The latter title has a biblical echo in the corrupted form Baal-Zebub (II Kings 1:2ff. Knowledge of Baals personality and functions derives chiefly from a number of tablets uncovered from 1929 onward at Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra), in northern Syria, and dating to the middle of the 2nd millennium bce. The most prominent idol that they worshiped was Baal. This describes to a T what Israel did then and their descendants are continuing to do today. Study the god Baal, Baal worship, and the presentation of Baal in the Bible. 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). 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. 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. Possibly even more treacherous than this was a parallel development: mixing the worship of Yahweh and Baal. Let's exemplify Baal doctrines as preached . Reuben Alcalay, a famous Hebrew lexicographer, stated that Yehoshua is closely related to Let there be So, lets be intellectually honest and start using the proper English translation: Joshua. He began to prophesy in a time of immediate crisis, one that would become far worse before it ever improved. In the Bible, Jezebel is notorious for persecuting the worship of Yahweh and for demanding that the Israelites worship Baal. Their reverence for Him was mere intellectual accommodation intended to appease Him. Jews nowadays say Ha-Shem [i.e. Alan, how said anything about John baptizing Jesus? The word bel can be transformed into vel or val. The Israelites fell into the worship of this idol(Numbers 25:3,5,18; Deuteronomy 4:3; Psalm 106:28; Hosea 9:10). 2008 The Gale Group. In daily life, they conformed to and reflected the Babylonish system just as Israel does today. I appreciate your consideration, and Im sure the Most High does as well! 4. 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. Baal worship is and has always been pagan; today it is replacing the laws and beliefs based upon Judaeo-Christian roots, which honours the GOD of the Bible, His laws and His ways. 22:816). 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. As an example, notice Amos 2:6-7, where Amos chides the Israelites: ". Second was passing their babies through the fire. Speech is completely original and produced exclusively by Grace Digital Network Music licensed through Artlist.io Footage licensed through Filmpac.com and S. Baal worship spread rapidly when the king of Israel, Ahab, married Jezebel, the princess of Tyre (1 Kings 16:31-32). A falling away is taking place right now. Koshar twice recommended that a window be installed and Baal twice vetoed the suggestion, although Koshar insisted that Baal would have to reconsider. . In this chapter, the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal have a show-down to prove the power of their God and gods. They clash violently until both are prostrate and the Sungoddess warns Mot not to fight with Baal lest El hear and overthrow him. In this regard, Elijah was a type of John the Baptist, and Elisha, a type of Christ. Asherah (Hebrew ), also spelled Ashera, was a major northwest Semitic mother goddess, appearing also in Akkadian sources as Ashratu, in Hittite as Asherdu and in Ugaritic as Athirat.She was the consort of the chief deity El and the mother of 70 other gods.. Although Baal is mentioned almost 100 times in the Bible, he is best known from the narratives of I and II Kings which include the story of the Phoenician princess Jezebel (d. c. 842 BCE), who encouraged his worship, and her struggle with the prophet Elijah, champion of the cult of Yahweh. Prepare to Meet Your God! However, it was not the religion God gave through Moses, but idolatry that flourished! A series of bad years, which were apparently believed to come in seven-year cycles (cf. The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". In the Aztec religion, life existed before humans, and civilization was built after the destruction of the fourth sun. In exchange, they would offer information about their unit. 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). 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. 3:23). Whether it turns out to be the falling away remains to be seen. "They built for themselves high places in all their cities . 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! 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. In the Bible, Jezebel is notorious for persecuting the worship of Yahweh and for demanding that the Israelites worship Baal. If you will not be committed to Him, you are going to die.". Now that He has announced Israel's imminent calamity, God begins to show how His punishment would alter the lives of the people. 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. Commentaries are at odds over what the Hebrew word translated divided means. After we accept His calling, He commands us to become moral as He is. The sequel to this action is furnished by the group of texts which recount Baal's confrontations with Mot. 