Canaanite Religions and Baal Worship by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson Audio (12:51) Free E-mail Bible Study Grace: Favor for the Undeserving. 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. 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. 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. For instance, Hezekiahs son rebuilds the shrines of Baal and the Canaanite goddess Asherah that Hezekiah had torn down: He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. I appreciate your consideration, and Im sure the Most High does as well! 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. A major question about II Thessalonians 2 is the scope of the described events. There is no doubt that prosperity is good, but unless one is properly focused and disciplined, it can also be a demanding master because of its power to distract one into idolatry. The latter title has a biblical echo in the corrupted form Baal-Zebub (II Kings 1:2ff. The right remedy, according to Israel's prophets, was to repudiate Baal completely and to seek and return to Israel's true God (Isa. 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). In Psalms 48:23, Mount Zion is equated with "the recesses of afon" (the phrase quoted above from Isa. Lastly, he replaced God with golden calves in Bethel and Dan. (Jeremiah 7:8-10). Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. In correlating the sequence of events, Baal's victory over the sea-god, Yamm, is probably to be placed near the beginning of the action, since it was presumably this exploit which gained him the dominant position among the gods, just as *Marduk achieved preeminence by defeating the sea-monster Tiamat. In this regard, Elijah was a type of John the Baptist, and Elisha, a type of Christ. 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. All rights reserved. Then stood up Phinehas, and exe Then they linked up with Baal Peor, attending funeral banquets and eating idol food. Baal remains silent during the exchange, whereas God showers a sopping-wet altar with fire. What the Bible says about (From Forerunner Commentary). Elijah was dealing with the same thing here, albeit spiritually. Jun 2. And one of the most famous instances of Israel going head to head with the prophets of Baal comes from 1 Kings 18. Their commitment went one way, and then it went the other way. 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 . O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. Thus the basis of the Baal cult was the utter dependence of life on the rains which were regarded as Baal's bounty. Baal's response to Mot's invitation to come and be devoured is abject surrender: "Thy slave am I, thine eternal." The Jews of Christ's day clearly recognized this putrid blend and despised the Samaritans for it. Ginsberg, Kitvei Ugarit (1936); J. Oberman, Ugaritic Mythology (1948); A.S. Kapelrud, Baal in the Ras Shamra Texts (1952); M. Dahood, in: Studi Semitici, 1 (1958), 7578; N. Habel, Yahweh Versus Baal: A Conflict of Religious Cultures (1964); J. The beliefs and practices of the Canaanites were not only detestable, but they also . For Constantine, the acceptance of Christianity was done solely TO UNIFY TERRITORY, RELIGIONS, AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS. From Easton's Bible Dictionary:Baal-peor: lord of the opening, a god of the Moabites (Numbers 25:3; 31:16; Joshua 22:17), worshipped by obscene rites. ; Job 3:8, 7:12, 9:13, 26:1213, 38:811, 40:25). Sift through the storied history of ancient Israel. Baal is also referred to about 12 times as "the Rider of the Clouds" which undoubtedly testifies to his control over the rain and storms. No one answered; no one paid attention" (v. 29 ESV). Val is related to valimai in Tamil. How many pagan ideas have we let seep in? Required fields are marked *. In Psalms 89:13 afon and yamin, in parellelism with Tabor and Hermon, hardly designate the directions north and south; yamin is almost certainly a corruption of Amana, the southern portion of the Taurus mountains, the alteration of amanah to yamin being occasioned by the misunderstanding of afon as the direction rather than the name of the holy mountain. In another room was a round base that likely supported a wooden pillar. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. Anyway she changed her mind and sent his son to Libya etc Baal's sister-consort Anath demanded that Mot release her brother. In the Bible, the followers of the one true God encounter other gods, or previously worshipped idols themselves. In the Hebrew Bible, Moloch is presented as a foreign deity who was at times illegitimately given a place in Israel's worship as a result of the syncretistic policies of certain apostate kings. He was the god that provided - food - for the people. Valimai means strengh, or force or weight. . "But there was no voice. 4. One would think that, if altars increase during this period of prosperity, then religion is flourishing. Elijah's work was to reveal the true God to Israel in a time of growing national crisis. He is often accused of causing their pain. Some scholars believe that the Canaanites also sacrificed pigs and that God prohibited his people from eating pork in part to prevent this horrible cult from being established among them. Ahaz fostered Baal worship (II Chron. What Tamils are you speaking of? Because such people are drunk through riches' deceptive promise, their judgment is in danger of being radically altered. Superstitious fear and sexual rites on the one hand fought against faith and loyalty on the other. The worship of Baal extended in this region to the Jews, Canaanites and the Phoenicians. All this was part of his fertility role, which, when fulfilled, meant an abundance of crops and fertility for animals and mankind. With the help of wonder weapons supplied and blessed by the versatile Koshar (the craftsman god), Baal was able to defeat and rout the sea-god. 