AE 734 - trees

AE 734 [3]

. . . trees in gardens
signify the perceptions and knowledges of truths.

Solomon's Temple for the Lord

The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord
was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.
The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple
extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits,
and projected ten cubits from the front of the temple.
Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary
he built a structure around the building,
in which there were side rooms.
The lowest floor was five cubits wide,
the middle floor six cubits
and the third floor was seven.
He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple
so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

In building the temple,
only blocks dressed at the quarry were used,
and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool
was heard at the temple site
while it was being built.

(I Kings 6:1-7)

AE 731 - "Prepared by God,"; AE 732 - among a few

AE 731 [1, 3]

. . . "Prepared by God,"
as being to be provided by the Lord,
for what is done by man is prepared,
but what is done by the Lord is provided.

From this it may appear what is meant
by the Lord's words to His disciples:

That in His Father's house there are many mansions,
and that He would go to prepare a place for them;
and if He should go and prepare a place for them
that He would come and take them to Himself.
(John 14:2, 3)

"To prepare a place for them" signifies to provide heaven
for everyone according to the state of his life,
for "the disciples" mean all who are to be of His church.

AE 732 [2, 3]

There are several reasons why this New Church
that is called the Holy Jerusalem
will first begin with a few,
afterwards to be with more,
and finally to reach fullness.
First, its doctrine,
which is the doctrine of love to the Lord
and charity towards the neighbor,
cannot be acknowledged and thus received
except by those who are interiorly affected by truths,
and those only can be interiorly affected by truths
who have the ability to see them,
and those only see truths
who have cultivated their intellectual faculty,
and have not destroyed it in themselves
by the loves of self and of the world.
A second reason is that the doctrine of that church
cannot be acknowledged and thence received but by those
who have not confirmed themselves by doctrine
and at the same time by life in faith alone;
confirmation by doctrine alone does not prevent reception,
but confirmation by life also does prevent,
for such do not know what love to the Lord is,
nor what charity towards the neighbor is,
nor are they willing to know.

A third reason is that the New Church on the earth
grows according to its increase in the world of spirits,
for spirits from that world are with men,
and they are from such as while they lived on earth
were in the faith of their church,
and none of these receive the doctrine
but those who have been in the spiritual affection of truth;
these only are conjoined to heaven where that doctrine is,
and they conjoin heaven to man.
The number of these in the spiritual world
now increases daily,
therefore according to their increase
does that church that is called the New Jerusalem
increase on earth.
These also were the reasons why the Christian Church,
after the Lord had left the world,
increased so slowly in Europe,
and did not attain to its fullness until an age had elapsed.

David's Charge to Solomon

When the time drew near for David to die,
he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

"I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said.
"So be strong, show yourself a man,
and observe what the Lord your God requires:
Walk in His ways,
and keep His decrees and commands,
His laws and requirements,
as written in the Law of Moses,
so that you may prosper in all you do
and wherever you go . . ..

Then David rested with his fathers
and was buried in the City of David.
He had reigned forty years over Israel -
seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.
So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David,
and his rule was firmly established.

(I Kings 2:1-3, 10-12)

AE 730 - good and truth

AE 730 [22, 30]

. . . where there is no truth and good,
there is falsity and evil;
the two cannot exist together,
and this is meant by the Lord's words,
that "no one can serve two masters."

. . . good is like its truth,
because one is of the other.

A Few of the Last Words of David

"The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me;
His word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock of Israel said to me:

'When one rules over men in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God,
he is like the light of morning
at sunrise on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings the grass from the earth.'

(II Samuel 23:2-4)

AE 728 - the Lord foresees and protects

AE 728

And her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne,
(Revelation 12:5)

signifies the protection of the doctrine by the Lord,
because it is for the New Church.
This is evident from the signification of
"the offspring" (or the son, a male)
brought forth by
"the woman arrayed with the sun,
under whose feet was the moon,
and upon whose head was a crown of twelve stars,"
as being doctrine from the Word,
and indeed, the doctrine of truth,
that is, the doctrine of love to the Lord
and of charity towards the neighbor,
and finally of faith.
Also from the signification of
"caught up unto God and His throne,"
as being protection by the Lord from "the dragon"
that stood before the woman about to bring forth,
with the intent and desire
of devouring what was brought forth.
That protection by the Lord
 from those who are meant by "the dragon"
is here signified by these words.
And as that doctrine was to be the doctrine
of the church that is called the New Jerusalem,
therefore it is said protection because it is for the New Church.
 It is said "caught up unto God and His throne,"
"God" meaning the Lord, and "His throne" heaven;
it is caught up to the Lord and to heaven
because this doctrine is from the Lord,
and heaven is in this doctrine.

[2] What is here said of the offspring born of the woman,
who "was caught up unto God,"
is also said of Enoch, the son of Jared,
but in these words:

Enoch walked with God, and was no more;
because God took him.
(Genesis 5:24)

Who are here meant by "Enoch," and what "Enoch" signifies,
has been disclosed to me from heaven,
namely, those of the men of the Most Ancient Church
who collected together
the representatives and correspondences
of natural things with spiritual;
for the men of the Most Ancient Church
were in the spiritual understanding and perception
of all things they saw with their eyes,
and thence from the objects in the world
they saw through to the spiritual things
corresponding to the objects.
Because the Lord foresaw
that this spiritual perception would perish with their posterity,
and with that perception
also the knowledge of correspondences
through which the human race has conjunction with heaven,
therefore the Lord provided
that some of those who lived with the most ancient people
should collect together the correspondences,
and gather them into a manuscript;
these are here meant by "Enoch,"
and that manuscript is what is here signified.
Because that manuscript was to serve the coming churches
that were to be established by the Lord after the deluge
with the knowledge and cognition of the spiritual things
that are in natural things,
it was preserved by the Lord for their use,
and was also guarded . . ..
  

