What is so interesting is that, by verse 36, God is no longer reporting on the Samaritans but is addressing Israel. 10:25, 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18). That made God so angry that a plague spread through their ranks; Phinehas stood up and pled their case and the . They also worshiped him as a fertility god who provided children. 28:2); Hezekiah attempted to eliminate it; Manasseh his son again gave it royal support (II Kings 21:3); and Josiah in his turn purged the Temple of YHWH of the utensils made for Baal and Asherah (II Kings 23:4). Most of the information they gave turned out to be wrong, to be lies. What Is the Significance of Not the Letter but of the Spirit? 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. 14:2, 9; Num. Because Baal was neither alive nor a moral force, his worshippers felt they could communicate with him only by ritual actions that portrayed what they were asking him to do. Top 10 Sacred Prostitutes - Listverse Or about Yahweh? 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. 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. The summer drought did not mean that YHWH had died (like Baal), nor did the return of the rains signal the resurrection. All Rights Reserved. The Sovereign Creator is not a God who allows His favor to be bought with crumbs. 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. ADD. Claude Doumet-Serhal of the British Museum details recent excavations at Sidon in her article SidonCanaans Firstborn, published in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Baal (/ b e. For example, Christmas and Easter are traditions of men, but they are lies. This is no different from what Israel was doing when Amos wrote back in 760 BC. What Is an Asherah Pole? - Christianity.com He was considered superior to his father, El, the chief of the deities. The biblical allusions to YHWH's victory over the sea preserve echoes of the older exploit of Baal (cf. 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. In another room was a round base that likely supported a wooden pillar. In the El-Amarna letters Canaanite clients addressed the Egyptian king as "My Baal, my Addu." The bulk of the Ugaritic mythological texts is concerned with the activities of Baal. Before descending to the realm of death, Baal copulates with a heifer and begets a male offspring. This corrupt blending of a holy God with a pagan goddess became part of everyday religious practice, which is why evil king Manasseh put an Asherah pole . In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens. What the Bible says about Usually the storm god is illustrated as a striding human figure, but sometimes he is represented by one of his symbols, such as the bull or leonine dragon. So the word Poeni can be rewritten as Peyeni or as Payani or as Payan. Sidon's Phoenician Temple. As an example, notice Amos 2:6-7, where Amos chides the Israelites: ". 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. To become moral, we must kill our selfish egos through the use and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. 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. 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. Ashtoreth in the Bible - Definition, Meaning and References But what was its real effect on the participants and the nation? 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. Certainly not those of east Asia. In Tamil Nadu, the following words payachi paarai, Peyazhwar, payans, pai (meaning devil) are currently in use. He wanted people to like him, which is understandable. BAAL WORSHIP AND SEMITIC RACISM This term was used as a title and name of various local deities worshipped as guardians, heroes, and kings. The myth may refer in part to the construction of Baals own temple in the city of Ugarit. Did The Canaanites Really Sacrifice Their Children? | Bible Reading Theoretically, the Israelites did not believe in idols, but in reality, they did. Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. was furnished by Harvard University excavations in the form of personal names containing Baal as the theophorous element, such as bybl, "Baal is my father," bl zmr, "Baal sings" or "Baalis strong," bl zkr, "Baal remembers," bl mny, "Baal is my answer," etc. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. The word bal, common Semitic for "owner, master, husband," became the usual designation of the great weather-god of the Western Semites. But who is Baal? The Israelites rejected the law of God and relied on the traditions of Gentile nations. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/ggenova. But God has a different perspective; He says they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17). But Baal was not exclusively a fertility god. He is often accused of causing their pain. The myths also tell of Baals struggle to obtain a palace comparable in grandeur to those of other gods. A vivid description of theophany in a thunderstorm is found in Psalms 18:715 (= II Sam. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Then stood up Phinehas, and exe Then they linked up with Baal Peor, attending funeral banquets and eating idol food. In the Hebrew language, Baal as a noun means "lord or possessor." As a verb, it means "to have dominion over or be lord over." Additionally, the local deity (near Israel) "Baal," was a god of rain and fertility. The variant form Hadad (hdd) is attested to only once in Ugaritic. Baal (or Baalim) | Catholic Answers Asherah, mother of the gods, was prevailed upon to intercede with El to gain permission for the building. BAAL the Religion of SATANISM - Loren Davis 2008 The Gale Group. In this regard, Elijah was a type of John the Baptist, and Elisha, a type of Christ. However, it was not the religion God gave through Moses, but idolatry that flourished! 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. Sacred sex was a key component. As a result of their sin, the men of Israel were judged by God. He just goes to sleep as he is freezing to death. That the World May Know | Fertility Cults of Canaan 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). Second was passing their babies through the fire. In some cases, they attempted to attach this practice to worship of the Lord (Ezek 23:39). Figs and grapes ripen during the dry season and the grain harvest also takes place before the rains resume. He views them as personally rejecting Him and His Word. Baal worship is something I associated only with Old Testament Bible days. Child sacrifice was even practiced in the Valley of Hinnom just outside of Jerusalem. 