TEACHING NOTES Introduction Last week we learned that the Bible mentions other gods. These other gods are spiritual beings who were created by God to do His will. But these spirits rebelled against God in order to corrupt humanity and lead humanity to worship them as gods. Genesis 3-11 contains the origin stories of these rebellions which reach their climax at the Tower of Babel. At this point God allowed the nations to get what they wanted—their own gods. And God chose Abraham to create a nation (Israel) who would worship the Creator alone and lead the nations back to Yahweh God. However, even Israel repeatedly rebels and worships other gods. Today, we’re going learn about one of these other gods—Baal. ‌ Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ‌ Explanation: The rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil are demonic spirits. The “heavenly places” refers to the spiritual realm, which we could view as an invisible dimension. While we often think humans are the problem, Paul is clear that spiritual evil the real enemy. ‌ Psalm 96:4–5 4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are demons, but the LORD made the heavens. ‌ The other gods are real spirits created by Yahweh who rebelled, became counterfeit gods, and seek to lead humanity into destruction. ‌ Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. ‌ Yahweh is God of gods = The Bible makes this statement repeatedly that Yahweh is an elohim but there is no elohim like Yahweh nor above Yahweh. The other gods (Heb. elohim - spiritual being) are real, but they are simply spiritual being who were created by God and rebelled against Him. ‌ Not partial and takes no bribe = Yahweh is a God who does not play favoritism and cannot be bought nor manipulated. This sets Yahweh apart from all the other counterfeit gods. The pagan gods could be manipulated into doing what humans wanted—so the pagans thought. But Yahweh is the Creator who does not need humans and cannot be manipulated by anyone. ‌ Problem: Even Israel turned from Yahweh to other gods. ‌ Deuteronomy 32:15-17 15 But Jeshurun [Israel] grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation. 16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons that were not God, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded. ‌ Who/what is Ba’al? ‌- Ba’al = “lord” “master” - ‌Canaanite god of weather and fertility. - ‌Widely worshiped in many nations. - ‌Depicted as a giant holding lightning. - ‌Also depicted as a bull. ‌ Every counterfeit god led humans to become self-destructive. For example, Gen. 6:1-12 tells us that the sons of God led humanity into sexual immorality and violence. The worship practices of those who worshiped other gods give us insight into what these gods were trying to do to humans. The Bible tells us what Baal worship involves by telling us what people did when they worshiped Baal. ‌ Exodus Ch. 1–31 ‌- Israel is enslaved to Egypt and their gods. ‌- Yahweh calls Moses and Aaron. ‌- Yahweh brings judgment on Egypt & their gods. ‌- Israel (and others) delivered from slavery. - Israel arrives at Mt. Sinai to meet Yahweh. ‌- Moses ascends Mt. Sinai for 40 days. ‌ Exodus 32:1 1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ‌ The people = We must remember that when the Israelites left Egypt there was a “mixed multitude” that left with them (Ex. 12:38). This mixed multitude were non-Israelite people who believed Yahweh and decided to become part of Israel. It is important to know that being and Israelite was determined by race/ethnicity, but by ritual and religious faithfulness. If a male Gentile wanted to become an Israelite he would be circumcised, practice the Torah, and participate in the ritual sacrifices and feasts. ‌ Aaron = God chose Moses to lead Israel and Aaron (Moses’ brother) was chosen to speak for Moses in Egypt and to be the first high priest for Israel. ‌ Make us gods = It seems crazy to think that humans can make their own gods. However, the common practice back then was to create an idol or statue of your god and then invite the god/spirit to inhabit the idol. Idol statues were often hollow and an “opening of the nostrils” ceremony would be performed to invite the gods to enter the idol. ‌ As for this Moses = Moses is on Mt. Sinai with God receiving the covenant. At this point the Israelites have been at the base of Mt. Sinai waiting 40 days for Moses to come back down the mountain. The people are assuming that Moses is not coming back and likely is dead. ‌ Exodus 32:2–4 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ‌ Aaron received the gold = The Hebrew word for “received” (Heb. tiqqah - took) and is the same word used in Gen. 3:6 when Eve “took of its fruit and ate.” This is the Bible’s way to indicating that this story is a major turning point. ‌ Made a golden calf = The Hebrew phrase here refers to a young bull. Ancient cultures who worshiped Baal would have a bronze or golden bull as the idol. Since we know that Baal was worshiped in Egypt, it seems that these people are choosing to go back to worshiping Baal. The Israelites had been living in Egypt for over 400 years, so it makes sense that they may have learned to worship Baal during that time. ‌ Exodus 32:5–6 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. ‌ Rose up to play = This is a Hebrew figure of speech that refers to wild sexual behavior. Essentially, it means that the Israelites were involved in a ritual orgy in worship around the bull statue. Any ancient reader would understand that this golden bull represents Baal and the Israelites are performing a fertility ritual in worship to Baal. ‌ Numbers 25:1–3 1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to prostitute with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. ‌ Prostitute with the daughters of Moab = These women were worshipers of Baal and were likely prostitutes for fertility rituals. In Gen. 19:30-38 we learn that the Moabites were descendants of Lot and his oldest daughter. Lot was Abraham’s nephew who often got everyone into trouble. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s daughters got their father drunk and slept with him. As a result, both daughters conceive children by their own father. One child was named Ben-ammi or Ammon “son of my kin” and his descendants are the Ammonites. The other child was named Moab “from father” and his descendants are the Moabites. So, these “daughters of Moab” come from a long history of gross sexual immorality. ‌ Sacrifices of their gods = In the ancient world, sacrifices were communal meals shared among the people. In Baal worship, these meals were followed by a frenzy of sexual rituals meant to lure their god into making them fertile. Like the episode with the golden calf/bull in Ex. 32, Israel is engaging in sexual rituals and worship of another god. ‌ Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor = In the Bible “yoked together” is used as a metaphor for being enslaved (Lev. 26:13; Gal. 5:1) and also as a metaphor for marriage (2 Cor. 6:14). In the Bible, the people’s covenant with God is described as a marriage. Yahweh was in covenant with Israel and wanted to lead and care for them as a good husband does for his wife. But Israel was continuously unfaithful/adulterous in their relationship with Yahweh. In other words, they repeatedly cheated on Yahweh with other gods. While God is abundantly forgiving with many sins, worshiping other gods has the harshest consequences. God will not tolerate His people worshiping other gods. Idolatry is the most destructive and blasphemous sin. ‌ Ancient literature associates Baal with unrestrained immorality, and especially sexual immorality. ‌ Is Baal still around today? There are examples in our culture that seem similar to ancient Baal worship. In New York a massive bronze bull stands on the sidewalk of Broadway as a symbol of prosperity. The opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England began with a massive metal bull surrounded by dancers bowing down and making offerings. ‌ While most people today are not bowing down to a golden bull, our culture has become obsessed with the same practices and lifestyle involved in Baal worship. ‌ Baal led people into self-destruction by encouraging indulgence and enslaving them to their desires. ‌ How can we stay free from Baal? 1 Corinthians 10:6–8 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. ‌ 1 Corinthians 6:18–20 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. ‌ Romans 13:11–12 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. ‌ Romans 13:13–14 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. ‌ How to Respond ‌Prayer: Ask God to reveal what needs to change. Repentance: Agree with God and repent of sin. Worship: Thank God for what He is doing in you. Communion: Take Christ in and renew faithfulness.