Sheba son of Bicri

Now a trouble maker
named Sheba son of Bicri, a Benjamite,
happened to be there.
He sounded the trumpet and shouted,

"We have no share in David,
no part in Jess's son!
Every man to his tent, O Israel!"

So all the men of Israel deserted David
to follow Sheba son of Bicri.
But the men of Judah stayed by their king
all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

. . . All the troops with Joab
came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maacah.
They built a siege ramp up to the city,
and it stood against the outer fortifications.
While they were battering the wall to bring it down,
a wise woman called from the city,
"Listen!  Listen!  Tell Joab to come here
so I can speak to him."
He went toward her, and she asked,
"Are you Joab?"

"I am," he answered.

She continued, "Long ago they used to say,
'Get your answer at Abel,' and that settled it.
We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel.
You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel.
Why do you want to swallow up the Lord's inheritance?"

"Far be it from me!" Joab replied,
"Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy!
That is not the case.
A man named Sheba son of Bicri,
from the hill country of Ephraim,
has lifted up his hand against the king, against David.
Hand over this one man,
and I'll withdraw from the city."

The woman said to Joab,
"His head will be thrown to you from the wall."

Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice,
and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bicri
and threw it to Joab.
So he sounded the trumpet,
and his men dispersed from the city,
each returning to his home.
And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.

(II Samuel 20:1-2, 15-22)
 

AE 726 - Does Natural Truth Alone Have Power?

AE 726 [10]

The truths of the natural man
without influx through the spiritual man
have in themselves nothing of the Lord,
thus also nothing of life;
and truths without life are not truths,
and in fact when regarded interiorly are falsities,
and falsities have nothing whatever of power,
since they are opposites of truths,
which have all power. 

Shimei Curses David

As King David approached Bahurim,
a man from the same clan as Saul's family
came out from there.
His name was Shimei son of Gera,
and he cursed as he came out.
He pelted David and all the King's officials with stones,
though all the troops and the special guard
were on David's right and left.
As he cursed, Shimei said,
"Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel!"
The Lord has repaid you
for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul,
in whose place you have reigned.
The Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom.
You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!"

Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king,
"Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?
Let me go over and cut off his head."

But the king said,
"What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah?
If he is cursing because the Lord said to him,
'Curse David," who can ask, 'Why do you do this?'"

David then said to Abishai and all his officials,
"My son, who is of my own flesh,
is trying to take my life.
How much more, then, this Benjamite!
Leave him alone; let him curse,
for the Lord has told him to.
It may be that the Lord will see my distress
and repay me with good
for the cursing I am receiving today.

So David and his men continued along the road
while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him,
cursing as he went
and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.
The king and all the people with him
arrived at their destination exhausted.
And there he refreshed himself.

(II Samuel 16:5-14)

AE 726 - the Lord alone has power

AE 726

. . . the Lord alone has power,
and He exercises it through Divine truth 
that proceeds from Him.

Absalom Conspires

In the course of time,
Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses
and with fifty men to run ahead of him.
He would get up early
and stand by the side of the road
leading to the city gate.
Whenever anyone came with a complaint
to be placed before the king for a decision,
Absalom would call out to him,
"What town are you from?"
He would answer,
"Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel."
Then Absalom would say to him,
"Look, your claims are valid and proper,
but there is no representative of the king to hear you."
And Absalom would add,
"If only I were appointed judge in the land!
Then everyone who has a complaint or case
could come to me
and I would see that he gets justice."

Also, whenever anyone approached him
to bow down before him,
Absalom would reach out his hand,
take hold of him and kiss him.
Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites
who came to the king asking for justice,
and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

(II Samuel 15:1-6)

AE 725 - one flesh - man (homo)

AE 725 [1-3]

God created man into His image,
into the image of God created He him.
Male and female created He them.
(Genesis 1:27)    

Male and female created He them,
and blessed them,
and called their name Man,
in the day when they were created.
(Genesis 5:2)

What is involved in the things that are related
in the first chapters of Genesis
respecting the creation of heaven and earth, paradise,
and eating from the tree of knowledge,
no one can know except from the spiritual sense,
for these historical things are made-up historicals,
and yet they are holy,
because every least particular
is inwardly or in its bosom spiritual.

It describes the establishment of the Most Ancient Church,
which surpassed all the churches on this earth;
its establishment is meant by the creation of heaven and earth,
its intelligence and wisdom by the garden in Eden,
and its decline and fall by eating from the tree of knowledge.
From this it is clear that "Man," who is called "Adam and Eve,"
means that church,
for it is said "male and female created He them,
and called their name Man;"
and as that church is meant by the two,
it follows that "the male" means its truth,
and "the female" its good,
so too, "male" means doctrine,
and "female," the life,
since the doctrine of truth
is also the doctrine of love and charity,
thus the doctrine of life;
and the life of good is also the life of love and charity,
thus the life of doctrine, that is, life according to doctrine.
These two are meant by "male [and female],"
and these taken together and conjoined in marriage
are called "Man" [Homo],
and also constitute the church,
which is meant by "Man," as has been said above.
So, again, Adam is from a word that means ground,
and ground from its reception of seeds
signifies the church in respect to the truths of doctrine,
for in the Word seeds signify truths;
while Eve is from a word that means life, as it is said:

Because she was to be the mother of all living.
(Genesis 3:20)

These two, doctrine and life,
when taken together and joined as it were in marriage,
are called "Man," and also constitute the church,
because man is man
from the understanding of truth and from the will of good,
consequently from the doctrine of life,
since this is of the understanding,
and from the life of doctrine,
because this is of the will.
It is similar with the church,
for the church is in man,
and is the man himself.

