baal worship practices in the bible

Isaiah 29:13 clarifies what God means: "Therefore the LORD said: 'Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.'" So-called from Mount Peor, where this worship was celebrated, the Baal of Peor. I appreciate your consideration, and Im sure the Most High does as well! Baal transformed into Zeus, who transformed into Jupiter, etc. The eschatological traits were taken over with the Canaanite myths. The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel." In Psalms 48:23, Mount Zion is equated with "the recesses of afon" (the phrase quoted above from Isa. 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 Canaanites worshiped Baal as the sun god and as the storm godhe is usually depicted holding a lightning boltwho defeated enemies and produced crops. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. In other words, prosperity turns people's heads. It was a corruption of that religion, for the Israelites syncretized that holy way with Baalism and other idolatries. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. A prophet's life is not a happy situation. 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! What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? In their ignorance, the people do not realize the terrible calamity that is coming soon upon modern Israel. Figs and grapes ripen during the dry season and the grain harvest also takes place before the rains resume. The Lord calls for the worship of him and his idols to be uprooted and destroyed, and for the people to turn away from his false . This is exactly what God warns us to flee, and the only way to come out of it is by developing and maturing in our relationship with God. Does the Bible Mention What to Give Up for Lent? Join the BAS Library today. Charles Whitaker 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 ). Baal worship is and has always been pagan; today it is replacing the laws and beliefs based upon Judaeo-Christian roots, which honours the GOD of the Bible, His laws and His ways. l, b . Such evil cunning. The latter name (Amarna, Addu) is to be related to Arabic hadda ("break," "crash") with reference to thunder. And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. Worshipers of Baal Killed. When a person is freezing to death, he feels a pleasant numbness that he does not want to end. (the Middle Bronze Age). Archaeologists at Sidon have uncovered a 12th-11th-century B.C.E. Archaeologists at Sidon have uncovered a 12th11th-century B.C.E. In spite of the fact that the word is used as the theophorous element in personal names, such as Eshbaal, Merib-Baal, Jerub Baal, it was long believed that the term remained an appellation and did not become a proper name, except in the case of the Mesopotamian Bel and in late theological speculation. Molech was another such god. We are seeing the same thing today, but at times, it is harder to recognize because we are accustomed to it, and it is not happening overnight. 1:21), would be catastrophic. Virtually all reference to Baal's consort, the violent "Virgin Anath" with whom Baal copulates by the thousand in one of the Ugaritic mythological fragments has been excluded from the Bible, but the goddesses Ashtart (Judg. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. It proved extremely hard for a monotheistic faith to compete against the Canaanite fertility cult. Apparently in anticipation of developments the artisan god Koshar had cast furnishings of gold and silver. Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. Remember, this falling away sets the stage for the man of sin, who will have tremendous influence over humanity. The divine child was named Demarous, one of the cognomens of Zeus-Baal-Hadad. A religion with such a beginning was doomed to fail, bringing the nation down with it. Their reverence for Him was mere intellectual accommodation intended to appease Him. He could, and did, withhold the rain from one city and lavish it on another (Amos 4:7). The prophet turns the heat on, and they become angry with him when he is actually working to make them better. Then stood up Phinehas, and exe Then they linked up with Baal Peor, attending funeral banquets and eating idol food. He was to be an aid in getting them from their state of being merely "churched" to that of being truly religious and servants of the Most High God. 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. Today Baal churches preach and teach Baal doctrines; prosperity, harvest, sex and fertility. 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. 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! Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in the temples. Your email address will not be published. Speech is completely original and produced exclusively by Grace Digital Network Music licensed through Artlist.io Footage licensed through Filmpac.com and S. This is a prophet's job, a hallmark of a prophet of God. The Bereans "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:10-11). Lastly, he replaced God with golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Prepare to Meet Your God! I prefer transliterating the sheva with [*] rather than any other English vowel letter, so I prefer Y*HWaH to YuHWaH or to YaHWeH, for that matter. The variant form Hadad (hdd) is attested to only once in Ugaritic. He was considered superior to his father, El, the chief of the deities. That made God so angry that a plague spread through their ranks; Phinehas stood up and pled their case and the . What Is Coptic and Who Were the Copts in Ancient Egypt? It seemed they couldnt border a single person who didnt try to destroy them or convince them to worship their own gods. In the Old Testament, many of the kings and eventually the whole nation of Israel rebelled against God and chose opposing belief systems. He replaced the Levitical priesthood with men of his own choosing. By submitting to Him, we take a small step in being transformed into what He is. Yet, he was in trouble his whole life, from his teenage years on. