AE 324, 325 - Spiritual Good - Worship, Incense, Representatives, Prayers

AE 324 [4, 7, 24-25]

. . . all worship of the Lord, that is truly worship,
is from celestial good by means of spiritual good;
for spiritual good, which is charity towards the neighbor,
is the effect of celestial good;
for charity towards the neighbor
is to perform uses and to lead a moral live
from a heavenly origin.

Moreover, "burning incense" signifies
those things of worship that are perceived as grateful,
and "incense" signifies spiritual good,
because all things that were instituted
in the Israelitish nation were representative
of things celestial and spiritual;
for the church with them
was not as the church at this day, which is internal,
but it was external;
and the externals represented and thus signified
the internal things of the church,
such as were disclosed by the Lord
in the Word of the New Testament;
for this reason
their church was called a representative church.
The externals of that church consisted
of such things in the world of nature
as corresponded to
the affections of good and truth in the spiritual world;
consequently when those who were of that church
were in externals in respect to worship,
those who were in the spiritual world, that is, in heaven,
were in the internals,
and conjoined themselves
with those who were in externals;
it was in this way that heaven at that time
made one with the men on the earth.

From this it can be seen why
there was a table for the bread in the tent of meeting,
and why there was a lampstand with lamps,
and an altar for incense.
For "bread" represented and thence signified
the good of love proceeding from the Lord,
or celestial good;
the "lampstand with lamps"
represented and thence signified
spiritual good and truth;
and "incense" represented and thence signified worship;
and because all Divine worship
that is perceived as grateful
is from spiritual good,
therefore that good was signified by "incense."
In order that this gratification
might be represented the incense
was made from fragrant spices,
and this also from correspondence;
for fragrant odors correspond to
the pleasantnesses and delights
that are in the thoughts and perceptions
from the joy of spiritual love.
For this reason incense corresponded to such things
as are received as grateful by the Lord
and perceived as grateful by angels.
This gratification is solely from spiritual good,
or from the good of charity towards the neighbor;
for this good is celestial good,
which is the good of love to the Lord in effect;
for celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord,
is brought into effect solely through spiritual good,
which is the good of charity toward the neighbor;
consequently to be in this good and to exercise it
is to love and worship the Lord.

AE 325 [3-4]

. . . similar things are . . . signified
by prayers as by incense,
namely, worship from spiritual good . . ..

Worship does not consist
in prayers and in external devotion,
but in a life of charity;
prayers are only its externals,
for they proceed from the man through his mouth,
consequently men's prayers are such
as they themselves are in respect to life.
It matters not that a man bears himself humbly,
that he kneels and sighs when he prays;
for these are externals,
and unless externals proceed from internals
they are only gestures and sounds without life.
In each thing that a man utters there is affection,
and every man, spirit, and angel is his own affection,
for their affection is their life;
it is the affection itself that speaks,
and not the man without it;
therefore such as the affection is such is the praying.
Spiritual affection is what is called
charity towards the neighbor;
to be in that affection is true worship;
praying is what proceeds.
From this it can be seen
that the essential of worship is the life of charity,
and that its instrumental is gesture and praying;
or that the primary of worship is a life of charity,
and its secondary is praying.
From this it is clear
that those who place all Divine worship in oral piety,
and not in practical piety, err greatly.

Practical piety is to act in every work and in every duty
from sincerity and right, and from justice and equity,
and this because
it is commanded by the Lord in the Word;
for thus man in his every work
looks to heaven and to the Lord,
and thus is conjoined with Him.

~ The Cherubim and the Ark ~

Make one cherub from the one end,
and the other cherub from the other end;
out of the mercy-seat
you will make the cherubim on the two ends thereof.
And the cherubim shall spread out the wings upwards,
covering over the mercy-seat with the wings,
and their faces shall be a man to his brother;
towards the mercy-seat shall be
the faces of the cherubim.
And you will put the mercy-seat above the ark;
and to the ark you will commit the testimony
that I shall give you.