That these two, which are signified by "male and female,"
are not to be two but one,
the Lord teaches in the Gospels:

Jesus said, Have ye not read
that He who made them from the beginning of creation
made them male and female,
and they twain shall be one flesh?
Therefore they are no more twain,
but one flesh.
(Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:6, 8)

This, like every particular of the Word,
must be understood not only naturally, but also spiritually,
and unless it is also understood spiritually
no one can know what is signified
by "male and female [or husband and wife]
shall be no more twain but one flesh"
(as it is also said in Gen. 2:24).
Here, as above, "male and female"
signify in the spiritual sense truth and good,
consequently the doctrine of truth,
which is the doctrine of life,
and the life of truth, which is the life of doctrine;
these must be not two but one,
since truth does not become truth with man
without the good of life,
nor does good become good with anyone
without the truth of doctrine,
for good becomes spiritual good only by means of truths,
and spiritual good is good,
but natural good without it is not good.
When these are one,
then truth is of good and good is of truth,
and this one is meant by "one flesh."
It is similar with doctrine and life;
these also constitute one man of the church
when the doctrine of life and the life of doctrine
are conjoined with him,
for doctrine teaches how one must live and do,
and life lives the doctrine and does it.
From this it can also be seen
that "a son, a male" signifies the doctrine of love and charity,
consequently the doctrine of life.

Joab and Abishai Divide and Conquer

Joab saw that there were battle lines
in front of him and behind him;
so he selected some of the best troops in Israel
and deployed them against the Arameans.
He put the rest of the men
under the command of Abishai his brother
and deployed them against the Ammonites.
Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me,
then you are to come to my rescue;
but if the Ammonites are too strong for you,
then I will come to rescue you.
Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people
and the cities of our God.
The Lord will do what is good in His sight."

(II Samuel 10:9-11)

AE 724 - the doctrine of truth, the doctrine of good, the doctrine of life

AE 724

And she brought forth a son, a male,
(Revelation 12:5)

signifies the doctrine of truth for the New Church
that is called the New Jerusalem.
This is evident from the signification of a "son,"
as meaning truth,
and of "a son, a male,"
as meaning the genuine truth of the church,
consequently also its doctrine,
for the truth of the church from the Word
is its doctrine,
since the doctrine contains the truths that are for the church.
But the genuine doctrine of the church
is the doctrine of good,
thus the doctrine of life,
which is of love to the Lord
and of charity towards the neighbor;
but yet it is the doctrine of truth,
since doctrine teaches life, love, and charity,
and so far as it teaches
it is truth;
for when a man knows and understands what good is,
what life is,
what love is,
and what charity is,
he knows and understands these things as truths,
since he knows and understands what good is,
how he ought to live,
and what love and charity are,
and of what quality a man is
who is in the life of love and charity;
and as long as these
are matters of knowledge and understanding
they are nothing but truths, and thus doctrines;
but as soon as they pass over from knowledge
and from the understanding into the will,
and thus into act,
they are no longer truths but goods;
for interiorly man wills nothing but what he loves,
and that which he loves is to him good.
From this it can be seen
that every doctrine of the church is a doctrine of truth,
and that the truth of doctrine becomes good
and comes to be of love and charity
when from doctrine it passes into life. 

David Conquers Jerusalem

The king and his men marched to Jerusalem
to attack the Jebusites, who lived there.
The Jebusites said to David,
"You will not get in here;
even the blind and the lame can ward you off."
They thought, "David cannot get in here."
Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion,
the City of David.

(II Samuel 5:6-7)

AE 721 - "to bring forth"

AE 721 [17]

. . . "to bring forth"
signifying to make truths fruitful by doing them,
from which comes reformation.

David Grows in Strength

The war between the house of Saul
and the house of David lasted a long time.
David grew stronger and stronger,
while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

Sons born to David in Hebron:
His first born was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;
his second, Kileab the son of Abigail
the widow of Nabal of Carmel;
the third, Absalom the son of Maacah
daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;
the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
and the sixth, Ithream the son of David's wife Eglah.
These were born to David in Hebron.

(II Samuel 3:1-5)

AE 717 - the Word is still the Word

AE 717 [15]

. . . with the evil the same as with the good
the Word is still the Word
and its truths are truths in themselves;
and when the evil pervert and falsify
the truths of the Word
it yet does not change their essence.

David's Revenge on the Amalekites

David fought them (the Amalekites)
from dusk until the evening of the next day,
and none of them got away,
except four hundred young men
who rode off on camels and fled.
David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken,
including his two wives.
Nothing was missing:
young or old, boy or girl,
plunder or anything else they had taken.
David brought everything back.
He took all the flocks and herds,
and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock,
saying, "This is David's plunder."

Then David came to the two hundred men
who had been too exhausted to follow him
and who where left behind at the Besor Ravine.
They came out to meet David and the people with him.
As David and his men approached, he greeted them.
But all the evil men and troublemakers
among David's followers said,
"Because they did not go out with us,
we will not share with them the plunder we recovered.
However, each man may take his wife and children and go."

David replied, "No, my brothers,
you must not do that with what the Lord has given us.
He has protected us and handed over to us
the forces that came against us.
Who will listen to what you say?
The share of the man who stayed with the supplies
is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle.
All will share alike."
David made this a statute and and ordinance of Israel
from that day to this.

When David arrived in Ziklag,
he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah,
who were his friends, saying,
"Here is a present for you
from the plunder of the Lord's enemies."

He sent it to those
who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir;
to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa and Racal;
to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites;
to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach and Hebron;
and to those in all the other places
where David and his men had roamed.

(I Samuel 30:17-31)
 

AE 716 - at the end of the church

AE 716 [2]

. . . at the end of the church
every one wishes to live for himself,
for the world,
and according to his own bent,
and few wish to live for the Lord,
for heaven and eternal life . . ..

