The Greatest Stories Ever Told: Metaphysical Interpretations Of 70 Of The Best Known Old Testament Allegories

By Dr. Neil A. Mence

The Parting of the Red Sea, Noah's Ark and the Flood, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, the Tower of Babel …… they're stories we all know only too well. But what lies behind them? Should they be taken at face-value or does each have an underlying message?

I believe they do but such messages are relevant only when we can apply them to our daily experiences. Each day we have our own Red Sea to cross (a personal challenge), and each day we're called upon to knock down the Walls of Jericho (overcome something).

It often feels that as we move further into the 21st century that life is becoming increasingly fast-paced where the desire for 'instant answers' is the norm. I believe that the insights given in this book provide a glimmer of hope and reassurance. Enjoy the journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books on Demand
• Release date: Jan 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9783738693935

Dr. Neil A. Mence

Neil is an established author, international speaker, teacher, mentor and life coach. Combining his in-depth experience in the corporate world and new thought arenas of North America, Australia and Europe, Neil mentors and provides life coaching, self-development courses and educational programs to help individuals and corporations realise their true potential. “To me, life is all about going beyond limits, following your bliss and achieving your goals. I believe this is where I can help others. I’ve advised and mentored CEO’s and senior managers in the business world, as well as leading political figures in the public arena. I love helping people find their own answers to that age-old question: “What’s life all about?” and assisting them to understand that happiness and success are not something out there to be achieved, but an inner flame just waiting to be ignited”. www.neilmence.com

Book preview

FOREWORD

The Hebrew Bible, known to Christianity as the Old Testament, details what are commonly referred to as the Laws of Moses in allegorical¹ form. These symbolic accounts of life in the two millennia before the Common Era (CE)² contain a wealth of practical everyday advice that is as relevant in today’s world as it was 2,000 – 4,000 years ago.

Interspersed with genealogical tables of the prophets, the allegories of the Old Testament illustrate the steps each of us can take to lead a successful, healthy, rewarding and prosperous life.

Why were these ancient texts written in this manner? The most plausible explanation is that since written records were rarely kept and since laws were required for tribal government, it meant that all announcements, proclamations or messages had to be circulated in an easily understood format. Even today it is easier to remember and to pass on a story that is laced with colour and passion rather than a list of rules. The more visual the story the more meaningful it becomes, thus more readily finding a permanent place in human consciousness.

Few people take the allegories of the Old Testament literally; most agree that they are symbolic in nature. I have chosen to interpret 70 of the most well-known including the Creation, the parting of the Red Sea, the exodus from Egypt, the Babylonian captivity, the Tower of Babel, the walls of Jericho, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, and Ruth, a truly empowering story of love.

Each interpretation comprises four elements:

- the relevant Old Testament reference (King James version),

- an outline of the historical context of the story,

- a metaphysical interpretation, and

- a consideration of the lesson(s) that the allegory provides us today.

The Old Testament may rightly be regarded as an instruction handbook. Let’s not only view it as such, but let us also actively use it to enrich our lives so that we may move into a higher consciousness and achieve more success in our daily lives. These allegories constitute some of the greatest stories ever told.

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¹ Allegory. Noun: a story, poem, or picture interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one (The New Oxford Dictionary of English, 2nd edition, 2003).

² As we now know, the Gregorian calendar is some four years in error. The term ‘Common Era’ is used to refer to the time either before or after the year assigned as Year 1.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