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal's epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. Indeed, throughout its history, the most important god at Sidon was the storm godknown during the Phoenician period as Baal or Bel. The myth may refer in part to the construction of Baals own temple in the city of Ugarit. . l /), or Baal (Hebrew: baal), was a title and honorific meaning 'owner', 'lord' in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity.From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods. But when heat is applied, and the blood begins rushing into the affected areas, pain immediately occurs. Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. A large part of this world's appeal is its offer of financial security. Baal was simply the title (literally, Lord) of the pagan god Molech. Asherah was a fertility goddess. Baal's response to Mot's invitation to come and be devoured is abject surrender: "Thy slave am I, thine eternal." After we accept His calling, He commands us to become moral as He is. Dated to c. 1750 B.C.E. Well dive more into this in the historicity of Baal in a few sections. When religion is ungodly, its power is destructive, and every institution in the nation suffers. The building materials, gold, silver, and lapis lazuli, were procured and the architect-builder Koshar was invited to dinner and consultation. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baals epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. The name Baal in the Bible is most commonly associated with the Canaanite and Phoenician god of fertility, the rain, the sun, and the storm. The religion of Israel began with a man, Jeroboam I, who changed the true worship of God (I Kings 12:26-33). 33 Bible Verses about Baal Worship, History So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel. (NASB). Thus, IF one is to pronounce the Tetragrammaton according to the masoretic vowel-markings, then it should probably be pronounced something like yuh-WAH or yuh-HWAH. Despite Gods efforts to dissuade them, the Israelites engaged with the Canaanite culture a little too much and adopted their practices, including Baal worship. Baal's sister-consort Anath demanded that Mot release her brother. So it was that, about 250 years after it was established, the ten-tribed northern kingdom became extinct as a sovereign nation. YHWH's victory over the waters is connected either with the rescue of Israel at the Exodus (Ps. Baal remains silent during the exchange, whereas God showers a sopping-wet altar with fire. However, God still holds them responsible because the truth is available. Note the name of her father, King of the Sidoneans and apparently (Josephus) a priest of Baal as well. He is deceived into thinking that his material prosperity proves that God approves of his conduct and attitudes. because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. This second, universal interpretation is a better fit because, when we look at the whole passage, the events and personalities are worldwide in scope. Some extraordinary discoveries from recent excavations have allowed us to partially reconstruct Sidonian religion during the Bronze and Iron Agesshowing that Baal worship at the site had deep roots. In artistic depictions and archeological finds, Baal took the shape of a bull or ram and had associations with fertility. In the Judeo-Christian tradition Asherah is considered a false Canaanite deity and a major source of temptation to the Israelites. 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! The Semitic word Baal means lord or master, and the ancient people believed he was in charge of all of nature and humans. In the formative stages of Israels history, the presence of Baal names did not necessarily mean apostasy or even syncretism. In addition to Baal still influencing religions and pagan practices today, we must take note of what happened to the Israelites and vigilantly watch our churches. Further, in biblical usage when applied to the great weather-god, the singular regularly has the article, "the Baal," which suggests that the word was not regarded as a proper name. 11:17; I Kings 8:3536; Jer. 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. Nyberg had restored it in Deuteronomy 33:12; I Samuel 2:10; II Samuel 23:1; Isaiah 59:18, 63:7; and Hosea 7:16. Given Sidons position on the coast, it is not surprising that the storm god is Sidons most important god. Today Jezebel has built Baal altars in the name of 'church' and led many to Baal worship. He did not like the position God put him in. 4:12; Hos. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, Encyclopaedia Judaica, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. 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. More than 1400 of her works have been featured in various publications. Near Baals temple was that of Dagon, given in the tablets as Baals father. (II Kings 17:35-38). 