3:10; cf. 2 Kings 10:18-28 NKJV - Worshipers of Baal Killed - Bible Gateway It was a corruption of that religion, for the Israelites syncretized that holy way with Baalism and other idolatries. 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. Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. They were primarily devoted to the worship of Baal and Asherah (or Asherim, Asheroth). 8. In popular and syncretistic religion in Israel, Yahweh could be equated with both El and Baal. Revelation 2:14 "THE DOCTRINES OF . 9:20 presents a parallel is mistaken since the Ugaritic text mentions the sea-god and not Death (Mot) in connection with the window.) All this was part of his fertility role, which, when fulfilled, meant an abundance of crops and fertility for animals and mankind. 26:46). He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. In this chapter, the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal have a show-down to prove the power of their God and gods. He replaced the Levitical priesthood with men of his own choosing. One of the rooms in this temple had a bench, where offerings would have been placed, and an altar made of . Gray, The Legacy of Canaan (rev. Murder and sexual immorality was a part of Baal worship. 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. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. Despite having the power and support of the king of Israel and his . Baal Worship Idolatry Part 2 - YouTube Given Sidons position on the coast, it is not surprising that the storm god is Sidons most important god. What happens if a person, trying to establish a religion, mixes falsehood with the truth of God? Baal Worship The Battle for the Israelites' Hearts 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. 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! He was also king of the gods, and, to achieve that position, he was portrayed as seizing the divine kingship from Yamm, the sea god. 13:2) such as Baal himself performed in the Ugaritic myth are depicted in the prophetic tirades. 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. Though it hurts, the pain is indicative of rescue and cure. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. The spectacular victory for Yahwism did not have a lasting effect. 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). When the rain failed, it was inevitable that some would question YHWH's power and resort to 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. Study the god Baal, Baal worship, and the presentation of Baal in the Bible. 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. The Jews of Christ's day clearly recognized this putrid blend and despised the Samaritans for it. But when heat is applied, and the blood begins rushing into the affected areas, pain immediately occurs. Now another presentation that the Phoenicians who are also connected with the Canaanites had traded with the trading mariners of Kerala, India. 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. All 450 prophets of Baal do not escape the slaughter that takes place after that. . Elijah is quite instructive here. Yet if you asked most people who believe and follow this new morality, I suspect few would have ever heard of Baal. The sequel to this action is furnished by the group of texts which recount Baal's confrontations with Mot. Many of the practices mentioned were most probable common to the worship of all the Baals; a few others are certainly specific. Ritual prostitution only served to erode the family, eventually leading to the destruction of the nation. The prophet turns the heat on, and they become angry with him when he is actually working to make them better. A biblical pharaoh's border monument. A complex religion with traditions and gods from all over the ancient Middle East, Baal worship offered something for everyone. Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in the temples. Charles Whitaker PDF WE ARE PRACTICING BAAL-PEOR WORSHIP LIKE ISRAEL OF OLD WE - Numbers1317 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. 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). The Semitic word "baal" (meaning '"Lord") was also used to refer to various deities of the Levant. Gen. 41; II Sam. I would also challenge the suggestion in the text of the article that the location of Lots cave is known. How could you worship Baal? But if we dont exercise extreme discernment, we may find ourselves doing the same with modern-day baals. 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. We need to be reminded of it because it can have a detrimental effect on us. Portions of ancient Baal liturgy were adapted to the praise of Israel's God, as the Ugaritic poems have shown. El is praised for his wisdom in granting the request since now it is insured that Baal will give his rain in season. 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. 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. Perhaps the clearest example of this is Jeremiah, who moaned and complained to God, "This is more difficult than You ever told me it would be. The longest of the texts deals with the construction of Baal's house on top of Mount apn. (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. Meaning of Jezebel: This word can be also pronounced as Isabel. Sidon was well connected by trade by the traders of the Pandya kingdom of Tamil Nadu. In their spiritually unaware state, they will be incredulous at God's punishment for "such a little bit of sin." BIBLIOGRAPHY: W. Hermann, in: DDD, 13238; M.S. Koshar twice recommended that a window be installed and Baal twice vetoed the suggestion, although Koshar insisted that Baal would have to reconsider. Val is related to valimai in Tamil. Baal, Asherah, and the God of Everything - Leaders Go Last In Hebrew, it is rendered Yehoshua, and in Aramaic, Yeshua.