Judges 3:7 – 11 “So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim (Mesopotamia), and the Israelites served him eight years. But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother, as a deliverer to save them. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him. So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.”
Remember Othniel? The name “Othniel” means “God’s strength/God’s lion.” Othniel got to marry Achsah, Caleb’s daughter by capturing the Canaanite city of Kiriath – sepher. (The name “Kiriath – sepher” means “City of letters” or “City of the book/scrolls.”) As a savvy commander, Caleb wanted a good man for his son – in – law, and he got one. When Israel needed a strong leader, Othniel came forward and went to war. Moved by the Spirit of the Lord, Othniel continued to lead Israel wisely for forty years.
Unfortunately, there is no indication that the Israelites actually repented and returned to worship the One True Living God. As soon as Othniel was victorious and the pressure was off, the Israelites went right back to worshiping demons.
What were the Baals? The name “Baal” means “lord.” Baal was the god of fertility, weather, rain, wind, lightning, seasons, war, and sailors. In some cultures, Baal was considered as the son of El, the Lord of Heaven, and honored him as being greater than El. The term “El” was used by several different groups to indicate the supreme god. The term “baal” was also used to refer to local gods. These local gods would actually have been demonic spirits operating within a given territory.
Astarte/Ashtoreth was the Queen of Heaven to whom the Canaanites burned offerings and poured libations (Jeremiah 44). Astarte, goddess of war and sexual love, shared so many qualities with her sister, Anath, that they may originally have been seen as a single deity. Astarte/Ashtoreth is also sometimes identified with Asherah.
Asherah is identified as the consort of the Sumerian god Anu, and Ugaritic ʾEl, the oldest deities of their respective pantheons,.This role gave her a similarly high rank in the Ugaritic pantheon. Deuteronomy 12 has Yahweh (Jehovah) commanding the destruction of her shrines so as to maintain purity of his worship. (Information from Encyclopedia Britannica)
It’s safe to assume that any time a god or goddess was associated with fertility, there would be cult prostitutes. Worship services might include the priests having sex with cult prostitutes publicly. And once the priests were engaged in sexual intercourse, worshipers would also follow their example. There were several different deities whose worship also included child sacrifice.
APPLICATION: Demons don’t die, nor do they leave a given area. The amount of demonic activity in any geographical location is directly proportional to the amount of true worship of the One True Living God in that area. The Sentinel Organization has produced several videos on the incredible effects resulting when Christians in a given community begin praying together and waging spiritual warfare against the demons influencing their community. Hemet, California, was a center for drugs and other illegal activities until local pastors came together to pray. As these pastors prayed, they realized that there was a demonic spirit controlling the area that manifested itself in the shape of a bear. Christians in Hemet began praying and fasting and doing prayer walks throughout their city. When God’s Holy Spirit began moving, Hemet was transformed.
Dean Sherman from Youth With A Mission teaches that there is more power in one drop of the blood of Jesus than in all the forces of hell. While that teaching is absolutely correct, there is no place on earth without resident demons (baals). Christians who enter a new area without adequate spiritual preparation may find themselves tempted in ways they have never imagined. One pastor friend told us of sending two Christian nurses to a remote mission clinic in Ghana. Both of these nurses claimed to be dedicated Christians who would never touch alcohol. Within a matter of months, both men became heavy drinkers and our friend had to withdraw them from that clinic. In another case, a veteran missionary who had been highly effective turned into a petty tyrant when he moved into a mission house immediately next to a fetish shrine.
We must guard our hearts! Jesus warned His followers,“And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.” St. Paul advised the Philippians, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8) The things that we feed our minds, souls, and bodies will all affect us for better or for worse.
How do we protect ourselves? Follow Othniel’s example. “The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel.” Othniel was open to the moving of the Holy spirit because had had been faithfully worshiping the Lord. If Othniel had not been worshiping the Lord, nothing would have happened.
PRAYER: Father God, we do worship You and praise You for who You are! You are the One True Living God, the God of our salvation. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Give us spiritual discernment so that we will be able to pray accurately and aggressively. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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