The Many Gods of the Bible

[Rose]

In reading through the Bible I have often noticed the abundance of "other" gods it contains, a good case in point is Psalm 86:8 "Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works." where King David explicitly mentions "other gods". Most of these gods were imported from Sumer, Babylonia and Egypt which were the ancestral home of the Hebrews. With that in mind it appears the Hebrew’s were not monotheistic in the most literal sense because they did believe other gods existed...it was just that Yahweh won the battle for supreme god, and because he was an extremely jealous and wrathful god he did not want the Hebrews to worship any others in the council of gods. Here are a few more examples from the hundreds of times 'other gods' is cited in Scripture.
Exo. 12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
Exo. 18:11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.
Deut. 7:4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
Deut.10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:



The interesting point to note is that Yahweh outlasted all the other gods mentioned in the Old Testament. What was it that allowed Yahweh to outlast all the other gods? I propose that what allowed Yahweh to continue on into the New Testament was the transition from an anthropomorphic warrior god to a spiritual father god introduced by Jesus. Thus, Yahweh, chief amongst many gods, morphed from a wrathful god who meted out punishment and spoke from a pillar of smoke, and whose earthly abode was in the Holy of Holies, to a transcendent fatherly being residing full time in heaven and imparting his Holy Spirit to all who would ask.

Jesus had the foresight to know that if Yahweh did not change he would meet the fate of all the other mythological gods. It was a stroke of genius on his part to change god’s face at that crucial point in history, before the final blow that would come with the destruction of Jerusalem. After the fall of the Jewish temple, the warrior face of Yahweh began to fade in significance, being replaced by the more forgiving god of the Trinity, of whom Paul played a major role in shaping, molding and promoting. Without the dramatic facelift given to Yahweh by Jesus and then Paul there would be no 'God' that Christians call 'Father' today.


Rose

[heb13-13]

Jesus had the foresight to know that if Yahweh did not change he would meet the fate of all the other mythological gods. It was a stroke of genius on his part to change god’s face at that crucial point in history, before the final blow that would come with the destruction of Jerusalem. After the fall of the Jewish temple, the warrior face of Yahweh began to fade in significance, being replaced by the more forgiving god of the Trinity, of whom Paul played a major role in shaping, molding and promoting. Without the dramatic facelift given to Yahweh by Jesus and then Paul there would be no 'God' that Christians call 'Father' today.
Rose

Hi-ya Rose,

The concept of God as Father was known in the OT. Here are a few places.

by David: Psa 89:26
He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

by Isaiah: Isa 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

by Malachi: Mal 2:10
Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

From what I can see, idols in the OT were never referred to as Father.

Rick

[Rose]

Hi-ya Rose,

The concept of God as Father was known in the OT. Here are a few places.

by David: Psa 89:26
He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

by Isaiah: Isa 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

by Malachi: Mal 2:10
Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

From what I can see, idols in the OT were never referred to as Father.

Rick


Hi Rick

Your are correct in saying that God was referred to as Father in the Old Testament, but that was not the point I was making. The portrayal of Yahweh in the OT was much different than the God of the NT that Jesus called "Father", and as I said in my post I think that if the "Face of God" had not been changed, Yahweh would have went the way of all the "other gods" spoken of in the OT.

All the best,
Rose

[heb13-13]

Hi Rick

Your are correct in saying that God was referred to as Father in the Old Testament, but that was not the point I was making. The portrayal of Yahweh in the OT was much different than the God of the NT that Jesus called "Father", and as I said in my post I think that if the "Face of God" had not been changed, Yahweh would have went the way of all the "other gods" spoken of in the OT.

All the best,
Rose

Hi Rose,

Your opinions are always very interesting, however, the "other gods" are still here today.

Best to you,
Rick

[Rose]

Hi Rose,

Your opinions are always very interesting, however, the "other gods" are still here today.

Best to you,
Rick

Hi Rick

I think you are using the term "other gods" in reference to the material things that people worship instead of the "God" of the Bible, but that is not what I was speaking of. In the Old Testament the term "other gods" was referring to the many other gods in the counsel of gods which Yahweh became supreme. The reason Yahweh did not want the Hebrew's worshiping and running after other gods was because he was a jealous god and wanted all the worship for himself...that is why the first commandment says "thou shall have no other gods before me".

