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. you didnt even mention her horrible daughter Athaliah, the only killer queen Baal was considered the supreme. Note the name of her father, King of the Sidoneans and apparently (Josephus) a priest of Baal as well. 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. Ugaritic texts tell of other fertility aspects of Baal, such as his relations with Anath, his consort and sister, and also his siring a divine bull calf from a heifer. None of the foolish practices of the heathen could bring the rains; only YHWH could and did (Jer. After a sortie against the sea-god, Baal returned to his house and ordered Koshar to install a window; Koshar laughed, reminded Baal of the debate, and complied. 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. Alan, how said anything about John baptizing Jesus? Baal's abode was Mount apn, identified as Jebel el-Aqra ("Mount Baldy") some 30 mi. Today, music performers entice young and old in the practice of the worship of Baal-Peor The Semitic word "baal" (meaning '"Lord") was also used to refer to various deities of the Levant. Scott Broberg Fig Tree Ministries. One idea is that he means, "How long are you going to hop from branch to branch? It Is So Painful to Care: How Do I Conquer Apathy? 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. Who were the Sidonians, and what do we know about their religion? 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! 33:7) has been made the basis of intriguing speculation by Eissfeldt. The word is used as the name of a town in ancient Israel in Deuteronomy 1:4, Joshua . Not a BAS Library member yet? He did not like the position God put him in. The conflict of Yahwism and Baalism reached a crisis with Elijah's challenge to Baal's prophets to settle the question whether it was Baal or YHWH who really supplied the rain (I Kings 18). God sends a prophet to people who are cold in their relationship with Godspiritually freezing to deaththough they want to stay that way. Thus in any year anxiety about the rainfall would be a continuing concern of the inhabitants which would suffice to give rise to rites to ensure the coming of the rains. 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. Given Sidons position on the coast, it is not surprising that the storm god is Sidons most important god. 18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 55:613; Jer. Their commitment went one way, and then it went the other way. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. The Laodicean evaluates himself, saying, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Revelation 3:17). Baal worship is something I associated only with Old Testament Bible days. . Ashtoreth is mentioned three times in scripture, in 1 Kings 11:5 & 33, 2 Kings 23:13. Baal Peor, or the Baal of Peor, was a local deity worshiped by the Moabites. Despite having the power and support of the king of Israel and his . . Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 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. One was 260 days and was used for . 6:30; II Kings 16:3233) are associated with him. 3:10; cf. Sidons Storm God. This shows that the Egyptian Cleopatra had maritime connections with the ancient Kerala Tamils. In the Ugaritic mythological texts Balu (bl) is the name of the god which is used more than twice as often as his next most frequent name, Haddu (hd). In their ignorance, the people do not realize the terrible calamity that is coming soon upon modern Israel. 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. Once Elijah began preaching, their conscience pricked them, and it encouraged them to worship the true God. Baal is said to be one of the first of Solomon's 72 demons. Apparently in anticipation of developments the artisan god Koshar had cast furnishings of gold and silver. The Name] instead of prouncing the YHWH word even though the Masoretes added the sheva below the Y and the Qamats below the W. You have a cuddly little Baal idol in your child's bedroom without even suspecting it. The heyday of Baal worship in Israel came in the days of Elijah, when the Phoenician princess Jezebel launched a massive campaign to promote Baal. Rejection of God's Law. 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. 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. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them (2 Kings 21:3). 131; Sanh. El and Anath mourn violently, mutilating their faces and bodies. And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 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). Burning incense, worship of the sun, moon, astrology, and ancestor worship are all earmarks of the Baal religion. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baal-ancient-deity, McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Baal, Baal - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). That Baal appears to be a relative newcomer in the Ugaritic pantheon has been generally recognized, and it may be that Sakkhunyaton's story about Baal's paternity reflects a mythologizing of the process by which Baal was integrated into the family of El. 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 mysterious tablets of Ugarit, discovered by Claude Schaeffer, Baal is the God of rain, thunder, and extraordinary bolts of lightning. The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". Since El and Dagn are distinct deities, this seeming confusion over Baal's paternity needs explanation. Canaanite Religions and Baal Worship by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson Audio (12:51) Free E-mail Bible Study Grace: Favor for the Undeserving. It may seem easy to point the finger at the ancient Israelites and say, How could you let a bull statue into Israel? For Constantine, the acceptance of Christianity was done solely TO UNIFY TERRITORY, RELIGIONS, AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS. Commentaries are at odds over what the Hebrew word translated divided means. El is praised for his wisdom in granting the request since now it is insured that Baal will give his rain in season. His ministry took place about 150 years before Israel was to fall, becoming the Lost Ten Tribes, so God was beginning to make a powerful witness to them. