AC 8600 - Aaron and Hur Hold Up Moses' Hands; AC 8604, 8606 - Looking Up or Looking Down

  Aaron and Hur Hold Up Moses' Hands
AC  8600

And Joshua did as Moses had said to him
in fighting against Amalek;
and Moses, Aaron, and Hur
went up to the top of the hill.
And it was, when Moses lifted up his hand,
that Israel prevailed;
and when he let down his hand,
that Amalek prevailed.
And Moses' hands were heavy, and they took a stone,
and put it under him, and he sat upon it;
and Aaron and Hur held up his hands,
one on one side, and the other on the other;
and it was, his hands were steady until the setting of the sun.
And Joshua weakened Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword.
(Exodus 17:10-13)

"And Joshua did as Moses had said to him,"
means the effect,
as the fighting truth had been instructed by Divine truth;
"in fighting against Amalek,"
means against the falsity from interior evil;
"and Moses, and Aaron, and Hur,"
means Divine truths in successive order;
"went up to the top of the hill,"
means in the good of charity;
"and it was when Moses lifted up his hand,"
means when faith looked toward the Lord
with those who were of the spiritual church;
"that Israel prevailed,"
means that then the fighting truth conquered;
"and when he let down his hand,"
means when the faith with them looked downward
or away from the Lord to self and the world;
"that Amalek prevailed,"
means that then the falsity conquered;
"and Moses' hands were heavy,"
means that the power of looking upward to the Lord failed;
"and they took a stone,"
means truth Divine in the ultimate of order;
"and put it under him, and he sat upon it,"
means correspondence with truth in the first of order;
"and Aaron and Hur,"
means truths in order;
"held up his hands,"
means the upholding of the power of the fighting truth;
"one on one side, and the other on the other,"
means on all sides;
"and it was, his hands were steady,"
means the strength of power then;
"until the setting of the sun,"
means when this state ceased; "
and Joshua weakened Amalek and his people,"
means the lessening of power
with those who are in falsity from interior evil;
"with the edge of the sword,"
means by means of fighting truth.

Looking Up or Looking Down
AC 8604 [3] -

This Divine truth which is from the Lord
flows into the good with a person,
and by means of it draws the person to itself;
for the life which is from the Lord
has a power of attracting,
because it is from love,
since all love has in it this power,
inasmuch as it wills to be conjoined,
so as to be a one.
Then therefore a person is in good,
and from good in truth,
he is drawn by the Lord,
and is conjoined with Him.
This is meant by "looking upward to the Lord."
But when a person is not in good,
thus not in truth from good,
then too he is drawn by the Lord,
but cannot be elevated,
because evils and the derivative falsities
turn themselves away.
This is meant by "looking downward,"
or "to self and the world."

AC 8606

The reason why the faith that looks to the Lord conquers,
is that in this case the Lord fights,
for the Lord is the faith,
because the faith is from Him.
But the faith which looks away from the Lord
to self and the world yields,
because the person then fights from himself.