All the best,
Rose

[heb13-13]

Hi Rick

I think you are using the term "other gods" in reference to the material things that people worship instead of the "God" of the Bible, but that is not what I was speaking of. In the Old Testament the term "other gods" was referring to the many other gods in the counsel of gods which Yahweh became supreme. The reason Yahweh did not want the Hebrew's worshiping and running after other gods was because he was a jealous god and wanted all the worship for himself...that is why the first commandment says "thou shall have no other gods before me".

All the best,
Rose

[heb13-13]

Hi Rick

I think you are using the term "other gods" in reference to the material things that people worship instead of the "God" of the Bible, but that is not what I was speaking of. In the Old Testament the term "other gods" was referring to the many other gods in the counsel of gods which Yahweh became supreme. The reason Yahweh did not want the Hebrew's worshiping and running after other gods was because he was a jealous god and wanted all the worship for himself...that is why the first commandment says "thou shall have no other gods before me".

All the best,
Rose

Hi Rose,

Getting late, can't believe I am still up. This will be my last for the night, er morning. :eek:

I am talking about the living, intelligent powers and principalities behind the idols. Demon spirits get us to bow down and worship them through idols not thinking we are making unholy alliances of the heart with them. We would never worship them straight up. They gain entrance to us through their subterfuge.

Have a great day tomorrow.

Everyday is the day that the Lord has made, another day to serve Him with gladness.
Rick

[Charisma]

Hello Rose,


With that in mind it appears the Hebrew’s were not monotheistic in the most literal sense because they did believe other gods existed...it was just that Yahweh won the battle for supreme god, and because he was an extremely jealous and wrathful god he did not want the Hebrews to worship any others in the council of gods.The Hebrews also knew that the worship of other gods were associated with bad things happening to good people - like Leviticus 18 describes. God was not being unkind to the Hebrews when He gave them a Law which prohibited idolatry, prostitution, incest, rape, murder, theft, adultery, fornication and many other injustices.


I have some thoughts to lay out.

The first is, I wonder if you have spent as much time listing for yourself the number of places in scripture where God is declared to be kind, or seen to be showing kindness, or loving-kindness, or declared by - for instance, a psalmist - to have shown loving-kindness; or, where He is condemns certain behaviours which you also would reject in people, such as lying, stealing, bearing false witness. I am aware that before Christ came, forgiveness was rarely based on a change of heart on the part of the sinner. It was based on certain sacrifices under the law, and before that, disobedience to God's commands was dispensed in various ways, depending on God's reckoning with the options available to Him in the pursuit of His overarching plan. There has never been a time on earth when God was not seeking a relationship with man(kind), or, that a relationship with God could not be sought by individuals, whether male or female. Those are the first 'thought'.

The second is, that God created all the other spirits which are worshipped by men. He is the Creator, and they (the spirits) are 'creatures'. This immediately defines and restricts the scope of their power. It's an interesting commentary on people that they are confused about which is which. This cannot be because God has not made Himself plain. Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed [it] unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful

Why should mankind be 'thankful'? Isn't it because God made a promise to Noah? Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease, which Jesus reframes to put the emphasis back on the attitude of mankind: Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. How is it possible that the God of the OT could have kept up this kindness for so long? Surely not an oversight! However, the very fact that He has, apparently, intended this situation to persist for so long, does seem to put some kind of meaning into 'neither were thankful'.

It seems to me that culpability for any kind of wrong-doing does rest with men rather than God. Not only does Yahweh usually condemn and punish all the human behaviour which shows man's deviance from God's nature, but He shows Himself to be just in every respect, most lately, through Jesus Christ, (and the power of the Holy Spirit), as Paul said, Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Somehow, God managed to square this circle: Proverbs 17:15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both [are] abomination to the LORD, beginning in the garden of Eden. The only people who object to God's sense of justice, are the unjust, I suspect.

(Note to all readers: the chapter in Leviticus, paragraph 1 above, should have been 18. It is now corrected.)

[duxrow]

JEHOVAH isn't just a Father -- he's a Consuming Fire, Dt4:24, a Fountain of Water, Jer2:13?, and a HUSBAND, Isa54:5, and more....
There are gods of wood (like Dagon) and gods of bad thinking.., but the Dagon worshippers didn't learn and neither will the Adversary/accuser crowd today.