(Exodus 25:18-21)
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AE 283:14

Here, too, "cherubim" . . . signify
the Lord's Providence in respect to guarding,
that the highest heaven or the celestial kingdom
be not approached except through the good of love
from the Lord and to the Lord.
The "testimony" or the "law," in the ark,
signifies the Lord Himself;
the "ark" the inmost or the highest heaven;
the "mercy-seat" the hearing and reception
of all things of worship which are from the good of love,
and then expiation*;
the "wings of the cherubim" signify the spiritual Divine
in that heaven or in that kingdom;
that "the wings were spread out upwards,"
and that "they covered the mercy-seat,"
and that "their faces were toward the mercy-seat"
signify the reception itself and hearing.
And as the "wings of the cherubim" and their direction
signify Divine truth heard and received by the Lord,
therefore it follows in Moses:

And there I will meet with you,
and I will speak with thee from above the mercy-seat,
from between the two cherubim
which are upon the ark of the testimony,
all things which I will command unto the sons of Israel.
(Exodus 25:22, and Numbers 7:89)
______________________

* expiation - the act of making amends or reparation
for wrong doing

AE 316 - Horns; AE 323 - Harps

AE 316 [1, 7, 25]

Having seven horns,
(Revelation 5:6)
signifies who has omnipotence.
This is evident from the signification of a "horn,"
as being the power of truth against falsity,
but in reference to the Lord,
as being all power or omnipotence.
The Lamb was seen to have horns seven in number,
because "seven" signifies all
and it is predicated of what is holy.

In Habakkuk:

The brightness of Jehovah God shall be as the light;
He has horns coming out of His hand;
and in them is the hiding of His strength.
(Habakkuk 3:4)

Because "horns" signify Divine truth with power,
it is said,
"the brightness of Jehovah God shall be as the light,"
and "in the horns is the hiding of His strength;"
"the brightness of Jehovah" and "light"
signify Divine truth;
and "the hiding of His strength in the horns"
signifies the omnipotence
of Divine good through Divine truth,
for all power of good is through truth,
and in Divine truth lies concealed
the omnipotence that is of Divine good.

In David:

My horn like the horn of a unicorn,
(Psaln 92:10)

"like the horn of a unicorn"
signifying truth in its fullness and power.

AE 323 [1, 12

Having every one harps.
(Revelation 5:8)
. . . the harp was a stringed instrument,
and by such instruments spiritual things,
or those that are of truth, are signified,
while wind instruments signify celestial things,
or those that are of good.
Such things are signified by musical instruments
because of their sounds,
for sound corresponds to the affections;
moreover in heaven affections are perceived by sounds;
and because there are various affections,
and various sounds are produced by musical instruments,
therefore these instruments,
by correspondence and consequent agreement,
signify affections.
In general, stringed instruments signify
such things as belong to the affections of truth,
and wind instruments
such as belong to the affections of good;
or, what is the same,
some instruments belong to the spiritual class,
and some to the celestial class.
That sounds correspond to the affections
has been made evident to me by much experience,
so also musical tones;
also that angels are affected
in accordance with sounds and their variations . . ..

When the evil spirit was upon Saul,
David took a harp and played with his hand;
and so rest was given to Saul,
and the evil spirit departed from him (1 Sam. 16:23).
This was done because kings represented the Lord
in respect to the spiritual kingdom,
and therefore signified spiritual truths);
but Saul then represented the falsities
that are opposed to these truths;
and these were dispersed by the sound of the harp,
because the "harp"
signified the spiritual affection of truth.
This then took place because with the sons of Israel
all things were representative and thus significative;
it is otherwise at this day.
 

~ I Am Sending An Angel Ahead of You ~

"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you
to guard you along the way
and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
Pay attention to him and listen to what he says.
Do not rebel against him;
he will not forgive your rebellion,
since My Name is in him.
If you listen carefully to what he says
and do all that I say,
I will be an enemy to your enemies
and will oppose those who oppose you.
My angel will go ahead of you
and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites,
Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,
and I will wipe them out.
Do not bow down before their gods
or worship them or follow their practices.
You must demolish them
and break their sacred stones to pieces.
Worship the Lord your God,
and His blessing will be on your food and water.
I will take away sickness from among you,
and none will miscarry or be barren in your land.
I will give you a full life span.

"I will send My terror ahead of you
and throw into confusion every nation you encounter.
I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.
I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive
the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.
but I will not drive them out in a single year,
because the land would become desolate
and the wild animals too numerous for you.
Little by little I will drive them out before you,
until you have increased enough
to take possession of the land."

(Exodus 23:20-30)

AE 314 - Young Pigeons, Turtle Doves, Lambs; AE 315 - "Slain"; AE 316 - Saints

AE 314 [10]

By young pigeons and by turtle doves
is signified the same as by lambs,
namely, innocence.

