Are Bible stories metaphors?

Many people believe that Biblical stories are simply metaphors and that we should look at them not as literal truths but rather as lessons or parables meant to teach us about important truths and principles.

The debate rages on about the literary style of the Bible. Let’s look at the reasons why some people believe the literal interpretation of the Bible and others take it as a metaphorical language to interpret by each individual reader.

Whether you see Bible stories as literal truths or symbolic messages, they undoubtedly hold important historical context and significant events in the Hebrew culture. Profound reading of the scriptures introduces us to epic tales like the creation of everything and everyone and the destruction of the same through the flood of Noah’s Ark.

Vivid descriptions of the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, and Jesus’ metaphor of the prodigal son, give the sacred text powerful life. Believers today are able to understand the descriptive language of each Bible passage and can differentiate between the ones that are written as a divine revelation of historical events and those that bear witness to the different ways that the Word of God uses a kind of metaphor to catch the attention of the reader in order to give guidance for today.

As my first example of Biblical metaphors I would like to present the Song of Songs (or the Song of Solomon) from the Old Testament. Chapter 1 verse 9 Solomon says I liken you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariot horses. And in verses 13-14 his lovely bride says of him, My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts. My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.

This entire book is one of romance and beautiful love between a king and his bride. However, claiming that a woman is like a mare is not a compliment in today’s language. The symbolic idea of the passion she finds in him is partially just “out there for the whole world to read” and slightly blurred.

There is no secret here, and the Jewish boys were not allowed to read these passages until after they were considered young men. Reading this entire book could very well make some blush while others would laugh. There have been several books written regarding these Hebrew scriptures as a religious metaphor for how passionately our God loves us.

My next example of a famous metaphor would come from the New Testament. Matthew 13 is loaded with several great parables and explanations. “Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (verses3-9)

The simple question was asked to Jesus as to why he spoke like that and this was His reply: This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

In the parables of Jesus, there is always a dual meaning to be found. They are stories that contain truths about the world and our lives, and they often challenge us to look at things in a new way. Whether we’re grappling with difficult circumstances or simply seeking deeper insight into ourselves and others, the parables of Jesus offer wisdom and guidance that can lead us closer to the truth.

So if you’re looking for some guidance on your spiritual journey, turn to the parables of Jesus Christ – they just might hold the key to unlocking your true potential. The central characters of the parables are there as a figure of speech in which anyone that is listening (or reading) them can imagine themselves in those central stories.

The followers of Christ understood His symbolic way of speaking. He referred to Himself as the bread of life, the light of the world, and the Alpha and Omega (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet). In one of the most famous passages:

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. (Mark 14:22-23)

This was obviously not the literal meaning of the food being shared. It was, however the example of the good things that were to come and replicated forever as a reminder of who He is and why He came.

And to the tribes of Israel, He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and a descendant of King David as recorded in the book of Revelation. The gospel account of his life shows that He fulfills hundreds of the prophetic verses of the ancient prophets from the Hebrew Bible.

My first example of an accurate account of old stories of the prophets coming to pass: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 Now many may have believed that Isaiah was making mockeries of their intelligence, but God meant it as a future truth.

Many of the prophetic proclamations are considered unfinished stories by God’s followers in both the Jewish and Christian communities. These ‘figures of speech’ do not necessarily fit into either category of the metaphor or literal meaning until they happen I suppose.

The last example for you to keep in mind is that every prophetic declaration of the Holy Bible will be a literal event. Jesus, literally God with us, had experienced a virgin birth. The root of his ancestry was David, and He was born in Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

1 Kings 9:5  I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

Every nationality has their own story of the creation event and the flood destroying everything. Not all of them include Noah and the ark he made at God’s command. It shows that it did happen, not figuratively, but really. There are fairy tales and myths of gods that fill books and are studied in classrooms all across the U.S.A. and those stories line up with demonic spirits and their offspring spoken of in the book of Genesis.

Those stories are told and retold as a way of expressing support for historical fiction and yet many have never read the Bible in order to gain a supernatural understanding of the facts of all Biblical characters.

Some want only to re-tell commonly quoted Bible verses and attempt to disregard the rest as historical lies. Most leave out the truth about Holy Spirit, the third member of the God Head. There are even those who want to have it both ways and claim to be non-literalist Christians.

I have to ask, why try to come up with new stories detaching the Name of God rather than accepting the familiar stories of Biblical times, and what a great Christian story means towards past and future events?

P.S. (Plain and Simple)

O, Lord, You are the fountain of life, giving us the unending supply of living water, and by the work of Your hands alone, You have given the human race the only way needed to get to You through Biblical narratives so that we may hear and read the words of Your great unfinished symphony. You are and will forever be our continuing source of sustenance and we have but to cry out for you.

Forgive us, Son of the Most High God, for arguing over the things in life that should bring us together. Open the ears of all that read this and let them understand all You desire to teach us.

Resources:

Biblegateway.com NIV version of the Bible.