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD! :thumb:

[CWH]

In reading through the Bible I have often noticed the abundance of "other" gods it contains, a good case in point is Psalm 86:8 "Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works." where King David explicitly mentions "other gods". Most of these gods were imported from Sumer, Babylonia and Egypt which were the ancestral home of the Hebrews. With that in mind it appears the Hebrew’s were not monotheistic in the most literal sense because they did believe other gods existed...it was just that Yahweh won the battle for supreme god, and because he was an extremely jealous and wrathful god he did not want the Hebrews to worship any others in the council of gods. Here are a few more examples from the hundreds of times 'other gods' is cited in Scripture.
Exo. 12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
Exo. 18:11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.
Deut. 7:4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
Deut.10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:



The interesting point to note is that Yahweh outlasted all the other gods mentioned in the Old Testament. What was it that allowed Yahweh to outlast all the other gods? I propose that what allowed Yahweh to continue on into the New Testament was the transition from an anthropomorphic warrior god to a spiritual father god introduced by Jesus. Thus, Yahweh, chief amongst many gods, morphed from a wrathful god who meted out punishment and spoke from a pillar of smoke, and whose earthly abode was in the Holy of Holies, to a transcendent fatherly being residing full time in heaven and imparting his Holy Spirit to all who would ask.

Jesus had the foresight to know that if Yahweh did not change he would meet the fate of all the other mythological gods. It was a stroke of genius on his part to change god’s face at that crucial point in history, before the final blow that would come with the destruction of Jerusalem. After the fall of the Jewish temple, the warrior face of Yahweh began to fade in significance, being replaced by the more forgiving god of the Trinity, of whom Paul played a major role in shaping, molding and promoting. Without the dramatic facelift given to Yahweh by Jesus and then Paul there would be no 'God' that Christians call 'Father' today.


Rose

Remember what the Bible said in Psalms, "you are gods". The gods mentioned in the above passages thus could refer to men and their beliefs. See my thread:

http://www.biblewheel.com/forum/showthread.php?1141-you-are-gods

31Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

33"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

34Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'[e]? 35If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? 37Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." 39Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.


Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

1 God presides in the great assembly;
he gives judgment among the "gods":
2 "How long will you [a] defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?
Selah

3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

4 Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

5 "They know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 "I said, 'You are "gods";
you are all sons of the Most High.'

7 But you will die like mere men;
you will fall like every other ruler."

8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.

God Blessings to all.:pray:

[Charisma]

CWH wrote:

Remember what the Bible said in Psalms, "you are gods". The gods mentioned in the above passages thus could refer to men and their beliefs. See my thread:

http://www.biblewheel.com/forum/show...1-you-are-gods

31Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

33"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

34Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'[e]? 35If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? 37Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." 39Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.


Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

1 God presides in the great assembly;
he gives judgment among the "gods":
2 "How long will you [a] defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?
Selah

3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

4 Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

5 "They know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 "I said, 'You are "gods";
you are all sons of the Most High.'

7 But you will die like mere men;
you will fall like every other ruler."

8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.It has to be understood that a god is one with ultimate power and sanctions available to those who refuse to worship it/him/her.

If I (a human) take what power is available to me to refuse to worship God, I am making myself 'a god'. This doesn't mean I'll overcome God in a battle with God, but, for a season (while I'm alive), He will let me be god of my own life. Then He will deal with me. Because He is God.

There are several places in scripture which make clear that evil spirits can do nothing without God's permission - specific, or general. He directs them. If we make the mistake of worshipping them, or ourselves, we will be destroyed through having disobeyed the truth. It's a spiritual law.

In authentic reality, of myself, I have no power over God, no matter how the situation appears from my viewpoint. Scripture teaches us that there are ways to gain His company, His assistance, His authority, His power - but never at the expense of His status as 'Lord among the gods'.

[duxrow]

Maybe should be an apostrophe: Like in "You are God's", meaning He owns you! :eek:

[Charisma]

Maybe should be an apostrophe: Like in "You are God's", meaning He owns you!That is indeed the ultimate truth of the cross. He purchased our liberty from sin with His own blood.

2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

So, God will have the last word about our end, should we choose to reject the ties of His ownership of us. Israel = God prevails.