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. Take the word isabel; it can be split as isa bel or as isai bel. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_washing_in_Judaism#Full-body_immersion_.28Tvilah.29, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_River, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_to_Judaism. 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. Next both Mot and Baal appear reconstituted and reactivated and again in conflict. He may have replaced the Sabbath with Sunday worship. How many pagan ideas have we let seep in? He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. They were not committed to the side that they were supposed to be on. He sends someone long before the real crisis reaches its peak, while it is building. In a normal good year, when the rains come in due season, there is no hiatus in productivity, for the land yields its increase, the trees produce their fruit, the threshing overlaps, the vintage overlaps the sowing, and there is food aplenty, prosperity, and peace (Lev. II Kings 17:5-6 relates the ultimate consequence. 106:28). Canaanite Religions and Baal Worship by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson Audio (12:51) Free E-mail Bible Study Grace: Favor for the Undeserving. (From Forerunner Commentary). That afon designated the "north" in Hebrew is presumably due to the fact that Mount Casius lies directly north of Palestine. For seven days a fire burned inside the building, and when it subsided, the house was plated with gold, silver, and lapis lazuli. This second, universal interpretation is a better fit because, when we look at the whole passage, the events and personalities are worldwide in scope. When Ashtoreth is mentioned in scripture, she is linked to Molech, (also called Milcom in the Bible). The right remedy, according to Israel's prophets, was to repudiate Baal completely and to seek and return to Israel's true God (Isa. 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. When the rain failed, it was inevitable that some would question YHWH's power and resort to Baal. Sometimes the leadership of the nation of Israel tolerated and embraced the deities of other nations. A DSS fragment has it spelled Iaw in Greek (iota-alpha-omega), which is consistent with Yahoah; see ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/lxxjewpap/4QLevB.jpg. When a person is freezing to death, he feels a pleasant numbness that he does not want to end. This Bible History Daily Article was first published in 2017, British Museum Excavations at Sidon Expose Millennia of History, The Phoenician Alphabet in Archaeology by Josephine Quinn. 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. How could you worship Baal? But if we dont exercise extreme discernment, we may find ourselves doing the same with modern-day baals. They were Phoenicians. The Baal-worship so often alluded to and described in Holy Writ might, perhaps, be better styled Cid-worship, moon-worship, Melek ()-worship, or Hadad-worship, according to places and circumstances.Many of the practices mentioned were most probably common to the worship . None of the foolish practices of the heathen could bring the rains; only YHWH could and did (Jer. He views them as personally rejecting Him and His Word. Horrendous and repulsive aspects of the worship sexual excesses and perversions (Isa. 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. 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). They were primarily devoted to the worship of Baal and Asherah (or Asherim, Asheroth). He is the king of the east and governs an army of 66 legions of demons." Did you catch that? JezaBel can be respelLt as JezaVel ~ JezaVAl ~ IezaVAL ~ Isaval-lavi ~ an expert in music. 7:1416). Learn about the Canaanite-Phoenician deities who were called Baal, which means Lord. The Sidonians were the inhabitants of ancient Sidon, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea in modern Lebanon. The worship of this idol consisted in exposing that part of the body which all persons usually take the utmost care to conceal. Searching for Israel (Part Six): Israel Is Fallen, Is Fallen. BAAL-WORSHIP AMONG THE GENTILES.The evidence is hardly of such weight as to justify us in speaking of a worship of Baal. He is deceived into thinking that his material prosperity proves that God approves of his conduct and attitudes. Baal rejoiced and celebrated with a banquet. Then stood up Phinehas, and exe Then they linked up with Baal Peor, attending funeral banquets and eating idol food. She's most famously the mother of Baal, another god who shows up throughout the Old Testament when the Israelites stray after other idols. As we study the operation of the spirit of Baal in the Bible, one can see the fruit of its operation in the USA.. ), from an original Baal-Zebul, which is preserved in this form in the New Testament (Matt. Another idea is that it pictures a person shifting his weight from one foot to the other, indicating a degree of lameness. The above comment is by Prof. Abraham Joseph, M.Sc., M.Phil. north of Ugarit. The violence and injustice in Israelite society ultimately stemmed from the false teaching proclaimed from the pulpits. 