From Gath to Adullam and Mizpah

David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam.
When his brothers and his father's household heard about it,
they went down to him there.
All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented
gathered around him,
and he became their leader.
About four hundred men were with him.

From there David went to Mizpah in Moab
and said to the king of Moab,
"Would you let my father and mother come
and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?
So he left them with the king of Moab,
and they stayed with him
as long as David was in the stronghold.

But the prophet Gad said to David,
"Do not stay in the stronghold.
Go into the land of Judah."
So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

(I Samuel 22:1-5)

AE 714 - intelligence from the Lord

AE 714 [10]

. . . all who are in the spiritual affection of truth,
that is, who love truth because it is truth
and because it is serviceable to eternal life
and to the life of men's souls,
have intelligence from the Lord.

Saul Is Afraid of David

Saul was afraid of David,
because the Lord was with David
but had left Saul.
So he sent David away from him
and gave him command over a thousand men,
and David led the troops in their campaigns.
In everything he did he had great success,
because the Lord was with him.
When Saul saw how successful he was,
he was afraid of him.
But all Israel and Judah loved David,
because he led them in their campaigns.

(I Samuel 18:12-16)

AE 714 - the dragon

AE 714 [1, 2, 3]

And behold a great red dragon,
(Revelation 12:3)

signifies all who are merely natural and sensual
from the love of self,
and yet have more or less knowledge from the Word,
from doctrine therefrom or from preaching,
and think to be saved by knowledge alone apart from life.

. . . truths from the Word
with a life according to them
are what make man spiritual,
for life is willing truths
and doing them from a love of them;
this is not possible to the natural man alone,
but must come from the spiritual,
and from its influx into the natural;
for to love truths
and from love to will them
and from that will to do them
is from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord,
and is in its nature celestial and Divine . . ..

This has been said that it may be known
that to know the things that are of the Word
and of the doctrine of the church
does not make man spiritual,
but a life according to those things
that the Lord has commanded in the Word;
therefore although such know many things from the Word
they yet remain natural and sensual.
Such are signified in the Word by "the dragon." 

Samuel Tells Saul

"Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and the arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He has rejected you as king."

(I Samuel 15:22-23)

AE 710 - the organs of birth and regeneration

AE 710 [2, 3, 5, 10, 11, 25, 26]

The "womb" signifies the inmost good of love,
because all the members devoted to generation,
both with males and with females,
signify conjugial love,
and "the womb" its inmost,
because there the fetus is conceived and grows, until it is born;
moreover, it is the inmost of the genital organs,
and from it is also derived
the maternal love that is called "storge."
Because the man who is regenerating is also conceived,
and as it were carried in the womb and born,
and because regeneration
is effected by truths from the good of love,
so "to bear in the womb" signifies in the spiritual
sense the doctrine of truth from the good of love.

"Those carried from the womb"
signify those who are being regenerated by the Lord,
and "those borne from the matrix"
signify those who are regenerated.
Because the man who is being regenerated
is first conceived by the Lord, and next is born,
and lastly is educated and perfected,
and because regeneration is in this respect
like the natural generation of man,
so "to be carried from the womb"
signifies the state of the man
who is to be regenerated from conception to birth;
the birth itself and afterwards education and perfection . . .
"to deliver" means to take away
and remove evils and falsities that are from hell.

. . . because the belly seems to swell in childbearing
. . . the term "belly" is used where truths are treated of,
and "womb" where good is treated of.

. . . that man is born natural
and becomes spiritual
by a life according to truths from the Word,
is signified by
"that which is born of the flesh is flesh,
but that which is born of the spirit is spirit;"

In many passages in the Word the Lord is called
"Creator," "Maker," and "Former from the womb,"
and also "Redeemer;"
for the reason that He creates man anew,
reforms, regenerates, and has redeemed him.
It may be believed that the Lord is so called
because He created man and forms him in the womb,
but yet it is the spiritual creation and formation
that is here meant;
for the Word is both natural and spiritual . . ..

In general there are celestial truths, spiritual truths,
moral truths, civil truths, and even natural truths;
and of every kind of truth
there are species and varieties innumerable;
and since in consequence of this
the understanding of one
is never like the understanding of another,
nor the affection of one like that of another, yet,
in order that the understanding and affection may act as one,
they are so joined together in heaven
that the correspondent affection,
which belongs to the woman,
is conjoined with the correspondent understanding
which belongs to the man;
and as a result, both by correspondence
have a life that is full of love.
Now because two different affections
cannot correspond to one understanding,
therefore in heaven
one man never has and never can have several wives.

"Therefore they are no more twain but one flesh"
signifies that thus the understanding of good and truth
and the affection of good and truth
are not two but one,
in like manner as while will and understanding are two
they are nevertheless one;
and the like is true of truth and good and of faith and charity,
which indeed are two but yet one,
that is, when truth is of good and good is of truth,
so also when faith is of charity and charity is of faith;
and this also is the source of conjugial love.

Saul Confirmed as King

The people then said to Samuel,
"Who was it that asked,
'Shall Saul reign over us?'
Bring these men to us
and we will put them to death."

But Saul said,
"No one shall be put to death today,
for this day the Lord has rescued Israel."

Then Samuel said to the people,
"Come, let us go to Gilgal and there reaffirm the kingship."
So all the people went to Gilgal
and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the Lord.
There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord,
and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

(I Samuel 11:12-15)

AE 707 - love

AE 707

. . . love to the Lord
is to love and to will those things that are of the Lord,
consequently those things
that the Lord has commanded in the Word,
and love towards the neighbor
is to act from that will,
thus it consists in the performance of uses . . ..

Samuel Leads Israel

It was a long time, twenty years in all,
that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim,
and all the people of Israel mourned
and sought after the Lord.
And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel,
"If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts,
then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths
and commit yourselves to the Lord
and serve Him only,
and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."
So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths,
and served the Lord only.