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. Various forms of Baal worship are still going on in the Catholic church; even though these pagan idols were incorporated into Catholicism centuries ago, the worship of the sun still exists to this day. Does the Bible Mention What to Give Up for Lent? Given Sidons position on the coast, it is not surprising that the storm god is Sidons most important god. Baal Worship Baal-Berith Berbers Bet (Ha)-Midrash Bet Din Bethar Bibliophiles Bloodletting Chronicles of Kings of Israel Episcopus Judaeorum Essenes Exile Fable Flood Forced Baptism Garden of Eden Glass Golden Calf Goliath Great Revolt Great Synagogue Hannah and her Seven Sons Hasmoneans/Maccabees Hebrew Printing Hekdesh Herod Herodian Dynasty Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Who Was Baal? ADD. Now another presentation that the Phoenicians who are also connected with the Canaanites had traded with the trading mariners of Kerala, India. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Recall God's prophecy in Deuteronomy 32:15, predicting that when Israel prospered, then it would rebel. 10:1113; 14:22). He just goes to sleep as he is freezing to death. Certainly not those of east Asia. The Israelites rejected the law of God and relied on the traditions of Gentile nations. The Semitic word "baal" (meaning '"Lord") was also used to refer to various deities of the Levant. Dig into the illuminating world of the Bible with a BAS All-Access membership. The events leading up to the Day of the Lord will be unmistakable to those with eyes to see. Nevertheless, he was still faithful, and he did his job. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan (1968); Albright, Arch Rel; S.M. Possibly even more treacherous than this was a parallel development: mixing the worship of Yahweh and Baal. They believed in a Creator God, but they worshipped Him at the shrines they erected to the Baals. The religion of Israel began with a man, Jeroboam I, who changed the true worship of God (I Kings 12:26-33). As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. 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. Because Canaan depended on rain to grow crops and survive, he was numero uno. This article is about Baal worship in the Bible. The basis for this view was the fact that in biblical usage the plural of the term, with the article, "the Baalim," appears to designate minor local gods (Judg. He was overseeing a tevilah (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_washing_in_Judaism#Full-body_immersion_.28Tvilah.29) in a mikveh (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikveh). Canaanite worship often took place in open-air sites at the tops of hills, referred to in the Bible as "high places." . Gray, The Legacy of Canaan (rev. The prophet turns the heat on, and they become angry with him when he is actually working to make them better. Baal was the title of the "god" worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. Hosea exposes the problem between God and Israel. But Jezebels religion is not Jewish whereas the religion of the Tamils is more like that of the Jews. Since you mentioned John baptizing Jesus. Israel's false religion, represented by the altars of Bethel, is at the root of her problems. Yet such fluidity in the use of the term baal did not prevent it from being attached to a god of distinct character. 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.'" because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. We need to be reminded of it because it can have a detrimental effect on us. Not a BAS Library member yet? Christ's purpose is to cure, not merely to comfort, so pain will be often involved when dealing with a prophet. Sidon was well connected by trade by the traders of the Pandya kingdom of Tamil Nadu. Life in a land dependent on rainfall enhanced the appeal of the Baal cult and its pervasive influence persisted through the centuries, as the unrelenting protests of the prophets and the sporadic efforts at reform attest. All Rights Reserved. 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. A complex religion with traditions and gods from all over the ancient Middle East, Baal worship offered something for everyone. 3:10; cf. The only trouble is that people like to feel comfortable in moral mediocrity. They were Phoenicians. God wants to transform us from people who are bent on pleasing ourselves to people who show concern for others. He awakens them to their spiritual and moral responsibilities. In short, Scripture has nothing positive to say about Baal. Meaning of Jezebel: This word can be also pronounced as Isabel. What happens if a person, trying to establish a religion, mixes falsehood with the truth of God? The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". Everything Joshua* (Yehoshua) did was in accordance with the TaNaKh, which is an acrostic for Torah (=Law/Instruction), Neviim (=Prophets), and Ketuvim (=Writings). 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. To become moral, we must kill our selfish egos through the use and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. The spectacular victory for Yahwism did not have a lasting effect. In their ignorance, the people do not realize the terrible calamity that is coming soon upon modern Israel. God's pattern is being established. Let's exemplify Baal doctrines as preached . linked to Molech (also called Milcom in the Bible). 