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Evil practices never go away. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Through the window, a cleft in the clouds, Baal gave forth his holy voice which convulsed the earth and sent his enemies scurrying to the hills and woods. They see themselves as following the way of God, but their religion has deceived them by failing to teach them His truth. He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. (II Kings 17:35-38). O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. A complex religion with traditions and gods from all over the ancient Middle East, Baal worship offered something for everyone. In short, Scripture has nothing positive to say about Baal. Looking at these two definitions we can say . Like ancient Israel, we can easily fall back into our former ways. Baal was the title of the "god" worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. Who Was Baal? In the Bible, Baal (also rendered Baal) was an important Canaanite god, often portrayed as the primary enemy of the Hebrew God Yahweh. He began to prophesy in a time of immediate crisis, one that would become far worse before it ever improved. Some of Judah's kings spent years tearing down shrines and high places to foreign gods (II Chronicles 34:1-7). We need to be reminded of it because it can have a detrimental effect on us. 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 Book of Amos) (Part Two). In their spiritually unaware state, they will be incredulous at God's punishment for "such a little bit of sin." That afon designated the "north" in Hebrew is presumably due to the fact that Mount Casius lies directly north of Palestine. The latter title has a biblical echo in the corrupted form Baal-Zebub (II Kings 1:2ff. 2:11; 3:7; 8:33), while the singular of the word in combination with other terms apparently designated minor or local gods, such as Baal-Berith, Baal-Gad, Baal-Hamon, Baal-Hazor, Baal-Hermon, or, in the feminine form, a goddess, Baalat-Beer, Baalat-Gebal. 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). The variant form Hadad (hdd) is attested to only once in Ugaritic. 410; reconstructed text) which after the great "Weather-god, Lord of Mount azi" presents six other "weather-gods," numbered two through seven. 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. 19:5ff.). 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. Paul, then, is letting the church know that it need not be concerned about missing the end time. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. The bulk of the Ugaritic mythological texts is concerned with the activities of Baal. Molech was another such god. Pagan Religious Practices. 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. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/ggenova. For those early Hebrews, Baal designated the Lord of Israel, just as Baal farther north designated the Lord of Lebanon or of Ugarit. Speech is completely original and produced exclusively by Grace Digital Network Music licensed through Artlist.io Footage licensed through Filmpac.com and S. The Israelites rejected the law of God and relied on the traditions of Gentile nations. A falling away is taking place right now. They were Canaanites and shared numerous similarities, including many of the same gods, with their close neighbors in the southern Levantwho were also predominantly Canaanite. 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. Extra-biblical evidence for the flourishing Baal cult at Samaria in the ninth and eighth centuries B.C.E. He is a loving Master who only is to be obeyed and servedand only on His terms. Valimai means strengh, or force or weight. Elijah prepared the way for Elisha, who had a double portion of Elijah's spirit and did many more miracles. In the mythology of Canaan, Baal, the god of life and fertility, locked in mortal combat with Mot, the god of death and sterility. What Is Coptic and Who Were the Copts in Ancient Egypt? (Iron Age) temple. In others, they rejected Yahweh worship altogether and fully turned themselves over to the idols of Canaan (2 Kgs 17:14-17). Second was passing their babies through the fire. * Jesus is a transliteration of the Latin; it is NOT a translation! This time, Baal puts up a fight and holds Mot off in battle. 19Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. In the formative stages of Israels history, the presence of Baal names did not necessarily mean apostasy or even syncretism. God's first command to destroy any forms of idol worship came early in the Bible in Exodus 34:13. . They become "settled on their lees," as it says in Zephaniah 1:12. 9:20 presents a parallel is mistaken since the Ugaritic text mentions the sea-god and not Death (Mot) in connection with the window.) 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). 26:1920). And of all the foreign gods the Israelites came into contact with, they appeared to struggle the most with worshipping this one. They simply evolve. (the Middle Bronze Age). Everything Joshua* (Yehoshua) did was in accordance with the TaNaKh, which is an acrostic for Torah (=Law/Instruction), Neviim (=Prophets), and Ketuvim (=Writings). 