The Bible is full of word pictures and allegories! Jesus himself often used parables to teach spiritual truths. In John 10, for example, he speaks of himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. This was a picture that his listeners would have been familiar with, and it helped them to understand the kind of love and sacrifice that Jesus was offering them. There are many other examples throughout Scripture of God using word pictures and allegories to communicate His truth. In Ezekiel chapter 4, God commands the prophet to bake a cake using flour mixed with human dung! This was certainly not an appetizing message, but it was a powerful picture of the spiritual condition of Israel at that time.