The Altar at Megiddo
After reaching the Promised Land, the Israelites were commanded by God to destroy the Canaanite high places (Num. 33:52) so that they would not be tempted to blend worship of the false gods of the land with the worship of Yahweh, the one true God.This pagan altar at the high place of Megiddo was built 2700 BC and was used until approximately 1900 BC, not long before Abraham arrived in Canaan. The altar probably had been built over the remains of an earlier one.
Part of the ruins of a large temple complex can be seen as well. Steps on the eastern side allowed the priest to climb onto the altar for sacrifices or other rituals. Though it is impossible to know exactly what happened here, the Bible records that Canaanite worship included the sacrifice of animals, as well as children during certain periods. It also involved male and female ritual prostitution. This altar represents the Canaanite practices that Yahweh's people found so seductive. Ahab and Jezebel would establish the worship of Baal in cities and towns near here (and quite possibly at Megiddo as well).
The immorality of this pagan religion is paralleled in our secular culture.