AE 315

As it were slain.
(Revelation 5:6

By being slain, in the spiritual or internal sense,
is not meant to be slain as to the body but as to the soul;
and a person is slain as to the soul
when he is no longer in any good of faith,
for then he has no spiritual life,
but instead thereof death,
which is called spiritual death;
but when "slain" is mentioned concerning the Lord,
it does not signify this,
because the Lord is Life itself,
and gives to every one spiritual life;
but it means either that He is rejected,
or that He is not acknowledged;
for, with those who do not acknowledge Him,
He is as it were no one,
and especially with those who deny Him.

AE 316 [4]

. . . they are called saints who are in Divine truths,
because the Divine truth is what is called holy.

~ At Mount Sinai ~

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt --
on the very day --
they came to the desert of Sinai.
After they set out from Rephidim,
they entered the Desert of Sinai,
and Israel camped there in the desert
in front of the mountain.

. . . On the morning of the third day
there was thunder and lightning,
with a thick cloud over the mountain,
and a very loud trumpet blast.
Everyone in the camp trembled.
Then Moses led the people out of the camp
to meet with God,
and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
Mount Sinai was covered with smoke,
because the Lord descended on it in fire.
The smoke billowed up from it
like smoke from a furnace,
the whole mountain trembled violently,
and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder.
Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

. . . And God spoke all these words:

"I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of Egypt,
out of the land of slavery.

"You shall have no other gods before Me."

(Exodus 19:1-2, 16-19; 20:1-3)

AE 304 - "Sing, O Heavens"; AE 306 - "I Wept Much"; AE 307 - Perception & Enlightenment; AE 310 - The Root of David

AE 304 [32]

"Sing, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
and resound, O mountains, with a song."
(49:13)

The Lord and His Advent are here treated of
. . . that the Lord did not restore
the earth to the Jewish people is known,
but that He established the church among the Gentiles.
The joy in consequence is described by,
"Sing, O heavens, exult, O earth,
and resound, O mountains, with a song."
By the heavens are meant the heavens
where are angels
who are in the interior truths of the church;
by the earth is meant the church among people;
and by the mountains,
those who are in the good of love to the Lord.

AE 306

And I wept much,
that no one was found worthy
to open and to read the book,
neither to look therein.
(Revelation 5:4)

As to what concerns grief of heart,
which is signified by, "I wept much,"
on account of the disorder and ruin of all,
if no one is such as to be able to know,
have knowledge of, and explore all people,
and all things pertaining to them,
I will briefly explain: --
In order that the angelic heaven may exist and subsist,
all things therein must be in order;
for, unless it were in order,
it would be dissipated;
for the angelic heaven is divided into societies,
and the societies are arranged
according to the affections of truth and good,
which are manifold and innumerable.
This arrangement depends solely
on the infinite Wisdom of the One who knows all things,
has knowledge of all things, and explores all things,
and so disposes and arranges them.
This One is the Lord alone;
therefore it is said in the Word,
that judgment is His,
and that He has all power in the heavens and on earth,
and here that He took the book
and loosed the seals thereof.
Moreover, unless heaven were in order,
the world, that is, people on the earth,
could not exist and subsist;
for the world depends upon heaven and its influx
into the spiritual and rational things of people;
in a word, all things would perish.
. . . The reason why it is said
to know, to have knowledge of, and to explore, is,
because these things are signified by opening the book,
by reading and looking into it;
for by the book are signified all things
with people, spirits, and angels,
or all the states of their life as to love and faith;
therefore by opening the book,
is signified to know those things;
by reading the book,
is signified to have knowledge of them:
and by looking into the book,
is signified to explore them.

AE 307

. . . perception is full confirmation from influx from the Lord,
but enlightenment of the understanding is spiritual sight.

AE 310

The Lord as to the Human
is called the root of David from this,
that all Divine truth is from Him,
as all things also exist and subsist from their root;
so it is, that He is called the root of Jesse:

"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse,
which shall stand for an ensign of the peoples;
to it shall the nations seek; and his rest shall be glory."
(Isaiah 11: 10).

 Jesse here stands for David because he was his father.

~ Joshua Defeats the Amalekites ~

The Amalekites came
and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
Moses said to Joshua,
"Choose some of our men
and go out to fight the Amalekites.
Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hands."