GENESIS

The CreationManifestation

Adam and EveDuality

Cain and AbelSeparation

Noah’s Ark & the floodBalance

The Tower of BabelConfusion

Sodom & GomorrahCleansing

The Allegories of Abraham:Faith

- Father of the Hebrew Nation

- Abram becomes Abraham

- Circumcision

- Sacrifice of Abraham’s son

RebekahBeauty

The Allegories of Jacob:Joy

- Jacob’s ladder

- Jacob’s love for Rachel

- Jacob becomes Israel

The Allegories of Joseph:Imagination

- Joseph’s dreams

- Joseph sold into slavery

- Imprisonment

- Dreams of Pharaoh’s servants

- Pharaoh’s dreams

- Reunion with his brothers

- Forgiveness; purpose of Joseph’s life

EXODUS

Moses & the burning bushFollowing Intuition

Bricks without strawFreedom

The 10 plaguesDenial

Parting of the Red SeaSetting Intentions

The 10 CommandmentsIntegrity

NUMBERS

The 12 spiesFulfilment

DEUTERONOMY

The voice of GodBlessings

RefugeProtection

JOSHUA

The sole of your footUnderstanding

The walls of JerichoOvercoming Separation

The day the sun stood stillErasing error Thoughts

Choose ye this dayChoices

JUDGES

DeborahDiscernment

Samson & DelilahRedemption & salvation

RUTHLove

1 SAMUEL

Speak Lord for thy servant hearsIntuition

Saul as Israel’s first kingSpiritual Understanding

David & GoliathDivine love

David & JonathanDesire

2 SAMUEL

Thy gentleness has made me greatPeace

1 KINGS

A discerning heartDiscernment

Halving the babyWisdom

The Queen of ShebaSeeking Truth

Elijah at Mount CarmelIllumined Thoughts

The still, small voiceIntuition

2 KINGS

Elijah taken up to heavenBliss

The widow and the oilOvercoming Separation

LeprosyPurification

2 CHRONICLES

Babylon & King NebuchadnezzarOut of sync

ESTHEROvercoming

JOB

That which I fearCause & effect

Self-righteousnessPeace of mind

PSALMS

Thou hast made him to have dominionOneness

The Psalms of DavidSerenity

Songs of praiseJoy

PROVERBS

Beware of egoFaith

ECCLESIASTES

A season for everythingKnowledge

ISAIAH

Wake up to your goodDetermination

It shall not return unto me voidNew beginnings

Before they call I shall answerOneness

JEREMIAH

Watchman at the gateDiscernment

A new consciousnessRenewal

LAMENTATIONS

God’s wrathChoices

DANIEL

Three brothers delivered from the furnacePurification

Daniel and the lion’s denTrust

JONAH

Jonah and the great fishRenunciation

ZEPHANIAH

Song of joyOmniscience

ZECHARIAH

The angel of the LordSpiritual Understanding

MALACHI

Prove me nowAuthenticity

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

INTRODUCTION

This book of metaphysical interpretations of some of the most well-known allegories of the Old Testament is my attempt to put in writing my insights into what I believe to be the underlying messages of these allegories. Ultimately, however, any story, allegory or parable is relevant only when we can apply its ‘meaning’ to our daily experience.

As we move further into the second decade of the 21st century, life is becoming increasingly fast-paced where the desire for instant explanation and gratification is the norm for many people. Accordingly, I believe that these insights provide a glimmer of hope and reassurance.

Each day we cross our own Red Sea (a personal challenge), each day we are called upon to knock down the walls of Jericho (overcome something), and each day we commune with the prophetess Deborah (discernment). I invite you to enjoy the journey.

The Old Testament makes sense and becomes more meaningful when we realise that it wasn’t composed by one person but has been added to and changed over time by many different voices, each with his own take on events. And although there is never simply one interpretation of history, it is usually that of the victor that survives as fact. Accordingly, we must remember that the stories of the Old Testament were the work of men wanting to write history in their own image – to leave a legacy of their strength, morality and righteousness.

Additionally, the reader is reminded that the King James Version is a translation of a translation which may itself be a translation of other possible translations. Is it any wonder that words, phrases and actions may have been changed, mistranslated or misinterpreted? The wonder is that anything survives at all!

It’s worth noting that the ancient Egyptians were prolific bureaucrats and recorded everything, including statistics on anything grown or harvested even in the most drought-stricken years. Yet in the millions of records kept in many forms over thousands of years, there is mention of only one major event that is recorded in Genesis or Exodus. That event is the Flood which is also recorded world-wide in the folklore of all cultures that existed at that time.

There is no record of events such as the Exodus itself or of the 10 plagues. The Hebrew Bible is their only reference. There is no geological, archaeological or scientific evidence to confirm any of those events.

Despite this, the intent of this manuscript is not to prove or disprove these accounts but to provide an interpretation that may be meaningful in assisting us in our approach to living. To appreciate more fully the times and events described in the Old Testament, it may be of value to review briefly several factors that had an impact on that era.

1. When the Old Testament was written

The historical events described in The Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) took place between 1,200 – 722 BCE when Assyrian forces captured Israel and ended its existence as a nation.

Some scholars believe that at least five different people, or groups of people, were responsible for writing The Torah. Analysis shows that there are two versions of many events (the Creation, the flood, Abraham, etc.) and two names are given to the creative power (God and Yahweh). It’s as if someone has taken several versions of the same story and put them together into one book. Who, when and why, are a matter of debate.

2. People’s ages

No single calendar was in universal use until approximately 500 BCE when the solar calendar became more widely accepted. Previously, at least two other systems had been widely used, the most frequent being the lunar calendar consisting of periods of 30 days. If one were using the lunar calendar and were reported to be 900 years of age, they would, in reality, have been 900 divided by 12, or approximately 75, by today’s reckoning.

