Baal's resurrection followed Mot's demise, the good news being transmitted through a dream of El: The fields were still parched from the drought and again Anath and Shapsh set out to find Baal. But Baal was not exclusively a fertility god. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14). Child Sacrifice, Transgender Issues and Baal Worship (verses 9-11). Baal (/ b e. Prophets and Prophecy (Part 1). 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." 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). The divine child was named Demarous, one of the cognomens of Zeus-Baal-Hadad. 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. The Jews of Christ's day clearly recognized this putrid blend and despised the Samaritans for it. Because of their self-absorption, God's "sudden" punishment will stun the people of the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, and the other nations of modern Israel, including some members of the true church. Elijah's work was to reveal the true God to Israel in a time of growing national crisis. 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). Immorality lies in the desire of men to live self-centered lives independent of God, as when Adam and Eve took of the forbidden tree (Genesis 3:1-19). Prepare to Meet Your God! 11:17; I Kings 8:3536; Jer. 27:1). Most modern translations use "false," "deceitful," or "faithless," and none of these are wrong, including "divided." Assyria, a kingdom known as much for its innovative weapons as for their brutal implementation, conquered the Kingdom of Israel in 718 BC. A complaint is made to Bull El, father of the gods, that Baal has no house like other gods. 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). 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). An example of Israel going after Baal leads to their loss of direction and, ultimately, scattering at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. *Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and WORSHIPPED AND SERVED THE CREATURE MORE THAN THE CREATOR". . This article is about Baal worship in the Bible. The worship of Baal extended in this region to the Jews, Canaanites and the Phoenicians. Human-Ram Deity from Sidon. One of the rooms in this temple had a bench, where offerings would have been placed, and an altar made of . 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. Rejection of God's Law. Psalms 106:28-33 - bible.com What the Bible says about Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Moloch | Definition & Facts | Britannica Study the god Baal, Baal worship, and the presentation of Baal in the Bible. John W. Ritenbaugh When we see that our thoughts and ways are not His, we should reform and repent. Paul, then, is letting the church know that it need not be concerned about missing the end time. The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". Bible Study Hosea Old Testament. 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). Who is Baal in the Bible? - The Truth Mission One such deity who gripped Israel for a period of time was Baal. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. 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." 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 . The principal pillars of Baalism were child sacrifice, sexual immorality (both heterosexual and homosexual) and pantheism . In the formative stages of Israels history, the presence of Baal names did not necessarily mean apostasy or even syncretism. With the help of the sun-goddess Shapsh, Anath locates the dead Baal, carries him to the height of apn, and weeping buries him with funerary sacrifices. Unlike Egypt and Mesopotamia, which depend on irrigation, the Promised Land drinks water from the rain of heaven (Deut. 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. Because Canaan depended on rain to grow crops and survive, he was numero uno. 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. 106 a ). 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. As a result of their sin, the men of Israel were judged by God. It may seem easy to point the finger at the ancient Israelites and say, How could you let a bull statue into Israel? Since El and Dagn are distinct deities, this seeming confusion over Baal's paternity needs explanation. (NASB). Ritual prostitution only served to erode the family, eventually leading to the destruction of the nation. This is God's way of showing that Israel abused its prosperity: It used its prosperity for the purposes of idolatry. What was the rationale behind this perverse, immoral act? 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. 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. The word is used as the name of a town in ancient Israel in Deuteronomy 1:4, Joshua . 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. 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. 3:23). You have a cuddly little Baal idol in your child's bedroom without even suspecting it. In popular and syncretistic religion in Israel, Yahweh could be equated with both El and Baal. The lesson for us becomes clear, because Jesus says the same thing (Matthew 6:24; 12:25). 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. It proved extremely hard for a monotheistic faith to compete against the Canaanite fertility cult. The basis of all immorality is selfishness, the exact opposite of what God is. Many of the practices mentioned were most probable common to the worship of all the Baals; a few others are certainly specific. The worship of Moloch, which was practiced at a special site (outside the walls of Jerusalem in the valley of Ben-Hinnom) called Topheth, became firmly established in the time of King Manasseh, his son Amon, and at the beginning of Josiah's reign. He began to prophesy in a time of immediate crisis, one that would become far worse before it ever improved. 33 Bible Verses about Baal Worship, History So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel. In this regard, Elijah was a type of John the Baptist, and Elisha, a type of Christ. 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 falling away is taking place right now. To accommodate Baal ideology to Yahwism required some radical transformations. The Septuagint (LXX) referred to the latter as a stranger [in the land]. People like to feel comfortable. a little T-shaped mark that stands for the long-A vowel (like a in father). Baal Peor, or the Baal of Peor, was a local deity worshiped by the Moabites. Baal in Smith's Bible Dictionary Baal (2) the supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations, as Ashtoreth was their supreme female divinity. The most prominent idol that they worshiped was Baal. (II Kings 17:35-38). Silapadikaram, a Tamil Classic, mentions more than 200 musical instruments. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). BAAL WORSHIP AND SEMITIC RACISM This term was used as a title and name of various local deities worshipped as guardians, heroes, and kings. After we accept His calling, He commands us to become moral as He is. He could, and did, withhold the rain from one city and lavish it on another (Amos 4:7). These people, who became known as the Samaritans, feared the Lord but worshipped their own gods. A biblical pharaoh's border monument. . They were primarily devoted to the worship of Baal and Asherah (or Asherim, Asheroth). 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. Baal worship also included, at times, child sacrifice, which we see some Israelite kings engaging with later on. Indeed, religion flourished, as Amos, Hosea's contemporary, clearly reports (see Amos 5:21-27). Christ's purpose is to cure, not merely to comfort, so pain will be often involved when dealing with a prophet. A third is that he is describing somebody teetering on a tightrope and trying to maintain his balance. 2008 The Gale Group. Valimai means strengh, or force or weight. So the word Jezebel finally means one who is a good musician. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them (2 Kings 21:3). His overall conduct may not be too bad, but his poor self-analysis persuades him that he has no urgent need to seek God any further. * Jesus is a transliteration of the Latin; it is NOT a translation! Gen. 41; II Sam. Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. Asherah, mother of the gods, was prevailed upon to intercede with El to gain permission for the building. He just goes to sleep as he is freezing to death. The summer drought did not mean that YHWH had died (like Baal), nor did the return of the rains signal the resurrection. He sends someone long before the real crisis reaches its peak, while it is building. Required fields are marked *. Depending on the tradition, she was either Baal's mother, lover, or both. Historical Background of HoseaBaal and Idolatry We must understand that our god is not what we say we worship but what we serve. However, even though their origins were Canaanite, the Phoenicians established their own distinct culture. Baal Worship is Alive and Well in the World! | The Bible Stop He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. You tricked me." 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 awakens them to their spiritual and moral responsibilities. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Biblical Archaeology's Top 10 Discoveries of 2021 - News & Reporting Baal and Asherah were two giant stumbling blocks for the people of Israel. 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).