Metaphor and Parable In Scripture
Introduction
Dear friends of Jesus, I wish to examine some important material found at the beginning of Genesis in the light of revelation knowledge. In doing so, it is my hope that you will come to see not only more of the beauty of metaphor and parable in scripture, but also have a richer understanding of these early writings.
Parable
A parable is a brief story that paints a symbolic picture to enlighten our understanding. Of course, we must have ears to hear the parable as the literal meaning of the words may lead us astray. Scripture is full of such parables, in both the Old and New Testament writings. In fact, Jesus makes heavy use of such parables, not only in ancient scripture, but also in the dreams and visions he gives his followers today. In Matthew 13(NIV), we read:
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
Amazing! Jesus did not say anything to the crowd without using a parable! In doing so, he fulfilled what was written by the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.
The disciples came to Jesus and asked him why he spoke to the people in parables. He told them:
The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 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. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.
Jesus went on to tell his disciples that they were blessed because their eyes could see and their ears could hear the wonderful truths he was expressing. As Jesus’ disciples today, we are blessed because he has given us ears to hear. Anytime we seem to have trouble hearing, we can call on him to teach us, just as he did the early disciples, because he dwells in us by his spirit and is our teacher. He has promised us that his sheep will hear his voice. As believers, we are his sheep.
Metaphor
A metaphor is figure of speech that also paints a picture in which the literal meaning of words gives way to a significant idea or emotion. A simile is a specific kind of metaphor and I will not bore you with the distinction. I had an older friend who spoke of a desperate situation in his life as darker than a wolf’s mouth. If a commodity is as scarce as hens’ teeth, we know it is pretty scarce since hens do not have teeth. We use many such expressions in our daily lives, often not conscious of them as they are simply everyday parts of speech to us. Successful novelists and playwrights use metaphors extensively, often creating new ones as they write. As with parables, scripture is rich in metaphors and similes. As with parables, if we take the literal interpretation of an expression, we may miss the richness of its intended meaning. We need to use our spiritual ears to hear.
When reciting or reading the Lord’s Prayer, we see, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Actually, the little word “on” can just as readily be translated as “in.” That is, “Thy will be done in earth as in heaven.” Once when my wife was praying this prayer, the Lord spoke to her and said, “Man is the earth.” When she told me, it rang true even though it went against my traditional understanding. His sheep hear his voice and another they will not follow. I heard Jesus in my wife’s remark. In researching the matter, I saw that Adam is a name that refers to the earth, or adamah. We are made of clay, of earth. God wants his will done in us. This brings us to our study of the opening remarks in Genesis.
Genesis and Creation
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The beginning of what? Do we ask ourselves that question or do we just assume that we know? If we dare to ask, we will realize this is not talking about the creation of the Universe or even the creation of our planet. Our God is without beginning or end.
This may shock some but this beginning speaks of the creation of man (earth) and the directive forces (heavens) that govern his life. Men are directed by Law or they are under Grace. God gave man these choices.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Man, the earth, without Christ, is formless and empty – no more than an animal or beast. Even in this condition, the Spirit of God hovers over us, ready to mold the clay.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
The Spirit of God hovers over us, ready to act when the word is spoken. God creates when he speaks. He even creates when he speaks through us. When God said, “Let there be light,” the light appeared to us. The LIGHT is the Christ who awakens our souls. From Isaiah 9:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned …
Of John the Baptist, we read:
He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. It is this great light that separates us from the darkness.
When we are born again, we are enjoying the experience of our first day of creation. God has hovered over our individual formless clay and brought it to life. A true miracle! Before the light comes, we often experience what some have called a dark night of the soul. We are looking for something but do not know what it is. We may wonder if God is real as we toss and turn on a sea of troubles. The nighttime always precedes the daytime.
After we bask in the love of God, enjoying our salvation and possibly floating on cloud nine for some extended time, it is probable that we become aware that God has more for us and would take us further into him. We experience another nighttime and then another breakthrough as we go from glory to glory, richer in the knowledge of our Lord.
One does not have to be a rocket scientist to see that the progression of days in Genesis does not match the unfolding of geologic events on our natural planet. The progression was never meant to match such events as it does not even tell the same story. It is telling the story of our creation from an animalistic lump of clay into a child of God, not giving us a geologic record. Plants do not thrive before there is a sun in the sky. We lose understanding if we do not see the richness of the metaphor involved in these writings. Jesus gives us understanding if we can but hear him.
By the time of the fourth day, we see the placement of two great lights – a greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. In our natural world, we see the sun during the daytime. We can look out of our window, and see a living metaphor. The prophet Malachi uses metaphor when he refers to Jesus:
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.
In the natural, we see the moon at nighttime. It gives off no light of its own but simply reflects the light it receives from the sun. So it is in the spiritual domain. Before Christ came, Moses saw the backside of God in the cleft of the rock. Now, no man has seen God. Moses saw the Law and gave it to Israel. We might, metaphorically, think of the Law as the backside of God and the Grace of God as the face of God revealed by Jesus during his earthly ministry. The Law was a pale reflection of the glory that was to come to us in Christ.
The Law rules by the night; Grace rules when daytime has come in our lives.
During this fourth day of our creation, we become covenant conscious. The old Mosaic Covenant was a covenant of law. The New Covenant, given by Christ, is a Covenant of grace. In struggling to be better Christians, we may slip into the bondage of legalism, as did the Church at Galatia. Christians are meant to live under the New Covenant of grace, not the Old Covenant of law. Through realizing that our righteousness is solely of Christ through his grace, we can cast off such a legalistic approach to life.
At the sixth day, we see the creation of man. The creation is not that of a creature with two legs and two arms, but of a refined spiritual man who is coming forth in the image of Christ. God is a Spirit and we are to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. This new man comes forth in great authority, having been given dominion over the earth (consider the meaning) with orders to subdue it, not destroy it.
On the seventh day, God rested. Now, God never tires; after all, he has all power in the universe and does not need to take vitamins. The author of Hebrews speaks to us in the fourth chapter about this seventh day, or Sabbath. Briefly, we are to come to rest in God. When we are in God and he is in us and we lean on the everlasting arms in peace, trusting in God, we are enjoying his seventh day rest. This is not a calendar day; it is a place in God. For this, we are intended. Note that the seventh day has no night! The creation, the molding of the clay, is complete.
More Seeds
The seeds of Genesis flower throughout scripture. In Revelation, we even see an extension of the rich metaphors of Genesis in the description of the Church as told concerning the seven churches. The Menorah, or seven-fold lamp stand, signifies these churches. In my mind’s eye, when each lamp is lit, I think of daytime for a Christian as they enter deeper into their walk with God, seeing the breakthrough involving another of the seven days of their personal creation. All of us are at different places in our walk with God. The demands, hazards, and promises to the seven churches in Revelation are different. The Overcomers of one of them, the Church at Philadelphia, are told they will never again leave the temple. How wonderful! I see this as perfectly residing in the Sabbath rest of God.
Conclusion
Fellow believers, I hope this writing has given you encouragement and the desire to look further into these matters. Currently, we see through a glass darkly; however, we can see wonders by the sight provided by our Christ. May you walk closely with our God!