Then Samuel said,
"Assemble all Israel at Mizpah
and I will intercede with the Lord for you."
When they had assembled at Mizpah,
they drew water and poured it out before the Lord.
On that day they fasted and there they confessed,
"We have sinned against the Lord."
And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah.

(I Samuel 7:2-6)

AE 706 - the name of the Lord

AE 706 [14]

. . . the name of the Lord understood spiritually
means everything of doctrine out of the Word from the Lord . . ..

Hannah Prays

There was a certain man from Ramathaim,
a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim,
whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham,
the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu,
the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
He had two wives;
one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah.
Peninnah had children, but Hanna had none.

Year after year this man went up from his town
to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh,
where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli,
were priests of the Lord.
Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice,
he would give portions of the meat
to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
But to Hannah he gave a double portion
because he loved her,
and the Lord had closed her womb.
And because the Lord had closed her womb,
her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.
This went on year after year.
Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord,
her rival provoked her til she wept and would not eat.
Elkanah her husband would say to her,
"Hannah, why are you weeping?  Why don't you eat?
Why are you downhearted?
Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh,
Hannah stood up.
Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair
by the doorpost of the Lord's temple.
In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.
And she made a vow, saying,
"O Lord Almighty, if You will only look
upon Your servant's misery and remember me,
and not forget Your servant but give her a son,
then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life,
and no razor will ever be used on his head."

As she kept on praying to the Lord,
Eli observed her mouth.
Hannah was praying in her heart,
and her lips were moving
but her voice was not heard.
Eli thought she was drunk and said to her,
"How long will you keep on getting drunk?
Get rid of your wine."

"Not so, my lord," Hannah replied,
"I am a woman who is deeply troubled.
I have not been drinking wine or beer;
I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.
Do not take your servant for a wicked woman;
I have been praying here
out of my great anguish and grief."

Eli answered, "Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you
what you have asked of Him."

She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes."
Then she went on her way and ate something,
and her face was no longer downcast.

Early the next morning they arose
and worshiped before the Lord
and then went back to their home at Ramah.
Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife,
and the Lord remembered her.
So in the course of time Hannah conceived
and give birth to a son.
She named him Samuel, saying,
"Because I asked the Lord for him."

(I Samuel 1:1-20)

AE 706 - sign and wonder

AE 706

"Sign" and "wonder"
are mentioned in many passages in the Word,
"sign" meaning
that which indicates, witnesses, and persuades
respecting the subject of inquiry,
and "wonder" meaning
that which stirs up, strikes dumb, and fills with amazement;
thus a sign moves the understanding and faith,
but a wonder the will and its affection . . ..

Israel Mourns

The people went to Bethel,
where they sat before God until evening,
raising their voices and weeping bitterly.
"O Lord, the God of Israel," they cried,
"why has this happened to Israel?
Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?"

Early the next day
the people built an altar and presented
burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

(Judges 21:2-4)

AE 701 - the Lord's covenant

AE 701 [20]

. . . the covenant the Lord will make is a spiritual covenant,
or a covenant through spiritual truth,
and not a covenant through natural truth . . .

Israel Fights the Benjamites

All the men of Israel moved from their places
and took up positions at Baal Tamar,
and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place
on the west of Gibeah.
Then ten thousand of Israel's finest men
made a frontal attack on Gibeah.
The fighting was so heavy
that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was.
The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel,
and on that day
the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites,
all armed with swords.
Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten.

(Judges 20:33-36)

AE 701 - the Lord's constant light, affection and freedom

AE 701 [1-2]

The Lord continually flows into all men
with light that enlightens,
and with the affection of knowing and understanding truths,
also for willing and doing them;
and as that light and that affection
continually flow in from the Lord,
it follows that man becomes rational
to the extent that he receives of that light,
and he becomes wise and is led by the Lord
so far as he receives of that affection.
That affection with its light
draws to itself and conjoins to itself
the truths that man from infancy has learned from the Word,
from doctrine out of the Word,
and from preaching;
for every affection 
desires to be nourished by the knowledges 
that are in harmony with it.
From this conjunction
man's spiritual love or affection is formed,
through which he is conjoined to the Lord,
that is, through which the Lord conjoins man to Himself.

But in order that
that light and that affection may be received,
freedom of choice has been given to man,
and as that freedom is from the Lord,
it is also a gift of the Lord with man
and is never taken away from him;
for that freedom belongs to man's affection or love,
and consequently also to his life.
From freedom a man can think and will what is evil,
and can also think and will what is good.
So far, therefore, as from that freedom,
which belongs to his love and thence to his life,
man thinks falsities and wills evils,
which are the opposites of the truths and goods of the Word,
so far he is not conjoined to the Lord;
but so far as he thinks truths and wills goods,
which are from the Word,
so far he is conjoined to the Lord,
and the Lord makes those truths and goods to be of his love,
and thence of his life.
From this it is evident that this conjunction is reciprocal,
namely, of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord;
such is the conjunction that is meant in the Word by "covenant."

Ibzan, Elon and Abdon

After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel.
He had thirty sons and thirty daughters.
He gave his daughters away in marriage
to those outside his clan,
and for his sons
he brought in thirty young women as wives
from outside his clan.
Ibzan led Israel seven years.
Then Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem.

After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years.
Then Elon died,
and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel.
He had forty sons and thirty grandsons,
who rode on seventy donkeys.
He led Israel eight years.
then Abon son of Hillel died,
and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim,
in the country of the Amalekites.