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. "They built for themselves high places in all their cities . And Asherah and Baal led the way together (Judges 3:7, 1 Kings 18:19, 2 Kings 23:4). Gen. 41; II Sam. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble." People like to feel comfortable. That there were minor Baalim also at Ugarit is indicated by a god list in Akkadian (see Ugaritica, 5, p. 44 ll. The beliefs and practices of the Canaanites were not only detestable, but they also . The written form Moloch (in the Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament), or Molech (Hebrew), is the word Melech or king, transformed by interposing the vowels of bosheth or 'shameful thing'. Revelation 2:14 "THE DOCTRINES OF . Their reverence for Him was mere intellectual accommodation intended to appease Him. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. The summer drought did not mean that YHWH had died (like Baal), nor did the return of the rains signal the resurrection. 14:13). The ancient Tamils had connections with the Syrians and Sidon. However, even though their origins were Canaanite, the Phoenicians established their own distinct culture. The Spread of Baalism. "Christian" religions of this world have mixed the traditions of paganism with some of the truth of God's Word. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan (1968); Albright, Arch Rel; S.M. Since the Ugaritic verified the antiquity and authenticity of this divine name, additional instances have been alleged in the Psalter and in Job. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. BIBLIOGRAPHY: W. Hermann, in: DDD, 13238; M.S. Because Canaan depended on rain to grow crops and survive, he was numero uno. Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. Observing Christmas and Easter in the name of Christ is no different. The religion of Israel began with a man, Jeroboam I, who changed the true worship of God (I Kings 12:26-33). Despite Gods efforts to dissuade them, the Israelites engaged with the Canaanite culture a little too much and adopted their practices, including Baal worship. Most of the information they gave turned out to be wrong, to be lies. Did the Carthaginians Really Practice Infant Sacrifice? All through the Old Testament, the people of Israel fell into Baal and Asherah worship, and it is no different for us today. 7:1416). 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. Thus, they developed a syncretic religious system, a blending of the truth of God and outright paganism. Sift through the storied history of ancient Israel. But Jezebels religion is not Jewish whereas the religion of the Tamils is more like that of the Jews. Baal & Asherah. A god Baal apn was known from Egyptian and Akkadian sources before the discovery of the Ugaritic documents. Baal's house was constructed in an extraordinary fashion. The Kingdom of Israel fell below the historian's radar. 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. Elijah was dealing with the same thing here, albeit spiritually. The principal pillars of Baalism were child sacrifice, sexual immorality (both heterosexual and homosexual) and pantheism . The only trouble is that people like to feel comfortable in moral mediocrity. The motifs of these myths were adopted and adapted in Jewish and Christian eschatology. The Israelites "caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger" (verse 17). Baal was the god of rain, wind, and fertility. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. 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. Either you are going to be committed to Him or not. Check out her books at hopebolinger.comfor clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. 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. . The Bible speaks of the destruction of Baal's temples and the idols associated with him. 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.. The word bal, common Semitic for "owner, master, husband," became the usual designation of the great weather-god of the Western Semites. Baal worship spread rapidly when the king of Israel, Ahab, married Jezebel, the princess of Tyre (1 Kings 16:31-32). Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Blending the lies of this world with the truth of God produces a foul mixture called syncretism (James 3:10-13). 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. . II Kings 17:33 illustrates their worship: "They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods - according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away." For this reason, God shows that the preacher, not the civil authority, is the most vital part of the community. Val is related to valimai in Tamil. (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. For example, Christmas and Easter are traditions of men, but they are lies. The actual worship of Ba'al was carried out in terms of imitative magic whereby sexual acts by both male and female temple prostitutes were understood to arouse Ba'al who then brought rain to make Mother Earth fertile (in some forms of the myth, represented by a female consort, Asherah or Astarte). The name "Baal" shows up seven times in Hosea (2:8, 2:13, 2:16, 2:17 . If you will not be committed to Him, you are going to die.". Nevertheless, he was still faithful, and he did his job. A third is that he is describing somebody teetering on a tightrope and trying to maintain his balance. Remember, this falling away sets the stage for the man of sin, who will have tremendous influence over humanity. 