Baal
(usually pronounced "bail") is mentioned widely in the Old Testament
as the primary male idol of the Phoenicians, often associated
with the goddess Ashtaroth. The photo below shows his fictitious
image from an ancient stone carving. He was the supposed son
of the pagan god Dagon.
Unfortunately,
to their eventual bitter regret, the Israelites became deeply
involved in its cult. The evil "worship" included perverted
sexual behavior, and even sacrificing their infants in fire.
It wasn't just misguided - it was outright wickedness.
 The term "Baal" is
actually 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.
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.
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).
 ...It
was on Mount Carmel that Elijah made his stand against the
many prophets of Baal and Asherah who were corrupting the
Israelites at the time. The account is given in 1 Kings
18. After a supernatural demonstration of the difference between
the true God and idolatry, the Israelites were convinced to
turn back to the true God. The outcome of the contest was
not as happy for Elijah's opponents, who all lost their lives.
Mt. Carmel
Daily
Bible Study
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