“He followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.”
– 1 Kings 11:5
Verse 5 gives us the names of the false gods Solomon worshipped.
And when I say “worshipped,” I mean exactly that.
The homie fell into idolatry big-time.
Now the first name given is one we should all be familiar with.
Why?
Well, to quote Tom Bradford and his awesome Torah Class, this deity’s name is…
“…at the center of almost every false god system ever to emerge in history.”
Let me show you what I mean.
ASHTORETH is primarily known as a goddess of sexual love, fertility, and war.
In the Assyrian culture, she went by the name of ISHTAR.
In Japanese culture, Ishtar (イシュタル) is a prominent character in a Japanese game franchise and its anime adaptations.
She’s explicitly identified as the Mesopotamian goddess associated with fertility, warfare, and Venus.
In Chinese culture, 伊什塔尔 (Yīshítǎ’ěr) is a Chinese rendering of the name Ishtar.
Chinese-language reference material describes her as a Babylonian goddess also associated with love, fertility, warfare, and Venus.
In the Greek world, this goddess went by the name of APHRODITE.
In the Anglo-Saxon culture, she went by the name EOSTRE.
And in English today?
That’s right!
You guessed it.
This goddess goes by the name EASTER.
This is the very name the Christian’s use to celebrate the resurrection of their Jesus, whom they worship as God Himself.
Why do you think rabbits and eggs are symbols of Easter?
Because EASTER is a fertility goddess, homie.
Think about this for a second.
The Lord outright condemned Solomon for mixing pagan deities with biblical worship.
Yet Christianity has done the very same thing!
They’ve basically adopted pagan worship practices tied to Ashtoreth (Easter) to celebrate what they consider the holiest day of the year.
Look, Yeshua being resurrected from the dead ain’t some grand fertility issue.
It is the power of the Lord Himself demonstrating His victory over death–something no other world religion can claim.
This leads to today’s takeaway.
Why adopt elements of paganism into your worship practices when Scripture has already given us 7 Biblical feasts that already point to Yeshua, the Messiah?
Here’s what I mean:
The feast of Passover (Pesach) points to Yeshua as the Passover lamb who saves us from eternal death.
The feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzah) points to Yeshua’s sinlessness and burial.
Firstfruits (Bikkurim) points to Yeshua’s resurrection (this is the real Easter!).
The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) points to the spirit being given and then dwelling in believers.
The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) points to the coming King and the trumpet.
The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) points to Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For if you believed Moses,
you would believe me;
for he wrote of me.
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?”
-John 5:46-47
P.S. By the way, when the verses talk about the hill to the south, they’re referring to the Mount of Olives. Yeah, that same Mount of Olives that millions of Christians and Jews visit every year was once lined with altars to false gods back in Solomon’s day. OY!
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