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered,
and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.
As long as Moses held up his hands,
the Israelites were winning,
but whenever he lowered his hands,
the Amalekites were winning.
When Moses' hands grew tired,
they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.
Aaron and Hur held his hands up --
one on one side, one on the other --
so that his hands remained steady til sunset.
So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

(Exodus 17:8-13)

AE 297, 298 - Divine Good and Divine Truth; AE 304 - Angels

AE 297 [1, 4]

That Divine good judges no one,
but Divine truth judges,
is meant by the Lord's words in John:

The Father does not judge anyone,
but has given all judgment unto the Son;
because He is the Son of man.
(John 5:22, 27)

"Father" means the Lord in respect to Divine good;
"the Son of man," the Lord in respect to Divine truth.
Divine good "does not judge anyone,"
because it explores no one;
but Divine truth judges, for it explores everyone.
Yet it should be known,
that neither does the Lord Himself judge anyone
from the Divine truth that proceeds from Him,
for this is so united to Divine good
that they are one;
but the man-spirit judges himself;
for it is the Divine truth received by himself that judges him;
but because the appearance is that the Lord judges,
therefore it is said in the Word
that all are judged by the Lord.
This the Lord also teaches in John:

Jesus said, If any man hear My words and yet believe not,
I judge him not;
for I have not come to judge the world
but to save the world.
He that rejects Me and receives not My words
has one that judges him;
the word that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in the last day.
(John 12:47-48)

. . . all Divine truth is in good, and nowhere else.

AE 298

. . . because Divine good has all power
by means of the Divine truth,
therefore by the right hand,
when said of the Lord, omnipotence is signified;
and because as Divine good
has all intelligence and wisdom by means of Divine truth,
and to the right in heaven
is Divine truth in light as has been said,
therefore, by the right hand, when said of the Lord,
is also signified omniscience.

AE 304 [1, 3]

. . . all angels are from the human race,
and that every person retains his proprium after death;
and they are withheld from the evils of their proprium,
and are kept in goods by the Lord.

. . . an angel is not an angel,
nor is a person a person,
from the human which both have,
but from heaven and the church with them.

~ Miriam Sings ~

When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen
went into the sea,
the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them,
but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister,
took a tambourine in her hand,
and all the women followed her,
with tambourines and dancing.
Miriam sang to them:

"Sing to the Lord,
for He is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
He has hurled into the sea."

(Exodus 15:19-21)

AE 288 - "Glory and Honor", "Glorifying"; AE 293 - The Lord's Power

AE 288 [3, 6, 10]

In the Word, "glory and honor" is a frequent expression,
and "glory" everywhere signifies truth,
and "honor" good.
The two are mentioned together
because in the particulars of the Word
there is a heavenly marriage,
which is the conjunction of truth and good.
There is this marriage in the particulars of the Word,
because the Divine that proceeds from the Lord
is Divine truth united to Divine good;
and because these together make heaven
and also make the church,
therefore this marriage is in the particulars of the Word;
so also in the particulars of the Word
is the Divine from the Lord,
and the Lord Himself;
this is why the Word is most holy.

The works of Jehovah are great.
Glory and honor are His work.
(Psalm 111:2-3)
"The works of Jehovah" mean all things
that proceed from Him and are done by Him;
and as these are referable
to Divine truth and Divine good,
it is said, "His work is glory and honor."

"Glorifying" means uniting the Divine Itself to His Human,
and also making His Human Divine.

AE 293

. . . the Lord has power over all things
because He is God alone;
but the salvation of the human race
is the principal object of power,
since for the sake of that
the heavens and the worlds were created;
and salvation is the reception of the proceeding Divine.

~ Passover and Exodus ~

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,
"This month is to be for you the first month,
the first month of your year.
Tell the whole community of Israel
that on the tenth day of this month
each man is to take a lamb for his family,
one for each household.

. . . "Take care of them
until the fourteenth day of the month,
when all the people of the community of Israel
must slaughter them at twilight.
Then they are to take some of the blood
and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames
of the houses where they eat the lambs.
That same night
they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire,
along with bitter herbs,
and bread made without yeast.

. . . "On that same night
I will pass through Egypt
and strike down every firstborn --
both men and animals --
and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt.
I am the Lord.
The blood will be a sign for you
on the houses where you are;
and when I see the blood,
I will pass over you.
No destructive plague will touch you
when I strike Egypt."

Now the length of time
the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years.
At the end of the 430 years, to the very day,
all the Lord's divisions left Egypt.
Because the Lord kept vigil that night
to bring them out of Egypt,
on this night
all the Israelites are to keep vigil
to honor the Lord for generations to come.

