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Baal....
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Baal (usually pronounced "bail") is mentioned widely in the
Old
Testament as the primary pagan idol of the Phoenicians, often associated
with the heathen goddess Ashtaroth. The photo below shows
Baal's
fictitious image from an ancient stone carving. He was the supposed son of
the non-existent god Dagon. Unfortunately, to their eventual bitter
regret, the Israelites became deeply involved in the cult of the
Baals.
The evil "worship" included perverted sexual behavior, and even
sacrificing their infants in fire. It wasn't just misguided - it was
outright wickedness.
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The term "Baal" is used in various ways in the
Old
Testament, with the usual meaning of master, or owner. It came to sometimes
mean the local pagan god of a particular people, and at the same time all of
the idols of the land. It is also found in several places in the plural Baalim, or Baals (Judges 2:11, 10:10). There were many variations, such as
the sun god, the god of fertility, and Beelzebub, or the "lord of flies".
According to one tradition, the ancient priest Berosus served Belus, or Bel,
as it was originally called. It was allegedly Berosus that partially built
the Tower of Babel, named after Baal, or Bel, on the plain of Shinar in the
The Tigris-Euphrates Valley.
Babylon also originates from the pagan god's
name. The writings of Berosus also record the story, apart from the Bible
record, of the great Flood. |
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Through the Moabites, the Israelites became involved with
it as the "Baal of Peor" (Numbers 25:3, Deuteronomy 4:3), which they
worshiped along with the pagan Ashtoreth, until the time of Samuel (1 Samuel
7:4). Later, the northern ten tribes of Israel became corrupted by it in the
time of Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31-33,
18:19-22). The southern kingdom of Judah also was guilty of it (2 Kings
8:27, 11:18, 16:3, 2 Chronicles 28:2) until their defeat and exile
(Zephaniah 1:4-6) by King Nebuchadnezzar. |
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The priests of Baal were in great numbers (1 Kings
18:19), and of various classes (2 Kings 10:19) throughout the land. Their
fraud was exposed however in a great contest with the prophet Elijah on
Mount Carmel. Out numbered hundreds to one, Elijah, with the power of God,
destroyed them all (1 Kings 18:16-40). |
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