Russell Hopkinson

January 28, 2008

The Allegory of the Love of Money

The Bible is apparently filled with instances that can be interpreted as allegory.

The passage that I focused on was in Judges 3:12-23. The “true” meaning behind this

allegory is that love of money should be avoided, and that only with God’s help can we

escape its grasp. As this passage is studied, it will be quite clear that this story is intended

to be an allegory, and that this meaning is clear.

In verse 12, it mentions Israel doing evil in the sight of the Lord. Israel represents

the common man, and the evil is just our sinful nature, that which we cannot control.

Then, it introduces Eglon, the king of Moab, and turns him against Israel. Eglon

represents love of money, and Moab is a reference to Hell, from which all bad things

derive. In verse 13, Eglon gathers the sons of Ammon and Amalek. These two lines

represent Hope and Will, which every person possesses. When Eglon recruits them, it

means that this love of money now controls the hope and will of the person. They no

longer place their hope in God, but in money, which is unstable, and by doing so, their

will is controlled by a constant urge to make more money. Then it says “they possessed

the city of the palm trees,” which represents the heart or soul – the central point of man is

now controlled by money.

Then, in verse 14, it states that Israel served Eglon for eighteen years. This is

enough time for a man to be completely trapped in the love of money, and be stuck with

debt and strife. It is at this point that Israel cries to the Lord for salvation, and where God

raises Ehud. Ehud was a Benjamite, which means literally “son of my right hand.” Ehud

clearly represents Christ in this allegory. The fact that Ehud was left-handed means that

he is completely different from the normal ways of the world, and that he is not at all like
 Russell Hopkinson
January 28, 2008
the master Israel had previously been serving. Then, Israel gives tribute to Ehud to give

to Eglon. This represents the tithe, and trust in God to save them and sacrifice a little to

gain much more.

Then Ehud makes a double-edged sword for himself, and puts it under his cloak

on his right thigh. The hidden double-edged sword is a symbol for Christ, as can also be

seen in Revelation, further identifying who Ehud is representative of. The right thigh is

important, because it represents the will of God, rather than the left which represents will

of money.

In verse 17, Ehud actually approaches Eglon, and the reader is told that Eglon is a

fat man. The fact that he is fat symbolizes the greed and gluttony that comes with love of

money. After the tribute is presented, Ehud sends away the people who had carried it,

meaning that after we put our trust in Christ rather than money, Christ will take over

without our help – we just need to be obedient. Ehud turns away from the idols of Gilgal,

which is obvious, because Christ must turn away from any idols. The idols of Gilgal are

those common things that people desire, such as big houses, expensive cars, and fancy

meals. He then tells Eglon that he has a secret for him, and then Eglon’s attendants leave

him. This is how money begins to be defeated, by first separating it from the helpers,

such as greed, earthly desires, and deception. Without these things, love of money is

disarmed, and completely vulnerable.

In verse 20, Ehud approaches Eglon in his “cool roof chamber” – his comfortable

throne – and declares that he has a message from God. At this point, Eglon stands, in

attempt to escape, for he knows that this is not good news. In the same way, the demons

who promote love of money will know that this is not good, and will try to hide. Before
 Russell Hopkinson
January 28, 2008
Eglon can escape, Ehud kills Eglon, and leaves the sword in him. After Christ destroys

the love of money, it will remain destroyed, and the death cannot be undone. Then Ehud

leaves the chamber and locks the doors behind him. This is significant because the love

of money can never escape the “locked door,” and cannot control the man ever again.

It is obvious that this passage was intended to be an allegory, and that it was to

show that love of money is a horrible thing to be slave to. It is only through God, and His

son Jesus Christ, that any man can escape this desire, but when it happens, it can never

return.