It can be a bit difficult to unravel the various pagan gods of the Old Testament. The same myths and characters pop up with some variations in different cultures in the ancient world. Often these characters have different, or more than one, name. We see this clearly in how the Roman Empire reworked much of Greek mythology, giving the various gods Roman names.
Of particular interest to us are the various pagan gods whose worship corrupted Israel’s relationship with Adonai. Here we shall consider Baal, Asherah, Molech (aka Milcom), Chemosh and Tammuz.
The important question for us is why Israel, having been rescued from slavery in Egypt by Adonai, was attracted to these pagan gods.
Abram’s Roots.
Let us look back at Abram’s early life.
Abram worshipped pagan gods before he was called out by Yahweh. Nanna was one of the main gods in Ur. Abram and his relatives “had served many gods”. These words are repeated at Pesach.
We see this in the family which Abram left behind him in the story of Jacob, Rachel and Laban, when Rachel made off with her father’s “household gods”.
Laban’s family was either polytheistic (believers in many gods) or henotheistic (believers in Yahweh but only as one among many gods – even if supreme among them).
In the culture of Ur, possession of household gods was the right of the principal heir. Possibly Rachel took the idols, not to worship them but to retain the right of her husband as principal heir: “Is there still any position or inheritance for us in our father’s house. Are we not considered strangers? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money.” Clearly Rachel was content to upset her father.
Laban clearly saw these idols as important. They may have been considered by him to offer special protection to his home. His actions in pursuing Jacob demonstrated his determination to get them back.
Israel had a background in polytheism.
The Golden Calf Incident.
In the desert, Israel showed it had difficulty escaping the world outlook they had experienced in Egypt.
In Sinai, with the extended absence of Moshe in the mountain and the terrifying setting in which he had ascended, the people became discouraged and feared he would not return.
They called on Aaron, “make us gods that shall go before us”. The cow and the bull were worshipped in Egypt. So, Aaron made a “moulded calf “. The pagan world had blinded the people from seeing that it was the Holy One who had led them out of slavery.
Aaron seems to have sought to blend the worship of Yahweh with pagan symbols, saying that the calf was the One who had led the people out of Egypt.
But “the people rose up to play”; their worship of the calf may have involved sacrifices as well as sexual acts of pagan worship.
Pagan Worship in the Land.
When Israel came into the Land, they would encounter no end of pagan gods. Hence Adonai’s instructions to keep themselves as a separate people.
Among the prevalent pagan deities Baal, Asherah, Dagon, Molech (aka Milcom). Nishrod, Tammuz and Chemosh.
Baal. Baal was the chief god of the Canaanites and probably the main stumbling block for Israel.
Baal (or “Bel”) was worshipped in a number of cultures, often as the sky god, sun god or the storm god depicted as holding a lightening pole. He was also seen as a fertility god who supposedly made the earth fertile and enabled women to conceive. He was often depicted as a bull; a powerful creature.
The rites of Baal worship included cult prostitution and sometimes human sacrifice. The priests of Baal would work themselves up into an emotional frenzy and cut themselves with swords and lances. This sort of practices was outlawed for Israel (Leviticus 19: 28).
Scripture sometimes refers to “Baals” (plural). This does not mean that there was some sort of family, but rather it refers to the number of local variations of the same myth.
Asherah. Asherah was the most significant Canaanite goddess. Sometimes she was referred to as the wife of Ei and in other myths as the mother or consort of Baal.
The term “Asherahs” came to be used to refer to the sacred poles erected in her honour. She was the goddess of love, war and sexual pleasure. The rites connected with her worship involved sacred prostitution. These sexual rites in the Canaanite temple were designed to prompt the gods to make the earth fertile.
Some of the other gods we come across.
Ashtoreth. She appears to be a variant of the Canaanite, Asherah. She was the goddess of love and fertility and was especially worshipped in Tyre and Sidon.
Dagon. Dagon was the principal god of the Philistines, also known in Syria and Mesopotamia. In some places, he was depicted as half-man and half-fish. But he was also associated with the production of grain.
War and death were also under the remit of Dagon. But for the Philistines, he was particularly connected with the weather and the fertility of the land. He was perhaps an adaptation of the Canaanite, Baal. Philistia was an important grain-producing area.
Molech (aka Milcom). Molech was the god of the Ammonites. His worship was closely associated with human sacrifice and the seeking of knowledge through occult means. Divination, the use of mediums, and soothsayers were common among Canaanite and other pagan religions. All these practices were forbidden to Israel.
Tammuz (aka Dumuzi). Tammuz was the Babylonian god of spring vegetation. He was thought to die in summer and come back to life in the spring.
Chemosh. He was the national god of Moab. His worship was practiced repeatedly in Israel and involved the sacrifice of children as a burnt offering.
These so-called gods were seen as distant, angry beings who had to appeased to ensure protection from enemies, for food security and for the procreation of children. Such was their ferocity and vengefulness that human sacrifice was required to appease them.
As an example of how these so-called gods infected Israel, let us look at the career of King Manasseh (697 – 640 BC).
We should note that although Manasseh is often referred to (with justification) as the most evil king of Judah, he did repent at the end of his life even if it did take being captured by the king of Assyria (2 Chronicles 33). When Adonai effected his release, “then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.”
However, over many previous years he had earned his reputation as the worst king of Judah. Manasseh “did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel”.
In his violent reign there were many executions (including the prophet Isaiah). He rebuilt the high places for pagan worship. He raised up altars to Baal. He made wooden images (Asherahs). Children were sacrificed in “the valley of Hinnom.” He “worshipped all the host of heaven and served them” (the Babylonians were particularly drawn to the gods of the sun, moon and stars). Manasseh “made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and consulted spirits and mediums.” He brought this kind of worship into Jerusalem and profaned the temple.
So, what was the attraction of these pagan gods for Israel?
Illicit Sex. The worship of Baal and Asherah and others, offered the allure of illicit sex.
Numbers 25: 1 and 2.
“Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifice of their gods, and the people bowed down to their gods.”
As they say in the world of advertising – sex sells!
International Peer Pressure.
Israel wanted to be like its neighbours and these nations worshipped Baal and Asherah.
1 Samuel 8: 5, 20.
“… make us a king to judge us like all the nations … that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
Despite Adonai’s desire that they be separate from their neighbours, Israel wanted to emulate them.
Satan’s Temptation and Man’s Sinfulness.
Satan’s temptation was to make the people make sacrifices and to give worship to what were essentially demons. He would use their anxiety over the threat of war, insecurity over food and the infertility of the land and the people. He offered these idols as the solution to their worries and their source of comfort. It took the Babylonian exile to free Israel from these Canaanite gods.
In our time we have our own idols which are widely believed to provide all happiness – wealth, possessions and physical comfort. There’s nothing new under the sun!