For the last couple of days, I’ve been sharing how traditional Rabbinical Judaism approaches the story of David and Bathsheba.
It boils down to one word: Allegory.
While Christianity hardly goes into any depth at all (as usual) in its treatment of this story…
Rabbinic Judaism has allegorized this story to the point where good is being called evil and evil is being called good.
I closed yesterday’s post by saying the best way to interpret Scripture is to simply accept what it says at face value…
Instead of twisting it around into a bunch of weird contortions like a drunk yoga master.
So let me say something that’s for sure gonna tick off a good majority of pastors, preachers, and Bible teachers out there.
Allegory should have little to no place in how you understand the Bible or shape your beliefs.
Ya feel me?
Sure, allegorizing might be cool for illustration purposes…
But not as the basis for finding the truth…
And definitely not for forming doctrine.
Again, allegorizing means taking a Bible passage and saying it means something other than the plain reading of the text.
The Christian church does this all the time…
Especially in how it approaches Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount.
Yeshua says he did NOT come to abolish the Law.
But somehow, the gentile church twists the plain meaning of the text to say Jesus did abolish the Law.
Again, this ain’t no different than calling “good” evil or “evil” good.
Sadly, the Church has relied on allegory as one of their main ways to interpret Scripture and preach sermons.
Why?
Because it helps them back up manmade traditions and push their agendas as if they were God’s truth.
In other words, religious leaders create doctrines first, then force Scripture to fit their ideas.
Allegory lets them twist any passage to say whatever supports their theology.
And one of the best examples of this is in how the story of David and Bathsheba is treated.
The next time we meet, I’m gonna show you exactly how we let predetermined bias contort and twist our understanding of the Scriptures.
But for now, let’s get into the takeaway for today.
The takeaway is to simply just be aware of how we let our biases color our understanding of pretty much anything.
But nowhere is this more rampant than in theology.
Why do you think there are more than 20,000 Christian denominations out there?
It’s pretty much because each denomination’s doctrines are built upon the biases pushed by the founders of each of those denominations.
Again, we’re all guilty of this.
The only solution is to be humble and recognize that we’re doing it.
The plain, simple reading of the text is usually the best…
Unless it’s being made clear that what is being said IS a metaphor.
Like Peter’s vision of the blanket of animals being let down from heaven.
Christianity makes the gross error of taking that vision literally and interprets it to mean that somehow God’s kosher food laws have been abolished…
When really the “unclean animals” were being used as a metaphor for gentiles.
Anyway, I digress.
See ya all next time.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“He replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he
prophesied about you hypocrites;
as it is written: ‘
These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
You have let go of the commands of God
and are holding on to human traditions.‘
And he continued, ‘You have a fine way of
setting aside the commands of God in order to
observe your own traditions!…
Thus you nullify the word of God
by your tradition that you have handed down.
And you do many things like that.’”
-Mark 7:6-13
I agree with your basic point that we shouldn’t “read into” things, especially when we are doing so to interpret a biblical passage or narrative in the way we want it to be interpreted.
But, on the other hand, there are deeper, spiritual meanings to much that we read in the Bible.
The Jewish system of biblical exegesis called PaRDeS is very well suited to this proper form of properly interpreting much of what the Bible says.
For example, the “R” stands for “Remes”, which is the deeper, spiritual meaning, and we see this used by Yeshua when he gives the Sermon on the Mount.
The “P” is the “P’shat”, the plain language meaning (which is what you propose to be the only way we should interpret (if I read you correctly), and the Pharisees taught just that- such as “Do not murder”. But Yeshua taught to not even hate in your heart, which is the Remes of that commandment.
The same for “Do not commit adultery”- the Remes says do not even lust with your eyes.
I think the issue is reading into something what you want it to say, instead of reading it and understanding what it says.
I agree with you. And I was thinking the same thing actually when writing today’s post. 
This post calls out the crazy allegorizing that goes hogwild off the deep end.
It’s unbelievable
The most devastating genocide in the world is being carried out by AIPAC ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COx-t-Mk6UA ) and the Evangelical Church, which kill innocent women and children in Gaza.
AIPAC and The Evangelical Church (America) provided Israel with TNT (explosives) for their GENOCIDE.
Gaza has been declared a disaster area and lacks essential resources for living in it, as follows.
AIPAC, The Evangelical Church (America), and Israel destroyed 90% of Gaza, destroying 437,600 homes, and killing one million people, including 50 thousand who are currently under rubble, 80% of whom are women and children.
AIPAC, The Evangelical Church (America), and Israel destroyed 330,000 meters of water pipes, resulting in people not being able to drink water.
AIPAC, The Evangelical Church (America), and Israel destroyed more than 655,000 meters of underground sewer lines. Now people have no washrooms to use.
AIPAC, The Evangelical Church (America), and Israel destroyed 2,800,000 two million eight hundred thousand meters of roads, causing people to have no roads to use.
AIPAC, The Evangelical Church (America), and Israel have destroyed 3680 km of electric grid, which has caused people to lose electricity.
AIPAC, The Evangelical Church (America), and Israel destroyed 48 hospitals and leveled them to the ground. Now, no one will have a hospital to save their lives.
AIPAC, The Evangelical Church (USA), and Israel destroyed over 785,000 students’ ability to attend school and learn. Their actions resulted in the complete destruction of 494 schools and universities, many of which were destroyed by bombing.
AIPAC, The Evangelical Church (America), and Israel destroyed 981 mosques to prevent homless people from asking God for help.
AIPAC and The Evangelical Church (America) have made over 39000 small children orphans and left them without parents or relatives to care for them.
There has never been a war in history where 80% of the country has been destroyed, 100% of the population has been displaced, and 50% of the deaths are children.
Don’t hesitate to call it what it is
AIPAC ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COx-t-Mk6UA ) and The Evangelical Church (America) are creating a GENOCIDE.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IrX9v6DKH1g
see why Israel can kill innocent children with American taxpayer money
1- see Why Israel is in deep trouble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAfIYtpcBxo
2- Because the God of Money of our World is a Jew who supports and lives in Israel. For more details, click on the following link.
https://mega.nz/file/FqhzGKbB#bsX4PD-O59HEA0-rynD29xkk47dmddycY5CjZfoDLYg
3- Because what USA president say about AIPAC and The Evangelical Church (America)
https://www.tiktok.com/@thefearlessqueenmel/video/7307640994579680542?lang=en&q=why%20dont%20Americans%20knowl%20what%20you%20have%20seen%20&t=1701880206555
See how innocent children are killed by the most powerful Israeli using American bombs at
Al Jazeera Arabic Live
at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COx-t-Mk6UA
Watch the real news at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNyUyrR0PHo
It is imperative to take action by expressing your concerns regarding the ongoing situation in Gaza. One way to do this is by publicly urging your government to cease hostilities and provide humanitarian aid to the affected population. If you find yourself unable to take direct action, consider sharing this message along with the relevant links with at least four acquaintances, encouraging them to do the same. This will help raise awareness about the current crisis. It is a tragic irony that those who suffered during the Holocaust are now perceived as contributing to a new tragedy against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
if you do not do this also then you do not have a HART