa bel or as isai bel. For Constantine, the acceptance of Christianity was done solely TO UNIFY TERRITORY, RELIGIONS, AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal's epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. This shows that the Egyptian Cleopatra had maritime connections with the ancient Kerala Tamils. Baal was considered the supreme. The prophet comes along and troubles people by awakening them to their sins, making them feel guilty about their relationships with God and each other. Most of the information they gave turned out to be wrong, to be lies. A major question about II Thessalonians 2 is the scope of the described events. However, even though their origins were Canaanite, the Phoenicians established their own distinct culture. They also worshiped him as a fertility god who provided children. As a Semitic common noun baal (Hebrew baal) meant owner or lord, although it could be used more generally; for example, a baal of wings was a winged creature, and, in the plural, baalim of arrows indicated archers. But God has a different perspective; He says they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17). Horrendous and repulsive aspects of the worship sexual excesses and perversions (Isa. ( The first is the Assyrian crisis, discussed here.) * Jesus is a transliteration of the Latin; it is NOT a translation! Mot refused and boasted how he had mangled Baal. According to the Bible, centers of worship for Canaanite gods such as Molech and the Baal's were set up in Judah and Israel by apostate kings. Since Baal was, like almost all ancient deities, a fertility god, the human act of intercourse demonstrated that they wanted Baal to prosper them. Although Baal is mentioned almost 100 times in the Bible, he is best known from the narratives of I and II Kings which include the story of the Phoenician princess Jezebel (d. c. 842 BCE), who encouraged his worship, and her struggle with the prophet Elijah, champion of the cult of Yahweh. "Christian" religions of this world have mixed the traditions of paganism with some of the truth of God's Word. All rights reserved. Sidon was well connected by trade by the traders of the Pandya kingdom of Tamil Nadu. The worship of Baal in Syria-Palestine was inextricably bound to the economy of the land which depends on the regularity and adequacy of the rains. In Judah the murder of the queen mother, *Athaliah , and of Mattan, priest of Baal, and the smashing of the altars and cult images in the Baal temple (II Kings 11:18) did not wipe out the cult (II Kings 12:34). Whether it turns out to be the falling away remains to be seen. They see themselves as following the way of God, but their religion has deceived them by failing to teach them His truth. Isa. (The suggestion that Jer. A series of bad years, which were apparently believed to come in seven-year cycles (cf. One of the rooms in this temple had a bench, where offerings would have been placed, and an altar made of piled and unhewn stones, which recalls the Biblical command to make altars of uncut stones (see Exodus 20:25). Baal and Asherah - HoldToHope Given Jezebels religious fervor in the Bible, one would expect to find evidence of Baal worship at Sidon. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. Baal Peor, or the Baal of Peor, was a local deity worshiped by the Moabites. Sift through the storied history of ancient Israel. How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? No one answered; no one paid attention" (v. 29 ESV). A complaint is made to Bull El, father of the gods, that Baal has no house like other gods. The judge Gideon was also named Jerubbaal (Judges 6:32), and King Saul had a son named Ishbaal (I Chronicles 8:33). Baal was a false god the feckless Jewish King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel, attempted to force upon the nation of Israel during the time of Elijah the prophet (see 1 Kings 18). Child sacrifice was a fundamental aspect of Baal worship. Asherah, mother of the gods, was prevailed upon to intercede with El to gain permission for the building. He did not like the position God put him in. Unlike Egypt and Mesopotamia, which depend on irrigation, the Promised Land drinks water from the rain of heaven (Deut. A common designation of Baal in the Ugaritic myths is bn-dgn "son of Dagn"; but Baal is also considered the son of El who is called "Bull El his [i.e., Baal's] father; El King who begot him [Baal]" (tr il abh; il mlk dyknnh). People like to feel comfortable. The sum of what Elijah said is actually spiritually dangerous, due to the fact that God is judging. It disturbed them. Groves and high places were places of worship erected to Canaanite gods and goddesses. The Semitic word Baal means lord or master, and the ancient people believed he was in charge of all of nature and humans. Elijah was sent by God, and he was fulfilling the responsibility of a prophet, to prod the people to whom he was sent to their responsibilities. For a while, both sidesthe Confederate and the Unionaccepted those turncoats and took their information. Jer 32:29. What is so interesting is that, by verse 35, it is clear God is no longer addressing Himself to the Samaritans, but to Israel: [T]he LORD had made a covenant and charged [Israel], saying: "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; but the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. The Septuagint (LXX) referred to the latter as a stranger [in the land]. Lastly, he replaced God with golden calves in Bethel and Dan. 33 Bible Verses about Baal Worship, History So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel. To become moral, we must kill our selfish egos through the use and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, many of the kings and eventually the whole nation of Israel rebelled against God and chose opposing belief systems. This is typical Israeliltish syncretism, but it will not work. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The spectacular victory for Yahwism did not have a lasting effect. In an Akkadian catalogue of Ugaritic deities Baal apn is listed as dIM be-el hurn a-zi, "Storm-God, Lord of Mount azi" (see above; az [z] i being the Hurrian name of Mount apn which survives in the Greek and Latin Kasios/Casius as the name of the storied mountain of the gods). The worship of Baal penetrated Jewish religious life during the period of the Judges (Judges 3:7), became common in Israel during the rule of Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-33), and also influenced Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1-2). 10 Signs You Have Bowed Your Knee to Baal Charisma News There are several ideas as to exactly what Elijah meant by "How long will you falter between two opinions?" Separating Fact from Myth: Asherah and Idol Worship - Steppes of Faith Consequently, during this tumultuous time, most Jews kept their faith and identity outwardly but bowed to Baal when necessary to appease Jezebel as well as mainstream culture. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. . Baal's worshipers appeased him by offering sacrifices, usually animals such as sheep or bulls (1 Kings 18:23). The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". 22:816). Though it hurts, the pain is indicative of rescue and cure. Their spiritual lethargy for the true God made them uncommitted. They also worshiped him as a fertility god who provided children. In the El-Amarna letters the logogram for the weather-god is conventionally read Addu, but that it is sometimes to be read Baluis indicated by the addition of the phonetic complement-lu, as well as by the names like Mut dIm written syllabically as mu-ut-ba-a-lum. The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. In the Bible, Baal is spoken of in a negative light, as an idol and a false god, and is associated with idolatry and paganism. Sidon's Phoenician Temple. 26:46). The prophet Amos particularizes the epidemic of social injustice in the Kingdom of Israel. Baal was a fertility and earth god of the ancient cultures and was later exported to Egypt where he was worshipped as the storm god. . The divine child was named Demarous, one of the cognomens of Zeus-Baal-Hadad. In the mysterious tablets of Ugarit, discovered by Claude Schaeffer, Baal is the God of rain, thunder, and extraordinary bolts of lightning. Extra-biblical evidence for the flourishing Baal cult at Samaria in the ninth and eighth centuries B.C.E. The Assyrians deported the population en masse from its homeland in Canaan, transplanting it virtually in toto to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Biblical SidonJezebel's Hometown - Biblical Archaeology Society Adad (the Canaanite Hadad, the Semitic Hadda, the Hurrian Teshub, the Egyptian Resheph, the Phoenician Baal/Bel, the Sumerian Ishkur) is the Mesopotamian storm god, who has special maritime, celestial and meteorological attributes important to the well-being of sailors.