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 sum of what Elijah said is actually spiritually dangerous, due to the fact that God is judging. We must understand that our god is not what we say we worship but what we serve. In others, they rejected Yahweh worship altogether and fully turned themselves over to the idols of Canaan (2 Kgs 17:14-17). The god of arts and crafts, Kothar, then proceeded to build for Baal the most beautiful of palaces which spread over an area of 10,000 acres. That there were minor Baalim also at Ugarit is indicated by a god list in Akkadian (see Ugaritica, 5, p. 44 ll. They were not committed to the side that they were supposed to be on. Of special interest is the designation Aliy (ly) which is twice applied to Baal in the Krt Epic: Before the discovery and recognition of this name in Ugaritic, H.S. The Semitic original of this name has been recognized in one of Baal's names in Ugaritic: (The name is to be connected with the root dmr, "be strong, brave," and is probably the same as that of Abraham's son Zimrn (damarn), the -n afformative being preserved in the genitive case of the Greek form Demarountos). Despite having the power and support of the king of Israel and his . All 450 prophets of Baal do not escape the slaughter that takes place after that. Thus the basis of the Baal cult was the utter dependence of life on the rains which were regarded as Baal's bounty. The Kingdom of Israel fell below the historian's radar. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble." The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. It has been suggested that this clash was indirectly a conflict between Baal and El, with Yamm serving as champion for the venerable El, as the Titans fought on behalf of Kronos in the Greek version of the myth and the stone colossus Ulikummi for Kumarbi in the Hurrian-Hittite version which is roughly contemporary with the Ugaritic texts. Child sacrifice was a fundamental aspect of Baal worship. God's pattern is being established. 22:816). Or about Yahweh? He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them (2 Kings 21:3). The word "Baal" derives from the Semitic stem "bel", meaning "lord". Evil practices never go away. "Whatever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Their spiritual lethargy for the true God made them uncommitted. Reuben Alcalay, a famous Hebrew lexicographer, stated that Yehoshua is closely related to Let there be So, lets be intellectually honest and start using the proper English translation: Joshua. A complaint is made to Bull El, father of the gods, that Baal has no house like other gods. 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. Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. The Masoretic text has the 4 letters YHWH with a sheva under the Y, pronounced yuh, and a Qamats below the W, i.e. "They built for themselves high places in all their cities . The Septuagint (LXX) rendered Joshua, the son of Nun, in Greek as Iesous; the same was used for Christs name in the NT. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Matthew 5:17Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. I would also challenge the suggestion in the text of the article that the location of Lots cave is known. Horrendous and repulsive aspects of the worship sexual excesses and perversions (Isa. If it is of men, it will not work very long. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. Some of Judah's kings spent years tearing down shrines and high places to foreign gods (II Chronicles 34:1-7). Sidon was well connected by trade by the traders of the Pandya kingdom of Tamil Nadu. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two). You tricked me." "But there was no voice. The god Baal was the heathen sun-god spoken of in the Old Testament. Sift through the storied history of ancient Israel. 18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. In mythological texts from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 B.C.E) city-state of Ugarit, she is called "the creatress of the gods"; her consort at Ugarit, the god El, is . They were Phoenicians. The first mention of Molech is in Leviticus 18:21 in which the . Alternate titles: Baal Shamen, Baal Shemin, Baalim. Further, they "followed idols, became idolaters, and . How could you worship Baal? But if we dont exercise extreme discernment, we may find ourselves doing the same with modern-day baals. 74:1314, 89:910, 93:1ff. The Semitic word "baal" (meaning '"Lord") was also used to refer to various deities of the Levant. No doubt, we cant cover the breadth of verses on Baal here, but we should note that Baal becomes a big player in the book of Judges and during the time of the kings when Israel appears to succumb most to the foreign pantheons. No doubt, we cant cover the breadth of verses on Baal here, but we should make a note that Baal becomes a big player in the book of Judges and during the time of the kings when Israel appears to succumb most to the foreign pantheons. In the Bible, Baal (also rendered Baal) was an important Canaanite god, often portrayed as the primary enemy of the Hebrew God Yahweh. Did the Carthaginians Really Practice Infant Sacrifice? The lesson for us becomes clear, because Jesus says the same thing (Matthew 6:24; 12:25). When we see that our thoughts and ways are not His, we should reform and repent. Baal was the god of agriculture and fertility in Canaan, becoming a fallen angel and a demon. He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. So the word Poeni can be rewritten as Peyeni or as Payani or as Payan. While they gave lip service to the Creator, they adopted most of the Canaanitish religion with its lewd immorality, and in actual practice, patterned their life after it. 