(Judges 12:8-15)

AE 700 - the Philistines and the travels of the Ark

AE 700 [20, 26, 27]

The Philistines represented, and thence signified,
those who make no account of the good of love and charity,
and thus no account of the good of life;
placing everything of religion in knowledge and cognition;
therefore they were like those at the present day
who make faith alone, that is, faith separated from charity,
the essential of the church and the essential of salvation.
This is why they were called "the uncircumcised,"
for to be uncircumcised signifies
to be destitute of spiritual love, thus of good;
and because they had reference to those within the church
they were not spiritual, but merely natural,
since he who makes no account
of the good of charity and of life
becomes merely natural, and even sensual,
loving only worldly things,
and is unable to understand any truths spiritually,
and the truths he apprehends naturally
he either falsifies or defiles.
Such are they who are meant in the Word by the "Philistines."
Thence it is evident why
the Philistines so frequently fought with the sons of Israel,
and that sometimes the Philistines conquered,
and sometimes the sons of Israel.
The Philistines conquered
when the sons of Israel departed from
the statutes and precepts in not doing them;
but when the sons of Israel lived according to these
they conquered.
To live according to the precepts and statutes
was their good of love and good of life.

. . . the transference of the ark
represented the progress of the church with man,
from its ultimate to its inmost,
as from one heaven into another,
even to the highest, which is the third heaven.
"Baal-Judah," where Abinadab was,
signified the ultimate of the church,
which is called its natural,
for this was represented by "Gibeah,"
where "Baal-Judah" was.
But "Gath," where Obed-edom was,
who was therefore called a Gittite,
signified the spiritual of the church;
and this signification it took on
after the sons of Israel had taken from the Philistines
the cities from Ekron even to Gath (1 Sam. 7:13-15);
while "Zion," where David was,
signified the inmost of the church,
which is called its celestial.

From this it is evident that the transference of the ark
signified the progress of the church with man
from its ultimate to its inmost;
and this because such progressions
are effected by means of Divine truth,
which was signified by the ark;
for the man of the church progresses
from the natural to the spiritual,
and through that to the celestial,
and this continually from the Lord
by means of His Divine truth;
the natural is the good of life,
the spiritual is the good of charity toward the neighbor,
and the celestial is the good of love to the Lord.
As the goods of the three heavens have a like progression,
so the ascent through them in their order is also represented. 

Tola and Jair

After the time of Abimelech a man of Issachar,
Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo,
rose to save Israel.
He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
He judged Israel twenty-three years;
then he died, and was buried in Shamir.

He was followed by Jair of Gilead,
who judged Israel twenty-two years.
He had thirty sons,
who rode thirty donkeys.
They controlled thirty towns in Gilead,
which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.
When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

(Judges10:1-5)

AE 700 - the ark of His Covenant

AE 700 [2-5]
And there was seen in His temple the ark of His Covenant,
(Revelation 11:19)

That the ark with the covenant or testimony enclosed,
signifies the Lord in respect to the celestial Divine
which is Divine truth in the inmost or third heaven,
can be seen from what is said of the ark in the Word.
As in Moses:

They shall make Me a sanctuary,
that I may dwell in the midst of them,
according to all that I have shown thee,
the form of the habitation.
First, they shall make an ark of shittim wood;
and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold,
within and without shalt thou overlay it;
and thou shalt make for it a border of gold;
four rings of gold for the staves.
And thou shalt put into the ark
the testimony that I will give thee.
And thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold;
and thou shalt make two cherubim of gold,
solid shalt thou make them out of the mercy-seat
that the cherubim may spread out their wings,
and cover the mercy-seat with their wings;
and their faces shall be towards the mercy-seat.
And thou shalt put the testimony into the ark;
and there I will meet with thee,
and I will speak with thee from above the mercy-seat,
from between the two cherubim
which are upon the ark of the Testimony,
of all things which I shall command thee
unto the sons of Israel.
 (Exodus 25:8-22)

Thou shalt make a veil of hyacinthine and purple,
and scarlet double dyed, and fine twined linen, with cherubim.
Thou shalt put it upon four pillars of shittim overlaid with gold;
and thou shalt place the veil under the clasps;
and thou shalt bring in thither within the veil
the ark of the Testimony;
so that the veil shall divide unto you
between the holy place and the holy of holies;
and thou shalt put the veil before the ark in the holy of holies.
(Exodus 26:31-34)

It was said above that the tent where there were the ark,
the lampstand,
the table for the loaves,
and the altar for incense, together with the court,
represented the three heavens,
and that the place within the veil where the ark was
that contained the law or testimony,
represented the third heaven.
That place represented that heaven,
because the law was there,
and the "law" means the Lord
in relation to Divine truth or the Word,
for this in a broad sense is what that "law" signifies,
and it is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord
that forms the heavens.
This is received in the greatest purity
by the angels of the third heaven,
because they are in conjunction with the Lord
through love to Him,
since all angels in that heaven are in love to the Lord;
consequently they see Divine truth in themselves,
like something implanted,
although it flows in continually from the Lord.
For this reason that heaven
more than the other heavens which are below it,
is said to be in the Lord,
because it is in the Divine that proceeds from Him.

It was that heaven that was represented
by the ark that contained the law,
that is, the Lord.
This is why the ark was overlaid with gold within and without,
and the mercy-seat was over the ark,
and over the mercy-seat and out of it were
the two cherubim which were of pure gold;
for gold signifies from correspondence the good of love,
in which are the angels of the third heaven.
The "mercy-seat" signified the hearing and reception
of all things of the worship
that is from the good of love from the Lord;
and the "cherubim" signified the Lord's providence and guard
that He be not approached except through the good of love.
That heaven with its angels
is a guard against anything being elevated to the Lord Himself
except what proceeds
from the good of love to Him and from Him.
For all worship of God
passes through the heavens even to the Lord,
and is purified in the way,
until it is elevated to the third heaven,
and there it reaches the Lord and is received by Him;
everything else, being impure, is removed on the way.
This is why cherubim of gold were placed over the mercy-seat,
which was over the ark;
also why that place was called a sanctuary,
and also the holy of holies,
and was divided from the outer part of the tabernacle
by the veil.