14:2, 9; Num. Note the name of her father, King of the Sidoneans and apparently (Josephus) a priest of Baal as well. While it is acceptable to say that it was in what is now Jordan, to point to a particular cave and say, This is it. is ridiculous. In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens. For those who think the baptism of John (Yochanan) was something new under the sun recall that he was a Levite as was his father Zechariah (Tsekharya). The judge Gideon was also named Jerubbaal (Judges 6:32), and King Saul had a son named Ishbaal (I Chronicles 8:33). This is God's way of showing that Israel abused its prosperity: It used its prosperity for the purposes of idolatry. It indeed produces great material prosperity, but it is consumed through self-indulgent gorging. 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! Silapadikaram, a Tamil Classic, mentions more than 200 musical instruments. BAAL-WORSHIP AMONG THE GENTILES.The evidence is hardly of such weight as to justify us in speaking of a worship of Baal. Since the Ugaritic verified the antiquity and authenticity of this divine name, additional instances have been alleged in the Psalter and in Job. 1:711). Omissions? Biblical narrative incorporates tales of Baal worship into the traditions of the wilderness wandering, thus tracing Baal worship to the earliest period of Israel's existence. 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. Thus, they developed a syncretic religious system, a blending of the truth of God and outright paganism. In those God calls outthose who, by faith, will voluntarily yield to HimHe is building character based on outgoing love. Essentially, the Phoenicians were the Canaanites who survived from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age and who were not supplanted by new people groups (Philistines, Israelites, etc.). Psalm 68 may have been written, in part, as a polemic against Baal worship wherein it is indicated in verse 4 that YHWH is the one who rides the clouds. All through the Old Testament, the people of Israel fell into Baal and Asherah worship, and it is no different for us today. Such evil cunning. Even as the Canaanite religion waned, Baal took on a new role as Zeus in the Ancient Greek pantheon. That afon designated the "north" in Hebrew is presumably due to the fact that Mount Casius lies directly north of Palestine. (the Middle Bronze Age), this impressed handle depicts a ship and a leonine dragon, which is the symbol of the Mesopotamian storm god Adad. Drought and the Fall of the Hittite Empire. A falling away is taking place right now. *Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and WORSHIPPED AND SERVED THE CREATURE MORE THAN THE CREATOR". They were straddling the fence in a precarious state of imbalance, attempting to combine the worship of God with the more popular worship of Baal and Asherah. Issuing a challenge to his enemy Mot (death), who presumed to rule gods and men, Baal dispatched his messengers to Mot's infernal, filthy abode, warning them not to get close to Mot's rapacious jaws. BIBLIOGRAPHY: W. Hermann, in: DDD, 13238; M.S. . you didnt even mention her horrible daughter Athaliah, the only killer queen But it could have existed long before that, when God established the law, including laws against eating pork, since pig slaughter and sacrifice were a hallmark of Baal worship. In Hosea 10:2, God charges Israel with having a divided heart. . The Semitic word Baal means lord or master, and the ancient people believed he was in charge of all of nature and humans. Well dive more into this in the historicity of Baal in a few sections. (Iron Age) temple. 3:23). The combined letters o and e is joined to pronounce the sound ye. Prepare to Meet Your God! Whatever the case, there is no doubt about Elijah's intent: "How long will you keep shifting from one opinion to the other?" Elijah is quite instructive here. What was the rationale behind this perverse, immoral act? Worshipers of Baal Killed. 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. Charles Whitaker Scott Broberg Fig Tree Ministries. 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. Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. 3:8; Ps. II Kings 17:7-17 catalogs the sins of Israel: Widespread idolatry. Lastly, he replaced God with golden calves in Bethel and Dan. 2:13) and *Asherah (Judg. Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. A frequent epithet is "Cloud Rider" (rkb rpt) which has an almost identical parallel in Psalms 68:5. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble." The Sidonians were the inhabitants of ancient Sidon, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea in modern Lebanon. 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. He views them as personally rejecting Him and His Word. Worship of Baal was also carried out right on the housetops of the people, from where sacrificial smoke to their god was frequently seen to rise. 7:1416). 25:111; Ps. In artistic depictions and archeological finds, Baal took the shape of a bull or ram and had associations with fertility. None of the foolish practices of the heathen could bring the rains; only YHWH could and did (Jer. Baal transformed into Zeus, who transformed into Jupiter, etc. 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. Remember, this falling away sets the stage for the man of sin, who will have tremendous influence over humanity. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. You tricked me." Figs and grapes ripen during the dry season and the grain harvest also takes place before the rains resume. 