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. It indeed produces great material prosperity, but it is consumed through self-indulgent gorging. Christ warned the Pharisees: "For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold the traditions of men." In daily life, they conformed to and reflected the Babylonish system just as Israel does today. Doumet-Serhal explains the significance of the handles iconography: The dragon epitomizes the most fundamental ancient mythical perception of the Mesopotamian storm god. And that happened with the Canaanites and Baal. He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. Today,. One interpretation is that it is a localized occurrence, in the sense of it happening just within the little flockthe church. 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). 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. But God. As a result of their sin, the men of Israel were judged by God. In Hosea 10:2, God charges Israel with having a divided heart. Jesus says, "They are blind leaders of the blind. The cosmic character of afon leads to its use as a synonym for "sky" in Job 26:7: "who stretched out afon on emptiness who suspended earth on naught." Worshipers of Baal Killed. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. The Septuagint (LXX) referred to the latter as a stranger [in the land]. 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). Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. YHWH's victory over the waters is connected either with the rescue of Israel at the Exodus (Ps. 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. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal's epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baals epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. Asherah was a fertility goddess. As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. BAAL WORSHIP AND SEMITIC RACISM This term was used as a title and name of various local deities worshipped as guardians, heroes, and kings. But church is where we come to have our minds stretched and measured against Christ's standard. 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. A second interpretation is that since the falling away contains the definite article, it refers to a unique event in man's history, far greater than anything that has happened before. 114) or with eschatological victory (Isa. Most of them were just saving themselves and making themselves comfortable in their situation. 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. The basis of all immorality is selfishness, the exact opposite of what God is. He could, and did, withhold the rain from one city and lavish it on another (Amos 4:7). He wanted people to like him, which is understandable. This is a prophet's job, a hallmark of a prophet of God. 1:4; Hab. When a person is freezing to death, he feels a pleasant numbness that he does not want to end. The myth may refer in part to the construction of Baals own temple in the city of Ugarit. 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). A major question about II Thessalonians 2 is the scope of the described events. First was sexual orgies "under every green tree," where promiscuity and perverted sex acts were the norm. Elijah says disturbing things. Let's exemplify Baal doctrines as preached . 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. How could you worship Baal? But if we dont exercise extreme discernment, we may find ourselves doing the same with modern-day baals. He replaced the Levitical priesthood with men of his own choosing. Today Jezebel has built Baal altars in the name of 'church' and led many to Baal worship. Because such people are drunk through riches' deceptive promise, their judgment is in danger of being radically altered. Dated to c. 1750 B.C.E., the handle pictures the storm god as a leonine dragon. because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. The contest on Mount Carmel was reported as demonstrating that Baal was an impotent non-entity and that the rain came only from YHWH. Learn more about Biblical Sidon and Sidonian religion in Claude Doumet-Serhals article SidonCanaans Firstborn in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. 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. But Baal was not exclusively a fertility god. There was, therefore, continuity in Sidons population from the Bronze to the Iron Age. They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree; and there they burned incense on all the high places, as the nations had done whom the LORD had carried away before them." They were primarily devoted to the worship of Baal and Asherah (or Asherim, Asheroth). The worship of Baal was popular in Egypt from the later New Kingdom in about 1400 bce to its end (1075 bce). 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. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, And ate the sacrifices of the dead. In the Bible, Jezebel is notorious for persecuting the worship of Yahweh and for demanding that the Israelites worship Baal. But when heat is applied, and the blood begins rushing into the affected areas, pain immediately occurs. So the word Jezebel finally means one who is a good musician. The myths also tell of Baals struggle to obtain a palace comparable in grandeur to those of other gods. 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). In the Old Testament, many of the kings and eventually the whole nation of Israel rebelled against God and chose opposing belief systems. (the Iron Age). ; contact address: [emailprotected]. The above comment is by Prof. Abraham Joseph, M.Sc., M.Phil. What made the very name Baal anathema to the Israelites was the program of Jezebel, in the 9th century bce, to introduce into Israel her Phoenician cult of Baal in opposition to the official worship of Yahweh (I Kings 18).
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