(Exodus12:1-3, 6-8, 12-13, 40-42)

AE 281, 282 - Eagles and Intelligence; AE 286 - The Infinite and Eternal AE 281 [3, 8, 9] That "eagle" signifies intelligence can also be seen in Isaiah: They that wait upon Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. (Isaiah 40:31). "To mount up with wings as eagles" is ascent into the light of heaven, thus into intelligence. . . . nothing but falsities can come from self-intelligence . . .. False intelligence is from what is a person's own (proprium), but true intelligence is from the Lord through the Word. AE 282 Inasmuch as this cherub was like an eagle, and the eagle appeared as flying, it shall he told also what "flying" signifies in the Word. "Flying" signifies circumspection and presence, because a bird when it flies looks all about from on high, and thus by its sight is present everywhere and round about. But when "flying" in the Word is attributed to Jehovah, it signifies omnipresence, because omnipresence is infinite circumspection and infinite presence. This then is why this cherub appeared "like an eagle flying;" for "cherubim" signify in general the Lord's Providence that the higher heavens be not approached except from the good of love and of charity; and this cherub signifies Divine intelligence. AE 286 Lord God Almighty, who what, and who is, and who is to come, (Revelation 4:8) signifies the infinite and eternal. It is here said "Lord God," for "Lord" signifies the Divine good of the Divine love, and "God" the Divine truth of the Divine wisdom. . . . "Almighty" signifies the infinite, and that "Who was, who is, and who is to come," signifies the eternal.

AE 281 [3, 8, 9]

That "eagle" signifies intelligence
can also be seen in Isaiah:

They that wait upon Jehovah shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles.
(Isaiah 40:31).
"To mount up with wings as eagles"
is ascent into the light of heaven, thus into intelligence.

. . . nothing but falsities can come from self-intelligence . . ..

False intelligence is from
what is a person's own (proprium),
but true intelligence is from
the Lord through the Word.

AE 282

Inasmuch as this cherub was like an eagle,
and the eagle appeared as flying,
it shall he told also what "flying" signifies in the Word.
"Flying" signifies circumspection and presence,
because a bird when it flies looks all about from on high,
and thus by its sight
is present everywhere and round about.
But when "flying" in the Word is attributed to Jehovah,
it signifies omnipresence,
because omnipresence
is infinite circumspection and infinite presence.
This then is why this cherub appeared
"like an eagle flying;"
for "cherubim" signify in general the Lord's Providence
that the higher heavens be not approached
except from the good of love and of charity;
and this cherub signifies Divine intelligence.

AE 286

Lord God Almighty,
who what, and who is, and who is to come,
(Revelation 4:8)
signifies the infinite and eternal.

It is here said "Lord God,"
for "Lord" signifies the Divine good of the Divine love,
and "God" the Divine truth of the Divine wisdom.
. . . "Almighty" signifies the infinite,
and that "Who was, who is, and who is to come,"
signifies the eternal.

~ The Last Three Plagues ~

Locusts
And the Lord said to Moses,
"Stretch out your hand over Egypt
so that locusts will swarm over the land
and devour everything growing in the fields,
everything left by the hail."

Darkness
Then the Lord said to Moses,
"Stretch out your hand toward the sky
so that darkness will spread over Egypt --
darkness that be felt."

So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky,
and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.
No one could see anyone else
or leave his place for three days.
Yet all the Israelites had light in the places
where they lived.

Death of the Firstborn Forewarned
So Moses said, "This is what the Lord says:
'About midnight I will go throughout Egypt.
Every firstborn son in Egypt will die,
from the first born son of Pharaoh,
who sits on the throne,
to the firstborn son of Pharaoh,
who sits on the throne,
to the firstborn son of the slave girl,
who is at her hand mill,
and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.
There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt --
worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.
But among the Israelites
not a dog will bark at any man or animal.'
Then you will know that the Lord
makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
All these officials of yours will come to Me,
bowing down before Me and saying,
'Go, you and all the people who follow you!'
After that I will leave."
Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

(Exodus 10:12, 21-23; 11:4-8)

AE 277 - "Cherubim", Prayer; AE 278 - Four Animals

AE 277 [1, 5

And in the midst of the throne and around the throne
were four animals,
full of eyes before and behind,
(Revelation 4:6)

. . . the signification of "four animals,"
which were cherubim,
as being the Divine guard and providence
that the interior or higher heavens be not approached
except from the good of love and charity;
also from the signification of "eyes,"
of which they were full before and behind,
as being the Lord's Divine Providence;
for "eyes," in reference to man,
signify the understanding,
which is his internal sight;
but when "eyes" are predicated of God,
they signify the Divine Providence.
And since "eyes" here signify the Lord's Divine Providence
that the higher heavens be not approached
except from the good of love and of charity,
therefore these cherubim were seen
"full of eyes before and behind."
On this providence of the Lord,
lower things, which are the lower heavens
and also the church on earth,
depend, that they may be in order,
because the influx of the Lord
is both immediate from Himself,
and also mediate
through the higher heavens
into the lower heavens and into the church;
consequently unless the higher heavens were in order
the lower could not be in order.