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. ; contact address: [emailprotected]. Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in the temples. The only trouble is that people like to feel comfortable in moral mediocrity. Jun 2. 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). Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. 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). What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? By the time of the prophet Hosea (mid-8th century bce) the antagonism to Baalism was so strong that the use of the term Baal was often replaced by the contemptuous boshet (shame); in compound proper names, for example, Ishbosheth replaced the earlier Ishbaal. Near Baals temple was that of Dagon, given in the tablets as Baals father. What is so interesting is that, by verse 35, it is clear God is no longer addressing Himself to the Samaritans, but to Israel: [T]he LORD had made a covenant and charged [Israel], saying: "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; but the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan (1968); Albright, Arch Rel; S.M. 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. The word bal, common Semitic for "owner, master, husband," became the usual designation of the great weather-god of the Western Semites. Groves and high places were places of worship erected to Canaanite gods and goddesses. The Bible tells us that there were dire consequences for Israel worshiping a false god (Judges 2). Sun worship came from the ancient pagan religion of Baal. Either you are going to be committed to Him or not. Elijah was dealing with the same thing here, albeit spiritually. Before descending to the realm of death, Baal copulates with a heifer and begets a male offspring. Baal was the title of the "god" worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. Certainly not those of east Asia. Baal remains silent during the exchange, whereas God showers a sopping-wet altar with fire. More than 1400 of her works have been featured in various publications. Today,. 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." Fertility was envisaged in terms of seven-year cycles. Avot 5:11 on the connection between tithing and rain). Corrections? 9:20 presents a parallel is mistaken since the Ugaritic text mentions the sea-god and not Death (Mot) in connection with the window.) The combined letters o and e is joined to pronounce the sound ye. So it was that, about 250 years after it was established, the ten-tribed northern kingdom became extinct as a sovereign nation. 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. Israel's false religion, represented by the altars of Bethel, is at the root of her problems. The ancient Tamils had connections with the Syrians and Sidon. However, before the war was over, both sides were summarily executing anybody who did this because those traitors could not be trusted. Indeed, religion flourished, as Amos, Hosea's contemporary, clearly reports (see Amos 5:21-27). Elijah is quite instructive here. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two). 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! This is no different from what Israel was doing when Amos wrote back in 760 BC. The association of the name Baal-Zephon with Israel's exit from Egypt (Ex. When religion is ungodly, its power is destructive, and every institution in the nation suffers. Meaning of Jezebel: This word can be also pronounced as Isabel. In some cases, they attempted to attach this practice to worship of the Lord (Ezek 23:39). In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens. The Aztec people used two calendars. 19:5ff.). (The suggestion that Jer. Ahab accommodated his wife's idolatry to the point of building a . (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. O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. a little T-shaped mark that stands for the long-A vowel (like a in father). What Is the Significance of Not the Letter but of the Spirit? 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. Two practices in particular are mentioned in Scripture. (Iron Age) temple. Not a BAS Library member yet? The first mention of Molech is in Leviticus 18:21 in which the . 3:8; Ps. For Constantine, the acceptance of Christianity was done solely TO UNIFY TERRITORY, RELIGIONS, AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS. They used the name of God frequently, saying they trusted Him, but they filled the nation with stealing, lying, and murder. The religion of Israel began with a man, Jeroboam I, who changed the true worship of God. Ashtar the Awful (ttrr) was then nominated to replace Baal, but when he ascended the throne, his feet did not reach the footstool nor his head the top and so he declined to reign on the heights of apn and descended from Baal's throne, but ruled over all El's earth.
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