Ancient World Religions
Assyrian Deity photo.
There were many religions in the Ancient World outside the worship of God of the Bible.
The Tower of Babel. Genesis 11:1-9.
People were of one language and traveled to the land of Shinar in upper Mesopotamia.
They build a tower to “reach to heaven.” This would establish their means of self-worship.
The Lord came down and confounded their language so that they could not undestand each other.
God scattered them abroad.
Assyrian Religion.
Existed when God called Abraham. Genesis 12:1-6. Abraham came to faith in God.
Abraham was born and raised in Ur of the Chaldees ( modern Iraq) which was in the area of Assyria.
Household gods were worshiped. Abraham and his father had worshiped idols. Joshua 24:2.
Rachel, wife of Jacob had stolen her father’s household idol. Genesis 31:17-19, 34.
Household gods were used in divination, a feature of Assyrian religeon. Zechariah 10:2-3 & Ezekiel 21:21.
In ancient Mesopotamia people believed in families of gods. Members of the family gods had resposibilty for various aspects of the world.
Egyptian Religion.
Gods of Egypt included Re (the sun god), Yeb (the earth god), Thoth (the moon god), Hapi (the Nile god), and Amon (the god of hidden power).
Gods of Egypt were thought to be like human beings abiding in their own temple.
Egyptians believed that the human soul went through the halls of the dead, and needed food for the journey until arriving at the halls of judgement.
Israel in Egypt for 400 years did not abandon the God of their fathers and God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Joshua 24:14-17, 20-26.
Canaanite religion
Canaanites had a pantheon of gods with EI the senior god.
The key god was Baal the god of the storm. Baal could bring the rain for the crops.
The goddess Asherah was also worshipped. She was the goddess of sex and fertility.
Canaanites believed the gods could be persuaded by child sacrifice which became a common practice.
Moloch a Canaan god loved child sacrifice. God demands that any man who gives his seed as a sacrifice to Moloch be stoned to death. Leviticus 20:2-5.
Places of worship were on hill tops to bring worshippers closer to the gods. Elijah on Mount Carmel. I Kings 18:21,25-29, 30-39.
Many Israelites worshipped Canaan gods. I Kings 19:10,18.
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Posted on Facebook May 7, 2025.