. . . "cherubim" signified guards
that heaven be not approached
except through the good of love and charity.
And as "cherubim" signified such guards
they also signify the Lord's Divine Providence,
for these guards are from the Lord,
and are His Divine Providence.

AE 277 [8, 9]

. . .the higher heavens cannot be approached
except through the good of love and charity,
that is, cannot be approached
through worship and through prayers,
except such as proceed from that good . . ..

Whoever, therefore, believes
that the heavens can hereafter be approached
through the worship and prayers
of those who are in faith alone,
and not at the same time in the good of charity,
is much mistaken.

AE 278

Since it is the Lord who guards and provides,
and this through Divine truth and Divine good,
thus through His Divine wisdom and intelligence,
four animals were seen,
which were like a lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle;
for thus by "lion" Divine truth in respect to power
was represented,
by "calf" Divine good in respect to protection,
by "man" the Divine wisdom,
and by "eagle" the Divine intelligence;
which four things are included
in the Lord's Divine Providence
in its guarding the higher heavens,
that they be not approached
except from the good of love and charity.

~ The Plagues Begin ~

Water Into Blood
"'This is what the Lord says:
By this you will know that I am the Lord:
With the staff that is in my hand
I will strike the water of the Nile,
and it will be changed into blood.
The fish in the Nile will die,
and the river will stink;
the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.'"

Frogs
'". . . I will plague your whole country with frogs.
The Nile will teem with frogs.
They will come up into your palace
and your bedroom and onto your bed,
into the houses of your officials
and on your people,
and into your ovens and kneading troughs.'"

Gnats
Then the Lord said to Moses,
"Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff
and strike the dust of the ground,'
and throughout the land of Egypt
the dust will become gnats."
They did this,
and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff
and struck the dust of the ground,
gnats came upon men and animals.
All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.

Flies
'"If you do not let My people go,
I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials,
on your people and into your houses.
the houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies,
and even the ground where they are.'"

Livestock
'If you refuse to let them go
and continue to hold them back,
the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague
on your livestock in the field --
on your horses and donkeys and camels
and on your cattle and sheep and goats.'

Boils
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
"Take handfuls of soot from a furnace
and have Moses toss it into the air
in the presence of Pharaoh.
It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt,
and festering boils will break out
on men and animals throughout the land."

Hail
Then the Lord said to Moses,
"Get up early in the morning,
confront Pharaoh and say to him,
'This is what the Lord,
the God of the Hebrews, says:
Let My people go,
so that they may worship Me,
or this time I will send
the full force of My plagues against you
and your officials and your people,
so you may know
that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
For by now I could have stretched out My hand
and struck you and your people with a plague
that would have wiped you off the earth.
But i have raised you up for this very purpose,
that I might show you My power
and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
You still set yourself against My people
and will not let them go.
Therefore, at this time tomorrow
I will send the worst hailstorm
that has ever fallen on Egypt,
from the day it was founded til now.
Give an order now
to bring your livestock
and everything you have in the field
to a place of shelter,
because the hail will fall on every man and animal
that has not been brought in and is still out in the field,
and they will die.'"

Those officials of Pharaoh
who feared the word of the Lord
hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.
But those who ignored the word of the Lord
left their slaves and livestock in the field.

(Exodus 7:1718; 8: 2-3, 16-17, 21; 9: 2-3, 8-9, 13-21)

AE 272

All the truths of heaven and of the church
are from Divine good;
truths that are not therefrom are not truths.
Truths that are not from good
are like shells without a kernel,
and like a house in which no person dwells,
but a wild beast;
such are the truths that are called truths of faith
apart from the good of charity;
the good of charity is good from the Lord,
thus Divine good.

