Polytheism is the teaching that there are many gods. In the Ancient Near East, the nation of Israel was faced with the problem of the gods of other nations creeping into the theology of Judaism and corrupting the true revelation of God.

Baal was the Canaanite god of rain and exercised a powerful influence over the religion of many pagan cultures and even into the Jewish community. This is so because the rain was essential to survival. Rain meant the crops would grow, the animals would have water, and the people would be able to eat. If there was no rain, death prevailed.

Such visible realities as rain, drought, crops, and death often carried the spiritual character of the nation of Israel into spiritual adultery: worshipping other gods. The Bible does recognize the existence of other gods but only as false gods who have no real existence (1 Cor. 8:5-6, Gal. 4:8-9) and clearly teaches that there is only one true God (Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 8, 45:5, 14, 18, 21, 22, 46:9, 47:8). (See Monotheism).