The Bible and the message contained therein is a difficult thing to summarize. There are thousands of years worth of information, hundreds of people and families, countless lessons and applications from which we can learn. How does the Bible then describe itself? Here are a few ways the Bible can be seen to be like something else.
Food
1 Peter 2:2, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” When we look at the Bible, its described as being like food. One application from that metaphor is this: how long do we go without eating physically? I usually get pretty grumpy when I haven't eaten within a few hours. Now imagine if I felt as strongly about not opening my Bible as when I haven't eaten a meal. We need to hunger for the Word.
Light
Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” We all know the necessity of light. If you've ever been in an unknown place when the power has gone out, you know that a flashlight is a necessary tool to have. In a similar way, we need to have the light of the Bible to help guide us in the unknown terrain of life.
Weapon
Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The Bible is the only offensive weapon we have to defend ourselves against our enemy. If you think about a soldier, they train with their weapons consistently and constantly to know it inside and out. We too ought to know our weapon just as well. Jesus used scripture to overcome temptations in Matthew 4 as an example to us.
Seed
Luke 8:11, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” The Parable of the Sower shines the light on the Bible being like a seed planted within one’s heart. Depending on the conditions of one’s heart, there is a different result from each time the seed is planted. The most important application I believe from this is that we are not called to cultivate the soil (the hearts), but to simply cast the seed. God will give the increase.
It is not an easy thing to explain what the Bible is like, but these illustrations help us make it more simple. May God bless us as we learn more from His Book.