Another system widely used was the equinoctial or seasonal form of measurement. This explains how someone reported to be 200 was, in fact, 50 (200 divided by the four seasons of the solar calendar). Accordingly, when considering people’s ages in the Old Testament, the numbers should be divided by either 12 or 4, depending on their context.

3. Numbers

The numerical numbers which occur frequently in the Old Testament are 7, 40 and 10,000. Metaphysically, 7 signifies completeness while 40 is used to indicate the length of time it takes to complete or prepare for something. Moses, Elijah and Noah, for example, all had 40 days to prepare themselves spiritually for what they were about to accomplish. The number 10,000 is often used to describe an excessive or unlimited amount.

4. Geographical names

Assyria. Assyria existed between 1,800-600 BCE. At the height of its power, it included much of what we now call the Middle East. Its capital was Nineveh which is on the banks of the River Tigris opposite present-day Mosul.

Canaan. This was the strip of land lying between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea and is referred to in the Old Testament as the Promised Land of the Israelites. Over time it expanded and became known as Palestine.

Mesopotamia. The alluvial plains lying between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in present day Iraq constituted this ancient land. The cities of Babylon, Sumer and Akkad were located here.

Palestine. In Old Testament times, Palestine was the name given to the combined kingdoms of Israel and Judaea. Israel was the Northern Province with Hebron as its main city. The southern province was Judaea (also spelled Judea or Judah). Its capital city was Samaria. Jerusalem was made capital of the United Kingdoms of Israel and Judah around 1000 BCE. The modern State of Israel established in the same location in 1948.

5. The people

Israelites. In Biblical times these were the people who dwelled in the kingdom of Israel in the northern part of Palestine.

Judeans. The southern inhabitants of Palestine.

Moabites. To the southeast of Palestine lay the land of Moab which was named after Lot’s son. This is where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were located.

Philistines. Originally, the Philistines were sea people who probably came from Crete and/or other Greek Islands to settle in Canaan. The name Palestine derives from them. Throughout the Old Testament they are recorded as being a constant thorn in the side of the Israelites.

Phoenicians. To the north of Palestine lay Phoenicia. Today this is southern Syria and the coastal nation of Lebanon where the historical cities of Tyre and Sidon are situated.

Neil A. Mence

London, England

GENESIS

THE CREATION

(Manifestation)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep ….and God said: ‘Let there be light’.

(Genesis 1:1-3)

THE STORY

In Genesis, the creation story appears twice and it’s worth noting that the actions in each are in a different order. In Genesis 1, God first created plants followed by animals, then man and woman. In Genesis 2, on the other hand, we’re told that God created man first, then plants, animals and finally woman, in that order. This is but one example of how the works of different authors have been combined into the one text we now know as the Old Testament.

A METAPHYSICAL INTERPRETATION

In interpreting the creation allegory, five elements of Genesis 1 are worth considering:

- the first five words, In the beginning God created,

- the statement that the earth was without form,

- the spoken word: God said let there be…,

- the claim that God rested, and

- the use of the number 7.

Metaphysically, the word God is used to denote the universal creative power out of which everything that is, has been, or ever will be, is formed. It’s the All-ness, Whole-ness, or Is-ness that is the source of everything, regardless of whether we name it ‘past’, ‘present’ or ‘future’.

If there is only the one energy or power, which we call God (or Its alternative names such as Spirit, One, universal law, Divine Mind, life, etc.), then it follows that everything has been produced out of this One and so must contain the same attributes or nature of the original. Just as the wave can never be separated from the ocean, an individual expression of the One can never be separated from its source.

Everything is created through an orderly process – thought starts the process (in the beginning) to bring the invisible (without form) into manifestation (with form). God (each of us as individualised expressions or extensions of the One) creates through our spoken word or thought (Let there be …. ). Our believing attitudes and feelings of achievement spur on the procedure. That is, in a nutshell, the creative process.

The number 7 is a mystical symbol meaning the length of time taken to complete something. In today’s parlance we use phrases such as, ‘for as long as it takes’, to convey the same idea. So after doing everything we can on the visible plane, we rest (the seventh day) in absolute trust allowing the process to work.

The essential steps of affirmative prayer, or Spiritual Mind Treatment, can be seen in the creation story: recognition that there is only one creative source, realisation and release. Metaphysically it could be said that the creation story is all about rearranging universal ‘stuff’, or energy, to change it from one form to another. Through thought, which is direction (Let there be …) the formless is made visible.

We must remember that just as water, steam, ice and rain are different forms of the same stuff, so too is everything else in this omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient universe we call Infinite Spirit. It may be visible to the senses, or it may not, but the fact remains that everything already is and comes into our three-dimensional world according to feeling and emotion behind the words we speak.