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. Recall God's prophecy in Deuteronomy 32:15, predicting that when Israel prospered, then it would rebel. He sends someone long before the real crisis reaches its peak, while it is building. Jesus says, "They are blind leaders of the blind. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered!only to go on doing all these abominations? . What Is the Significance of Not the Letter but of the Spirit? The Jews of Christ's day clearly recognized this putrid blend and despised the Samaritans for it. Israel "walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel." Israel's false religion, represented by the altars of Bethel, is at the root of her problems. Archeological excavations have dated information about Baal back as far as the second millennium BC, and the spread of Baal worship caught fire in Egypt in 1400 BC. El and Anath mourn violently, mutilating their faces and bodies. Two practices in particular are mentioned in Scripture. Sidon is the birth place of Jezabel. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Thus, according to Sakkunyaton, Baal's natural father was Ouranos and Dagn became his foster-father, while El-Kronos effected the transfer. Its is right up there with the thought that we know where Jesus was born, or that one can see a descendant of the original burning bush, etc.. Jer 32:29. Since the Ugaritic verified the antiquity and authenticity of this divine name, additional instances have been alleged in the Psalter and in Job. Murder and sexual immorality was a part of Baal worship. In the El-Amarna letters Canaanite clients addressed the Egyptian king as "My Baal, my Addu." Nevertheless, he was still faithful, and he did his job. The Israelites displayed a pandemic failure to love their fellow man. In Hebrew, it is rendered Yehoshua, and in Aramaic, Yeshua. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. Sidon's Phoenician Temple. 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. None of the foolish practices of the heathen could bring the rains; only YHWH could and did (Jer. The summer drought did not mean that YHWH had died (like Baal), nor did the return of the rains signal the resurrection. Rejection of God's Law. II Kings 17:7-17 catalogs the sins of Israel: Widespread idolatry. It is not known to what extent the Canaanites considered those various Baalim identical, but the Baal of Ugarit does not seem to have confined his activities to one city, and doubtless other communities agreed in giving him cosmic scope. Even as the Canaanite religion waned, Baal took on a new role as Zeus in the Ancient Greek pantheon. The Bible tells us that there were dire consequences for Israel worshiping a false god (Judges 2). Koshar twice recommended that a window be installed and Baal twice vetoed the suggestion, although Koshar insisted that Baal would have to reconsider. However, before the war was over, both sides were summarily executing anybody who did this because those traitors could not be trusted. guilty of adopting the ghastly Canaanite practice of child sacrifice. 6:30; II Kings 16:3233) are associated with him. It indeed produces great material prosperity, but it is consumed through self-indulgent gorging. 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. Study the god Baal, Baal worship, and the presentation of Baal in the Bible. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. Scott Broberg Fig Tree Ministries. At one point in A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton, he deals with soldiers who left the service of their armyeither the Confederate army or the Union army. Corrections? By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. For seven days a fire burned inside the building, and when it subsided, the house was plated with gold, silver, and lapis lazuli. In the Aztec religion, life existed before humans, and civilization was built after the destruction of the fourth sun. All rights reserved. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. In Canaanite religion her primary role was that of mother goddess. So the word Jezebel finally means one who is a good musician. The spectacular victory for Yahwism did not have a lasting effect. As a result of their sin, the men of Israel were judged by God. Its prosperity played a part in corrupting the Israelites' hearts, which is why Hosea mentions the divided or disloyal heart in context with its bountiful fruit. Because Canaan depended on rain to grow crops and survive, he was numero uno. In this regard, Elijah was a type of John the Baptist, and Elisha, a type of Christ. What was the rationale behind this perverse, immoral act? Extra-biblical evidence for the flourishing Baal cult at Samaria in the ninth and eighth centuries B.C.E. He replaced the Levitical priesthood with men of his own choosing. 57:310), perhaps including copulation with animals (Hos. The longest of the texts deals with the construction of Baal's house on top of Mount apn.

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