That the tent with the court represented the three heavens
is evident also from this,
that all things instituted among the sons of Israel
were representatives of heavenly things;
for the church itself was a representative church;
thus especially the tabernacle with the altar
was the most holy thing of worship;
for worship was celebrated upon the altar
by burnt-offerings and sacrifices,
and in the tabernacle by incense offerings,
and by the lamps that were lighted every day,
and by the loaves that were placed in order daily upon the table.
All these represented all worship in heaven and in the church,
and the tent itself with the ark
represented the heavens themselves.
For this reason that tabernacle was called
"the dwelling place of Jehovah God,"
as heaven itself is called.
That the heavens were represented by the tabernacle
is evident also from this,
that the form of it was shown to Moses
by the Lord upon Mount Sinai,
and what is shown in form by the Lord
must represent either heaven or the things belonging to heaven.
That the form of the tabernacle
was shown to Moses upon Mount Sinai,
can be seen from what was said to Moses:

Let them make Me a sanctuary,
that I may dwell In the midst of them,
according to all that I have shown thee,
the form of the habitation.
[And afterwards:]  See and make them in their form
which thou wast made to see in the mount.
(Exodus 25:8, 9, 40)

That is why it is called "a sanctuary,"
and it is said "that I may dwell in the midst of them."

The holiness itself of the whole tabernacle
was from the testimony, that is,
from the two tables of stone on which the law was written,
because "the law" signified the Lord in relation to Divine truth,
and thus in relation to the Word,
for that is Divine truth.
That the Lord is the Word is evident from what is said in John:

The Word was with God,
and God was the Word,
and the Word became flesh,
and dwelt among us.
(John 1:1, 2, 14)

Gideon's First Altar

When Gideon realized that is was the angel of the Lord,
he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign Lord!
I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!"

But the Lord said to him,
"Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."

So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there
and called it The Lord is Peace.
To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

(Judges 6:22-24)

AE 697 - there are lands

AE 697 [2]

 . . . there are lands in the spiritual world,
that is, in the world where spirits and angels are,
equally as in the natural world where men are,
and these lands are altogether alike in external appearance;
there are there plains, valleys, mountains, hills,
and there are rivers, and seas,
and also fields, meadows, forests, gardens, and paradises;
and those lands are in appearance beautiful
in exact accord with the state of the church
with those who dwell upon them,
and they undergo changes in accord with
the changes of the church with the inhabitants;
in a word, there is a full correspondence of the lands there
with the reception of the good of love and the truth of faith
with those who dwell there.
It is for this reason also that "land" in the Word
signifies the church,
for in that world according to the quality of the land
is the quality of the church there,
and correspondence is what makes it be so. 

 

The Nations the Lord Left

These are the nations the Lord left
to test all those Israelites
who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan
(He did this only teach warfare
to the descendants of the Israelites
who had not had previous battle experience):
the five rulers of the Philistines,
all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, 
and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains
from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
They were left to test the Israelites
to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands,
which He had given their forefathers through Moses.

The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites,
Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
They took their daughters in marriage
and gave their own daughters to their sons,
and served their gods.

(Judges 3:1-6)

AE 696 - internal spiritual and external natural worship

AE 696 [11]

. . . all internal spiritual worship of God,
which consists in the good of life,
must be according to the truths of doctrine,
because these must teach.

. . . internal spiritual worship is thinking and understanding truths,
thus thinking in a reverent and holy way about God,
which is "fearing Him,"
and external natural worship is doing truths,
that is, keeping the commandments and the words of the law.

Joshua Encourages the Israelites

"Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness.
Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped
beyond the River and in Egypt,
and serve the Lord.
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you,
then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,
whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River,
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land your are living.

But as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord."

(Joshua 24:14-15)

AE 696 - know, live, worship

AE 696 [1, 3]

. . . in the measure that a person knows the truths of faith
and lives according to them
does he worship the Lord,
for worship is not from the person
but from the truths from good that are with that person,
since these are from the Lord,
and the Lord is in them.

. . . where He is, there also are all things of love and faith . . .

Joshua Reassures the Manassites

Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns,
for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region.
However, when the Israelites grew stronger,
they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor
but did not drive them out completely.

The people of Joseph said to Joshua,
"Why have you given us only one allotment
and one portion for an inheritance?
We are a numerous people
and the Lord has blessed us abundantly."

"If you are so numerous," Joshua answered,
"and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you,
go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there
in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites."

The people of Joseph replied,
"The hill country is not enough for us,
and all the Canaanites who live in the plain
have iron chariots,
both those in Beth Shan and its settlements
and those in the Valley of Jezreel."

But Joshua said to the house of Joseph -
to Ephraim and Manasseh -
""You are numerous and very powerful.
You will have not only one allotment
but the forested hill country as well.
Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours;
though the Canaanites have iron chariots
and though they are strong,
you can drive them out."

(Joshua 17:12-18)

AE 695 - "the seed of peace"

AE 695 [13]

"The seed of peace"
(Zechariah 8:12)

signifies the truth of heaven and the church,
which is from the Lord; 
this is called "the seed of peace"
because it defends from the hells and gives security.

Joshua Did It

As the Lord commanded His servant Moses,
so Moses commanded Joshua,
and Joshua did it;
he left nothing undone
of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

(Joshua 11:15)

AE 689 - His Omnipotence Is Order

AE 689 [2]

In respect to Divine omnipotence:

It does not involve any power to act contrary to order,

but it involves all power to act according to order,

for all order is from the Lord . . ..

