As a literary device, an allegory may consist of only a few lines or it may be sustained through an entire book. Thus, an allegory refers to a symbolic representation of a truth about human conduct and experience. In the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, it translates the Greek verb allegoreo which means to say something different from what the words normally imply.

According to traditional Jewish and Christian interpretations, the entire book of the Song of Songs or Song of Solomon is an allegory: of God and his wife, Israel (Jewish) or of Christ and his bride, the Church (Christian). In fact, there are many examples in the Old Testament and New Testament. Some examples of allegory in the Old Testament are Psalm 80:8-19, Ecclesiastes 12:3-7, the Book of Job.

In the New Testament, Jesus' parable of the darnel (wheat and the tares) is a good example of allegory: Jesus put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner's servants went to him and said, "Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?" "Some enemy has done this" he answered. And the servants said, "Do you want us to go and weed it out?" But he said, "No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn." - Matt. 13:24-30 -

Then, leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, 'Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.' He said in reply, 'The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears! - Matt. 13:36-43 -

The apostle Paul also used allegories when writing. In 1 Corinthians, saint Paul gives an allegory which compares the experience of Moses and the Israelites to Christian baptism and the Lord's Supper. And in Ephesians, apostle Paul urges his readers to 'put on the whole armor of God' and then gives the symbolic spiritual designation for each article worn by the Christian soldier.

I want to remind you, brothers, how our fathers were all guided by a cloud above them and how they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in this cloud and in the sea; all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, since they all drank from the spiritual rock that followed them as they went, and that rock was Christ. - 1 Cor. 10:1-4 -

Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with strength of his power. Put God's armour on so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics. For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness in this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens. That is why you must rely on God's armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance when the worst happens, or have enough resources to hold your ground.

So stand your ground, with truth buckled round your waist, and integrity for a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one. And then you must accept salvation from God to be your helmet and receive the word of God from the Spirit to use as a sword. - Eph. 6:10-17 -

Perhaps the most memorable of apostle Paul's allegories, however, is found in Galatians 4:21-31 - Hagar and Sarah, Ismael and Isaac.

Ismael was born to the bondwoman, Hagar, and by the doing of Abraham and Sarah. In other words, without God interference and promises. (Hagar was Abraham's and Sarah's slave) Hagar and Ismael are symbolic of the Old Covenant: the law from Mount Sinai that brings all flesh into bondage.

Isaac was born to a free woman, Sarah, and by the doing of God. In other words, with God promises and interference. (Sarah's was the wife of Abraham's) Sarah and Isaac are symbolic of the New Covenant: the 'Gospel of Grace' from Mount Calvary that gives spiritual freedom.

When Saint Paul's concluded by saying, "When the Lord Jesus Christ freed us, He meant us to remain free. "Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit to the yoke of slavery." - Gal. 5:1 -

So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free woman. Thus, we must reject the bondage of legalism, that is, salvation for keeping the law only. Explicitly, we should attain our salvation to live by faith and love in the Lord Jesus Christ and by keeping God's law. Amen!

You want to be subject to the Law? Then listen to what the Law says, It says, if you remember that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave-girl, and one by his free-born wife. The child of the slave-girl was born in the ordinary way; the child of the free woman was born as the result of a promise. This can be regarded as allegory: the women stand for the two covenants.

The first who comes from Mount Sinai, and whose children are slaves, is Hagar - since Sinai is in Arabia - and she corresponds to the present Jerusalem that is a slave like her children. The Jerusalem above, however, is free and is our mother, since scripture says: Shout for joy, you barren women who bore no children! Break into shouts of joy and gladness, you who were never in labour. For there are more sons of the forsaken one than sons of the wedded wife. Now you, my brothers, like Isaac, are children of the promise, and as at that time the child born in the ordinary way persecuted the child born in the Spirit's way, so also now. Does not scripture say: Drive away the slave-girl and her son; this slave-girl's son is not to share the inheritance with the son of the free woman? So, my brothers and sisters. we are the children, not of the slave-girl, but of the free-born wife. - Gal. 4:21-31 -

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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
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Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -