BAAL WORSHIP PART 2

 The Idol Baal had a wife that was worshiped as a separate deity. Her name was Ashtaroth. As it was with Baal so it was with his wife. Ashtaroth became different deities in different cultures. The Greeks called her Aphrodite, the Babylonians called her Ishtar, the Sumerians called her Nana, and the Romans called her Venus, today we don't give her one name but the philosophy of behavior is the same.


Ashtaroth is a seductress. She is taught that she has no value apart from being desired and possessed by a man so she measures her value through the ability to manipulate men and circumstance through seduction. She needs to be desired to have any sense of self-worth. The problem is self-worth based on being sexually used is no self-worth at all, therefore she is constantly trying to prove her worth with her abilities but can never feel secure because her sense of self comes at the whim of others and is out of her control, therefore she also tries to control everything around her but with all her trying the main emotion of Astoroth is fear. Fear of no longer being desired by men, and therefore losing control of her life and circumstances. Fear of being abandoned and alone.

The biblical example of this spirit is the woman Jezebel. As daughter of Ethabaal, king of the Sidonians Jezebel grew up in a household off Baal worship, and everywhere she is mentioned in scripture she is connected to manipulating men and circumstance to gain power, examples- 1kings 18:4, 1Kings 21:1-16, 1Kings 19:1-2. Even her last act was a desperate attempt to look seductive enough for the confrontation with Jehu although it did her no good, 2kings 9:30-31. We will mention more about Jezebel in later lessons but for now she serves as an extreme example of the spirit of Ashtaroth.

Ashtaroth is also called the virgin wife of Baal. She lives the double life. On the one hand she wants to be seen as the good girl to her family, coworkers, church, etc. On the other hand she has to manipulate men and circumstances sexually and wants to be seen as a sexual force. Astorath is two different women depending on the circumstance she finds herself in and who she thinks is watching.

This spirit will never give her to any man. Husbands and boyfriends are just men to be manipulated and she chooses her relationships based on that philosophy even if she is unaware of it. She may want to appear like the good girl to the husband or boyfriend but to her targets she is someone else altogether. Her insecurities drive her to try and conquer men who seem unavailable. This spirit causes as much damage to households and relationships as the spirit of Baal itself. These two spirits are drawn to each other, Baal, the one who is withholding emotionally and sees women as nothing more than sexual objects and Ashtaroth, the one seeking to conquer someone who is distant and valuing herself as nothing beyond her ability to be desired sexuality.

These spirits will have contempt for people who are not similar in temperament and will try to make the person they chose fit into the behavior they have come to feel comfortable with. If a woman has a sense of self Baal will try to crush it. If a man gives his emotions and values Ashtoroth as a person she will seek to redefine the relationship along sexual lines where she is comfortable at manipulating.

Baal worship is so prevalent in our society that we adopt most of these behaviors as normal. One need only look at the advertisement industry and we see the philosophy of Baal worship everywhere.

Our only chance to escape this philosophy is through the word of God leading us back to our God given natural affections.

NEXT WEEK: BAAL WORSHIP PART 3.

Poet Ntwadumela’s Voice