It is easy and seductive to honor possessions, fun, relationships, fame, money, and a host of other potential "gods. We need to learn from Israel's experience and respond to Jesus' command for total allegiance. One way we can accomplish this is to study the gods that attracted Yahweh's people 3, years ago. The earliest deity recognized by the peoples of the ancient Near East was the creator god El.
His mistress, the fertility goddess Asherah, gave birth to many gods, including a powerful god named Baal "Lord". There appears to have been only one Baal, who was manifested in lesser Baals at different places and times. Over the years, Baal became the dominant deity, and the worship of El faded.
Baal won his dominance by defeating the other deities, including the god of the sea, the god of storms also of rain, thunder, and lightning , and the god of death. Baal's victory over death was thought to be repeated each year when he returned from the land of death underworld , bringing rain to renew the earth's fertility. Hebrew culture viewed the sea as evil and destructive, so Baal? It's hard to know why Yahweh's people failed to see that he alone had power over these things.
Possibly, their desert origins led them to question God's sovereignty over fertile land. Or maybe it was simply the sinful pagan practices that attracted them to Baal. Baal is portrayed as a man with the head and horns of a bull, an image similar to that in biblical accounts.
His right hand sometimes both hands is raised, and he holds a lightning bolt, signifying both destruction and fertility. Baal has also been portrayed seated on a throne, possibly as the king or lord of the gods. Asherah was honored as the fertility goddess in various forms and with varying names Judg. The Bible does not actually describe the goddess, but archaeologists have discovered figurines believed to be representations of her. She is portrayed as a nude female, sometimes pregnant, with exaggerated breasts that she holds out, apparently as symbols of the fertility she promises her followers.
The Bible indicates that she was worshiped near trees and poles, called Asherah poles Deut. Baal's worshipers appeased him by offering sacrifices, usually animals such as sheep or bulls 1 Kings 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.
See Isa. At times of crisis, Baal's followers sacrificed their children, apparently the firstborn of the community, to gain personal prosperity. The Bible called this practice "detestable" Deut. God specifically appointed the tribe of Levi as his special servants, in place of the firstborn of the Israelites, so they had no excuse for offering their children Num.
The Bible's repeated condemnation of child sacrifice shows God's hated of it, especially among his people. Their warlord Hannibal even carries the name of their patron god in his own name.
Archeological evidence in Carthage has found clear evidence of child sacrifice continuing there. Yours truly can remember sitting in church, 25 years ago shortly after moving into town, with the esteemed wife and children. During a reading of the Scriptures, the lector read from 2 Kings 23, where the noble King Josiah did away with the priests of Baal and the sacred poles of the Asherah. The congregation listened to the word of God quietly.
The Baal and the Asherah represent the sexual cults of the gods and the pole represents the male …. By Gregory Elder gnyssa verizon. This photo is from about Courtesy Photo Of course, the enemies of Israel were many, but the worshippers of the pagan god Baal were singled out with a special detestation and not without reason. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams.
Her modern-day Daniel trilogy is out with IlluminateYA. And her inspirational adult romance Picture Imperfect releases in November of Find out more about her at her website.
Share this. Who Is Baal in the Bible? Who Is Baal? What Does the Bible Say about Baal? Today on Christianity. Jeremiah The Hebrew God reacted very strongly to this kind of worship.
The Torah on several occasions commands the death penalty for anyone worshiping him. Let his fellow citizens stone him. I God myself will turn against such a man and cut him off from the body of his people; for in giving his offspring to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.
The Hebrew God by comparison spent a lot of his career with a solitary ark drawn around in a cart. Later, He had but few holy places for sacrifice and in the days of Solomon these were concentrated into only one temple in Jerusalem.
But the humble worship of the Hebrew God, who had no images, ritual tattoos and who rejected child sacrifice, survived. The images of Baal, Ashtaroth and Molech are today viewed primarily by bored schoolchildren in museums.
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