Old Testament Parables

[unixknight]

So in my study of the Old Testament there are a lot of stories contained within it that strike me as strange if looked at from the perspective of being elements of history... But if we look at them as parables they suddenly take on a much more useful meaning (In my opinion.)

Examples include Jonah and the fish, Samson and Delilah, Job.

Anyone else have any thoughts about this?

[hethathathears]

Jesus said, "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matt 12:40

I believe every story found in the scriptures as true, but I also believe that they are rooted in types and shadows as well as symbolism.

For example, Moses and the 10 plagues thrust upon Egypt. Why 10? It seems to me that one or two really big ones would have done the trick. I have come to learn that because Egypt had so many gods, the Lord used these plagues to demonstrate that HE, the ALMIGHTY was more powerful that all the other gods.

Egyptian Nile god Hopi- and yet the ALMIGHTY turned the night to blood thus killing all the fish. The Egyptians went to their god Hopi for relief but none was given.

Egyptian goddess Hept- was believed to help in childbirth. This goddess had a head of a frog and a body of a woman. When the frogs came, the Egyptians went and knelt at the foot of Hept for relief, and yet again, none came until the LORD took the plague away.

Next came flies and lice- The Egyptians often used flies or beetle as a symbol of their most powerful sun god RA. Again, as the people prostituted themselves before this stone image no relief was given.
RA was also hit upon with the 3 days of darkness.

When the livestock was destroyed, the Egyptians went to their gods Apis and Mnevis to restore their herds. No luck.

And on and on it goes. There are so many layer in the writings of God. If we would just have the faith to discover their beauty.