LESSONS FROM THIS ALLEGORY

The creation allegory highlights the main Law of life which is that whatever we think, feel and believe, is acted upon by something that is as certain and as real as the physical laws of gravity and electricity.

It follows, therefore, that we must continually be aware of our thoughts and actions and must understand that what appears on the external is a reflection of our consciousness which acts as a magnet, attracting (manifesting) only that which is like itself.

Once we realise what causes our conditions we can change the cause by speaking a different word, thereby changing that condition to something more aligned with what we truly desire to experience.

This central message of cause and effect has been stated time and again throughout literature and has given rise to well-known sayings such as:

- It is done unto you as you believe.

- Thoughts become the things thought about all day.

- We always reap what we sow.

- What goes around comes around.

When we know we are one with the Infinite, we know that in Truth we are whole, complete and perfect. Our believing spoken word is our announcement of our understanding of this Truth.

Each moment is a new beginning; each moment is an opportunity to express and to experience the result of our divinity through choice. At any moment we have the power to create, to bring things into manifestation. We do this through our silent or audibly expressed word of belief and then rest in complete confidence that it is done by universal law.

ADAM AND EVE

(Duality)

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked. (Genesis 3:6-7)

THE STORY

The Adam and Eve allegory follows the second version of the creation story (Genesis 2) wherein man is made first, then plants, animals and then woman.

Genesis 3 relates the story of a serpent urging Eve to eat fruit from the trees. She reminds the serpent that, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden’.

We then learn how she ate from what has become known as the ‘forbidden tree’, and coerced Adam into doing the same. Then their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. Eve tells God that they ate the forbidden fruit because, the serpent beguiled me", and so they were both banished from the garden knowing both good and evil.

A METAPHYSICAL INTERPRETATION

This allegory has several interesting elements – a serpent, a garden with a forbidden tree laden with fruit, eyes being opened, knowledge of good and evil, and expulsion from the garden.

Metaphysically, a garden represents our consciousness which is the place where, through our choices, all possibilities for growth reside. Trees are the links, or vibrations, between our thoughts and the Divine source, while fruit represents the results of those thoughts. A serpent is our ego, or that part of our sense consciousness that reacts to appearances and thinks it knows best.

We are constantly dwelling in a garden, but what kind of garden is it? Where is our consciousness? That’s where individual choice comes in. We can stay centred in the knowledge of the presence and power of the One eternal Spirit knowing that all is good and that we are expressing as individualisations of that good, or we can allow our sense consciousness to take control (delight to the eyes) and so dwell in what some call a negative state, or state of separation.

Our gardens are watered and cultivated by the thoughts we put in them. Positive and uplifting affirmations of truth ensure a harmonious and happy existence. Opposite thoughts result in separation from the good that is ours by Divine right. This is what is meant in Genesis 3:3 where God tells Adam to stay away from the tree where the fruit contains knowledge of good and evil. You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden; neither shall you touch it, lest you die.

In other words, this tree of knowledge represents our discerning faculty and if we let our mind stray from the straight line of Truth which says God the good is all there is, we experience separation (evil). When we live in separation we ‘die’ to the truth that we are already whole, complete, perfect and free.

To understand this allegory we first accept that Adam represents the movement of thought. As spiritual beings our thought is God-centred and knows only itself. It is when we wander from the Truth of who we are, when we start asking why, how, when, etc. that our emotions (Eve) take control and start telling us what to do.

The serpent, which represents our ego-based self, urges us to do things (e.g. take the fruit) that are not spirit-based. And since ego always looks for reinforcements to back up its claims, the serpent is aided and abetted by emotion and feeling (Eve).

The fruit, or the results of our thoughts, may be good or evil. When we make ‘wrong’ choices our eyes are opened because we understand that we no longer dwell in the Kingdom of God or are living a spiritual life. As a result, we feel naked and unprotected from anything that is happening around us.

LESSONS FROM THIS ALLEGORY

Our job is to express God, the Divine ideal. When we are aligned in consciousness with Spirit and know ourselves as perfect, we express perfection.

But when things happen in the outer world that do not have the appearance of what we call ‘perfect’, it’s an indication that we have been thinking in terms of duality – good and bad, positive and negative, etc., and have attracted unwanted things or situations into our lives. We need to realign our thoughts, to step back into the consciousness of knowing that, God the good is all there is and, since I am an expression of the One, my life is perfect in every way.

When realignment is needed we first turn our attention to our breathing and inhale and exhale deeply and slowly for several minutes. As we breathe in we imagine that we are