AE 275 [21]

He who knows nothing about the spiritual person,
and the truths and goods that are therein,
may suppose that the truths that are in the natural person,
and are called knowledges and scientifics
are not merely the generals of truth,
but are all there is of truth with a person.
But let him know that the truths in the spiritual person,
from which those are that are in the natural,
are incomparably more numerous;
but these truths in the spiritual person
do not come to the perception of the natural person
until he enters the spiritual world, which is after death;
for then person puts off the natural
and puts on the spiritual.
That this is so can be seen from this fact alone,
that angels are in intelligence and wisdom
ineffable* as compared with a person,
and yet they are from the human race.

__________________________
* ineffable - too great or extreme
to be expressed or described in words

~ The Lord's Mighty Hand ~

Moses returned to the Lord and said,
"O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people?
Is this why you sent me?
Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name,
he has brought trouble upon this people,
and You have not rescued Your people at all."

Then the Lord said to Moses,
"Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh:
Because of My mighty hand he will let them go;
because of My mighty hand
he will drive them out of his country."

(Exodus 5:22-23; 6:1)

AE 249 - Hearing His Voice; AE 250, 251 - Being Conjoined With the Lord

AE 249 [2]

But those who wish to know truths,
and to study them from the Word,
are such as are in the spiritual affection of truth;
these love truth because it is truth;
and those are in that affection
who wish to live according to the truths from the Word,
thus according to the Lord's commandments.
Such are meant by
"If any one hear My voice and open the door,
I will come in to him,
and will sup with him,
and he with Me."
(Revelation 3:20)

AE 250 [3]

He who is conjoined with heaven by a life of charity
is led by the Lord to see his evils,
both the evils of thought and the evils of will.
A person sees evils from good,
because evils are contrary to good.

AE 251

The Lord is conjoined with those
who receive Him in heart and life,
because the Lord enters or flows in into life;
He enters or flows in only with those
who are in a life of spiritual love,
or in a life of charity;
for charity is spiritual love.
When that love makes a person's life,
the Lord enters or flows in through it into the truths of faith,
and causes a person to see, or to know them;
form this a person has the spiritual affection of truth.

. . . Love makes a person's life,
as any one may know and see
if he is only willing to give thought to it;
for what is a person without love?
is he not a stock?
Therefore, as the love is
so is the person.
Love is willing and doing,
for what a person loves
he wills and does.

~ Three Signs ~

Moses answered (the Lord),
"What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say,
'The Lord did not appear to you'?"

Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?"

"A staff," he replied.

The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground."

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake,
and he ran from it.
Then the Lord said to him,
'"Reach out your hand and take it by the tail."
So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake
and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
"This," said the Lord, "is so that they may believe
that the Lord, the God of their fathers --
the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac
and the God of Jacob --
has appeared to you."

Then the Lord said, "Put your hand inside your cloak."
So Moses put his hand into his cloak,
and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.

"Now put it back into your cloak," he said.
So Moses put his hand back into his cloak,
and when he took it out,
it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.

Then the Lord said, "If they do not believe you
or pay attention to the first miraculous sign,
they may believe the second.
But if they do not believe these two signs
or listen to you,
take some water from the Nile
and pour it on the dry ground.
The water you take from the river
will become blood on the ground."

(Exodus 4:1-9)

AE 250 - The Lord Is At the Door; AE 251 - Love Is; AE 253 - Overcoming

AE 250 [2, 3]

The Lord is always present with good and truth in a person,
and strives to open his spiritual mind;
this is the door which the Lord wishes to open,
and to endow a person with heavenly love and faith;
for He says, "I stand at the door and knock."
But of this endeavor or this perpetual desire of the Lord
a person has no perception;
for he supposes that he does good from himself,
and that this endeavor or this wish is in himself.
It is sufficient then for a person to acknowledge
from the doctrine of the church
that all good is from God,
and nothing thereof from a person.
This is not perceived by a person,
in order that there may be reception by a person,
and by reception appropriation,
for otherwise a person cannot be reformed.

He who is conjoined with heaven by a life of charity
is led by the Lord to see his evils,
both the evils of thought and the evils of will.
A person sees evils from good,
because evils are contrary to good.

AE 251

Love is willing and doing,
for what a person loves
he wills and does.

