AC 6388 - Issachar

AC 6388

. . . in the original tongue "Issachar" means "hire."
That "Issachar" here means reward from works,
and previously mutual love,
is because by "Issachar" are here meant those
who are in a certain kind and appearance of mutual love,
that is, of charity toward the neighbor,
and who desire to be rewarded
for the goods which they do.
Thus they not only defile,
but also pervert genuine mutual love, or charity;
for those who are in genuine mutual love
are in their delight and bliss
when they are benefiting the neighbor,
for they desire nothing more.
This delight and bliss
are what is meant by "hire" in the Word;
for the delight and bliss is itself the reward;
and in the other life this becomes
the joy and happiness which are in heaven,
thus it becomes heaven to them.
For when those who are in this love perform uses,
and do good to others,
they are in such joy and happiness
that then for the first time
they seem to themselves to be in heaven;
this is given them by the Lord,
to everyone according to the uses he performs.
But the happiness vanishes
as soon as they think of reward,
for being in the reward itself,
thought about reward
renders that love impure, and perverts it;
the reason of which is
that they are then thinking about themselves,
and not about the neighbor,
that is, about making themselves happy,
and not others,
except insofar as it affects themselves.
Thus they convert love toward the neighbor
into love toward themselves,
and so far as they do this,
so far the joy and happiness from heaven
cannot be communicated to them,
for they concentrate upon themselves
the influx of happiness from heaven,
and do not transmit it to others;
and they are like objects
which do not transmit the rays of light,
but absorb them.
Objects which transmit the rays of light
appear in light, and sparkle,
but those which absorb them
appear opaque, and sparkle not at all;
and therefore those who are of this nature
are separated from angelic society,
like those who have nothing in common with heaven.
These are they who are here described
under the name of "Issachar."