In our modern world, we are experiencing the rise of self-spirituality at a rapid pace. Much of this is attributed to the self-creating power of social media where we can create bespoke religions. And even though formal religious affiliation is trending down, especially among millennials, spirituality is not. Commentators refer to this as the rise of the “Nones”. Though many are unaffiliated religiously, they aren’t outright rejecting religion, but rather remixing it. It’s common today for someone to participate in sage rituals, practice mindfulness, adhere to Shabbat, and wear a cross necklace, all at the same time. New Thought’s law of attraction and manifesting. Wellness culture. Astrology. Occultism. Contemporary witchcraft. It’s all right there at our fingertips.
If we are not careful, especially as Westerners, we will continue to get lured into this smorgasbord of spirituality. We might not reject God and what He’s done in the past, but we’re highly suspect of His role in our future. This is especially the case with the additional rise of the ethos of autonomy that’s reinforced everywhere we look. We might simply run out of room for God. But this is not a new phenomenon—it’s simply remixed and repackaged for our time. The children of Israel were warned of their own spiritual marketplace once they entered the Promised Land. After the death of Joshua, the book of Judges describes a period of Israel’s history that lasted approximately 300 years until the time of the prophet Samuel. This book could just as easily be titled Deliverers as it covers twelve civil and military leaders whom God raised to deliver the people of Israel from some very difficult, self-induced situations.
The Israelites had conquered, inherited, and developed multiple cities into large cosmopolitan, urban centers. These were centers of art, literature, architecture, trade, politics, and wealth. These growing cities were also centers of Baal and Ashtaroth worship. The book of Judges ultimately highlights the fact that Yahweh was the real Judge and Deliverer—He was the infallible God against the backdrop of Israel’s fallibility. It’s the story of the downward spiral of their national and spiritual life into chaos and apostasy, which eventually led to the emergence of a king and the adoption of a monarchy.
The beginning of Judges reminds us that Israel failed miserably to complete the conquest of the land. The tribe of Benjamin didn’t deal with the Jebusites. Manasseh failed. Ephraim failed. Zebulun failed. And so on. This failure to obey Yahweh would have significant consequences for generations to come. Because the people of Israel did not obey Yahweh’s voice, they experienced perpetual difficulties and became ensnared by the Canaanite gods.
Judges 2:10 highlights another issue:
“There arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel”.
Not only that, but the people of Israel intentionally did evil by serving false gods—the Baals and the Ashtaroth. Baal was the pagan god of nature—specifically of storms, rain, and the land—and was symbolized with the image of a bull, taking on various additional characteristics in different geographic regions of the Fertile Crescent. The Ashtaroth (Astarte/Ishtar) was a companion goddess of fertility, love, and war. Many other goddesses of the ancient world found their origins in Astarte including Aphrodite (Greek), Artemis (Greek), Athena (Greek), Diana (Roman), and Venus (Roman).
The text states that the Israelites “served” these particular gods (2:11,13; 3:6). They saw Yahweh as a past-tense deity who delivered their people from bondage in Egypt and led them through the wilderness for forty years into the land that He had promised. But they saw no future with Him per se. And as they lived among the Canaanites, they also began marrying them and adding their gods into a growing pantheon of deities. This attempted blending of religions, adding other gods to the worship of Yahweh, is called syncretism. Israel considered Yahweh still relevant, but Baal and Ashtaroth were more practical. They were about the weather, land, and fertility—all the daily things they needed for survival and prosperity. So, if an Israelite couple wanted to get pregnant and have a healthy baby, they might reflect on Yahweh’s provision of the past, but then also include worship of the Ashtaroth to ensure fertility.
Israel’s worship of Yahweh took on more and more forms of false worship. And thus, a pattern began: apostasy (abandonment of Yahweh); servitude (punishment through captivity); supplication (cries to God for deliverance); and eventually, salvation (God’s mercy in pitying Israel and raising a deliverer to rescue them).
We are reminded in these passages that success wasn’t automatic from generation to generation. The same is true today. We can’t assume, for example, that our children, students, or those we employ or manage will just naturally pick up and embrace our faith in God. Making sure children experience a context that reinforces God’s instructions—think church, private school, or Bible study group—doesn’t always correlate to their faith and obedience. We have to be intentional in working to reach the heart of the next generation and those within our sphere of influence.
Morality, conservatism, and even biblical worldview training can often fall short of addressing the heart.
Think about the religious syncretism of the Israelites, or what I call “easy-going syncretism”—the blending of paganism with biblical truth. Baal and Ashtaroth might not be overtly worshiped today, but the spirit of those false gods is still alive, even in some churches. These false gods cultivated sensuality and promiscuity, all with a covenant-breaking spirit. They were seduced by the promise of prosperity and security.
Take a moment to ask God to reveal any ways you might be allowing worldly beliefs or practices into your life. Perhaps it’s as simple as trying to maintain a dual existence where you worship God on Sundays but live for the world the rest of the week. Or maybe you are trying to believe God’s Word while also giving deference to the universe or astrology to guide you each day. If you believe you need to add some other force or deity beyond the Creator-God into your life and work to be successful, then you are most likely guilty of syncretism. Use this opportunity to confess this to God and receive His grace and mercy. Turn from these idols and trust in God alone. He is abundant in covenant love.
[Written by Dr. Bobo Beck, the author of Wisdom Calling and host of The Wisdom Calling Podcast, where he helps Christian professionals think more critically and live more strategically, all from a wisdom-based perspective. This discussion is adapted from Volume 1/Devotional 23, The Seductive Power of Prosperity, which is part of the Wisdom Calling devotional series. For more information, visit www.wisdomcalling.org.]