74:1314, 89:910, 93:1ff. 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." In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal's epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. For a while, both sidesthe Confederate and the Unionaccepted those turncoats and took their information. 114) or with eschatological victory (Isa. The Israelites displayed a pandemic failure to love their fellow man. ), from an original Baal-Zebul, which is preserved in this form in the New Testament (Matt. Koshar twice recommended that a window be installed and Baal twice vetoed the suggestion, although Koshar insisted that Baal would have to reconsider. But when heat is applied, and the blood begins rushing into the affected areas, pain immediately occurs. When a person is freezing to death, he feels a pleasant numbness that he does not want to end. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. When the rain failed, it was inevitable that some would question YHWH's power and resort to Baal. Paul is not writing about apostasy in a small group of people that will give rise to an international personality, but an event on the world scene that creates the right environment to catapult this figure, backed by the power of Satan, to the heights of power. Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in the temples. 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. Israel "feared other gods" (verse 7). 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. Israel "walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel." This viewpoint was developed as the basic and final argument against Baalism. 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. In daily life, they conformed to and reflected the Babylonish system just as Israel does today. However, it was not the religion God gave through Moses, but idolatry that flourished! In others, they rejected Yahweh worship altogether and fully turned themselves over to the idols of Canaan (2 Kgs 17:14-17). Baal was a god of prosperity, god of harvest, sex and fertility. With human features as well as the eyebrows, nose and horns of a ram, this painted limestone figurine represents a deity and dates to c. 1650 B.C.E. At Ras-Shamar, Baal was referred to as the son of Dagon, the Philistines chief god. Dated to c. 1750 B.C.E. He may have replaced the Sabbath with Sunday worship. And Asherah and Baal led the way together (Judges 3:7, 1 Kings 18:19, 2 Kings 23:4). . 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. Baal & Asherah. While much about Molech's nature and origin are uncertain, the Bible mentions Molech on eight occasions, providing some context regarding the problems associated with this ancient god. It seemed they couldnt border a single person who didnt try to destroy them or convince them to worship their own gods. 6:30; II Kings 16:3233) are associated with him. Baal was also worshipped by various communities as a local god. The myth may refer in part to the construction of Baals own temple in the city of Ugarit. Elijah had to take drastic measures to prevent Baal worship from completely eradicating the worship of the true God (I Kings 18:20-40). guilty of adopting the ghastly Canaanite practice of child sacrifice. In this article, well discuss what Scripture has to say about Baal, what we know from history about Baal, and why this ultimately matters to us today. When the Israelites, following Moses to the Promised Land, were in the vicinity of Peor, some of them fell into idolatry and worshiped Baal Peor. Molech was another such god. A biblical pharaoh's border monument. Fertility was envisaged in terms of seven-year cycles. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. In the Bible, Baal (also rendered Baal) was an important Canaanite god, often portrayed as the primary enemy of the Hebrew God Yahweh. 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 . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). This connects with the curse of Laodiceanism because God shows in the Laodiceans what can happen spiritually as people increase materially. And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. Baal's house was constructed in an extraordinary fashion. Baal's 450 prophets worked themselves into a frenzy, cutting themselves, dancing, and chanting to their god. How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? Today,. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. Their reverence for Him was mere intellectual accommodation intended to appease Him. Sidons Storm God. 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. Most often, it condemns Baal worship. The second major background factor that we need to grasp somewhat to read Hosea well is the worship of the Canaanite god Baal (s). 1:4; Hab. He wanted people to like him, which is understandable. Some become discouraged with the church because we are always being toldto some measure anywaydisturbing things about ourselves. In the parallel Ugaritic list, which is unfortunately very fragmentary, the "Weather-god, Lord of Mount azi" apparently corresponds to Baal apn, while those following are termed simply Baalim (blm). 106:28). Baal was the god of rain, wind, and fertility. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/ggenova. The eschatological traits were taken over with the Canaanite myths. It may be, however, that these extra Baalim are Baal's attendants, mentioned as the seven or eight lads whom Baal is ordered to take with him in his descent into the netherworld. Kings Ahaz and Manasseh, They also worshiped him as a fertility god who provided children.
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