. . . it is not of the Divine omnipotence 

to save those who are not willing to be led

according to order,

for to be led according to order

is to be led according to the laws of order,

and the laws of order are 

the precepts of doctrine 

and life from the Word;

it is therefore of the Divine omnipotence to lead a man

who is willing to be led

according to these every moment and continually to eternity.

Joshua Encourages His Men

Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave

and bring those five kings out to me.

So they brought the five kings out of the cave -

the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmut, Lachish, and Eglon.

when they had brought these kings to Joshua,

he summoned all the men of Israel

and said to the commanders who had come with him,

"Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings."

So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.

Joshua said to them,

"Do not be afraid;

do not be discouraged.

be strong and courageous.

This is what the Lord will do

to all the enemies you are going to fight."

Then Joshua struck and killed the kings

and hung them on five trees,

and they were left hanging on the trees until evening.

(Joshua 10:22-26)

AE 684 - judgment

AE 687 [4]

. . . all Divine truth proceeds from the Lord,

therefore judgment belongs to the Lord alone.

. . . For in every view 

and in each and every particular of judgment,

there must be what is eternal and infinite,

and that is in the Divine alone,

and from the Divine alone,

because it is infinite and eternal.

A Stone on Each Shoulder

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan,

the Lord said to Joshua,

"Choose twelve men from among the people,

one from each tribe,

and tell them to take up twelve stones 

from the middle of the Jordan

from right where the priests stood

and to carry them over with you

and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."

So Joshua called together the twelve men

he had appointed from the Israelites,

one from each tribe,

and said to them,

"Go over before the ark of the Lord your God

into the middle of the Jordan.

Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder,

according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,

to serve as a sign among you.

In the future, when your children ask you,

'What do these stones mean?'

tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off

before the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

When it crossed the Jordan,

the waters of the Jordan were cut off.

These stones are to be a memorial

to the people of Israel forever."

(Joshua 4:1-7)

AE 684 - "the Anointed"

AE 684 [30-31]

. . . the Lord is called "the Anointed,"
that is, the Messiah or the Christ,

from the union of Divine good with Divine truth in His Human,

for the Lord's Human from that union

is meant by "the Anointed of Jehovah."

Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth,

and will give strength unto His King

and exalt the horn of His Anointed.

(1 Samuel 2:10)

This is a part of the prophetic song of Hannah,

the mother of Samuel,

before there was any king or anointed over Israel,

therefore "King" and "Anointed" here mean the Lord,

to whom "is given strength" and whose "horn is exalted"

when the Divine is united to the Human,

"strength" signifying the power of good over evil,

and "horn" the power of truth over falsity,

and truth is said "to be exalted" when it becomes interior,

and in the same degree becomes more powerful.

The Lord Encourages Joshua

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,

the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide:

"Be strong and very courageous.

Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you;

do not turn from it to the right or to the left,

that you may be successful wherever you go.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth;

meditate on it day and night,

so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.

Then you will be prosperous and successful.

have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be terrified;

do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

(Joshua 1:1, 7-9)

AE 683 - His Kingdom

AE 683 [4-5]

That the Lord's kingdom

is that which proceeds from Him and is received

can be seen from passages in the Word where

"the kingdom of God" is mentioned, as in the Lord's Prayer:

Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done,
as in heaven so also upon the earth.
(Matthew 6:10)

"Kingdom" evidently means here the reception
of Divine good and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord,
and in which the Lord is with the angels of heaven
and the men of the church, for it is added,

"Thy will be done, as in heaven so also upon the earth,"

and the will of God is done
when these are received in heart and soul,
that is, in love and faith.

And elsewhere:

Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens
and His righteousness
and all things shall be added to you.
(Matthew 6:33).

"The kingdom of the heavens"
means in the spiritual sense Divine truth,
and "righteousness" Divine good,
therefore it is said,
"Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens
and His righteousness."
But in the highest sense
"the kingdom of the heavens"
means the Lord, since He is the all of His kingdom,
and in the same sense "righteousness" signifies the Lord's merit.
And as a man who is ruled by the Lord
desires and loves only such things as are of the Lord,
he is, unknown to himself,
forever led to felicities;
and this is why it is said that
"all things shall be added to him,"
meaning that all things that tend to his salvation
shall come to pass according to his desire.

Moses Encourages Joshua

Then Moses summoned Joshua 

and said to him in the presence of all Israel,

"Be strong and courageous,

for you must go with this people into the land

that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them,

and you must divide it among them as their inheritance.

The Lord Himself goes before you

and will be with you;

He will never leave you

nor forsake you.

Do not be afraid;

do not be discouraged."

(Deuteronomy 31:7-8)

AE 676 - "names of men"

AE 676 [2]

That "the names of men" signify the truths of good

and the consequent understanding of truth

can be seen from the signification of "name,"

as being the quality of a thing or state with man;

and from the signification of "man,"

as being intelligence,

thus also the understanding of truth.

On Top . . . IF

The Lord will make you the head, not the tail.

If you pay attention

to the commands of the Lord your God

you will always be at the top,

never at the bottom.

Do not turn aside

from any of the commands I give you today,

to the right or to the left,

following other gods and serving them.

(Deuteronomy 28:13-14)

AE 675 - removing evils

AE 675 [9]

 

. . . all are born into evils of every kind,

and these evils are removed

only by means of Divine truths from the Word,

that is, by applying truths to uses,

and thus receiving them in the life.

So to those who have gained it is said:

 

Good and faithful servants,

you have been faithful over a few things,

I will set you over many things;

enter you into the joy of your Lord.

 

(Matthew 25: 21, 23)

Making a Vow to the Lord

If you make a vow to the Lord your God,

do not be slow to pay it,

for the lord your God will certainly demand it of you

and you will be guilty of sin.

But if you refrain from making a vow,

you will not be guilty.

Whatever your lips utter

you must be sure to do,

because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God

with your own mouth.

(Deuteronomy 23:21-23)