AE 253

He that overcomes,
I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne,
(Revelation 3:21)
signifies that he who is steadfast to the end of life
shall be conjoined with heaven where the Lord is.
This is evident from the signification of "overcoming,"
as being to be steadfast
in the spiritual affection of truth
even to the end of life;
but here it means to be steadfast in
a state of faith from charity,
since charity is here treated of.
This is what "overcoming" means;
because so long as a person lives in the world
he is in combat against
the evils and the falsities therefrom that are with him;
and he who is in combat,
and is steadfast in the faith of charity
even to the end of life,
overcomes;
and he who overcomes in the world
overcomes to eternity,
since a person after death
is such as his life had been in the world.
This is evident also from the signification of
"to sit with Me in My throne,"
as being to be conjoined with heaven where the Lord is;
for "throne" signifies heaven,
and to "sit with Me" signifies to be together with the Lord,
thus conjoined to Him.

~ The Egyptians Come to Fear the Israelites ~

So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten.
And after they embalmed him,
he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Then a new king,
who did not know about Joseph,
came to power in Egypt.
"Look," he said to his people,
"the Israelites have become much too numerous for us.

. . . So they put slave masters over them
to oppress them with forced labor,
and they built Pithom and Rameses
as store cities for Pharaoh.
But the more they were oppressed,
the more they multiplied and spread;
so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites
and worked them ruthlessly.

. . . Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people:
"Every (Hebrew) boy that is born
you must throw into the Nile,
but let every girl live."

(Genesis 50:26; Exodus 1:8-9, 11-12, 22)

AE 242 - The Circle of Life; AE 247 - "Be Zealous, Therefore, and Repent"

AE 242 [4]

. . . the circle of a person's life
is to know,
to understand,
to will,
and to do;
for a person's spiritual life
begins with knowing,
passes next to understanding,
then to willing,
and finally to doing.

AE 247

. . . no one is let into spiritual temptation
unless he is in spiritual affection,
which is called charity;
for unless he is in that,
no combat arises with falsities and evils,
because there is no zeal in behalf of truths and goods.
Since by temptation
not only are evils subdued and falsities removed,
but also truths are implanted in their place,
and these are so conjoined with the good of charity
as to be one with it,
therefore to "be zealous and repent"
signifies that they must have charity.

~ Joseph Takes Manasseh and Ephraim to See Jacob ~

Some time later Joseph was told,
"Your father is ill."
So he took his two sons
Manasseh and Ephraim along with him.
When Jacob was told,
"Your son Joseph has come to you,"
Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

Jacob said to Joseph,
"God Almighty appeared to me a Luz
in the land of Canaan,
and there he blessed me and said to me,
'I am going to make you fruitful
and will increase your numbers.
I will make you a community of peoples,
and I will give this land
as an everlasting possession
to your descendants after you.'

"Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt
before I came to you here
will be reckoned as mine;
Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine,
just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
Any children born to you after them will be yours;
in the territory they inherit
they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers."

(Genesis 48:1-6)

~ The Israelites Settle in Egypt ~

Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen.
They acquired property there
and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.

Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years,
and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.
When the time drew near for Israel to die,
he called for his son Joseph and said to him,
"If I have found favor in your eyes,
put your hand under my thigh and promise
that you will show me kindness and faithfulness.
Do not bury me in Egypt,
but when I rest with my fathers,
carry me out of Egypt
and bury me where they are buried."

"I will do as you say," he said.

"Swear to me," he said.
Then Joseph swore to him,
and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

(Genesis 47:27-31)

AE 235 [1, 2]

"Out of the mouth" signifies,
in reference to the Lord,
out of the Word,
because the Word is Divine truth,
and this proceeds from the Lord,
and what proceeds from the Lord
and flows in with a person
is said to be "out of the mouth,"
although it is not from the mouth,
but is like light from the sun.
For the Lord is seen above the heavens
where the angels are
and men have all their intelligence and wisdom.

That those who are "lukewarm,"
that is, "neither cold nor hot,"
who are those that live
according to the doctrine of faith alone
and justification by faith,
are separated from the knowledges from the Word,
is not known to themselves,
for they believe
that they are in knowledges more than others;
but they are not,
indeed, they are in scarcely any knowledge;
and this for the reason
that the principles of their doctrine and religion are false,
and from false principles nothing results but falsities;
therefore when they read the Word,
they keep their minds in their falsities,
and as a consequence, either they do not see truths,
or if they see them
they pass them by or falsify them.
These false principles are,
that salvation is by faith alone,
and that a person is justified by faith.
That they are separated
from the knowledges from the Word
and that they do not see truths therein,
they may know if they will;
for what is more frequently declared by the Lord,
than that they ought to do His words,
His commandments, His will,
and that everyone shall be recompensed
according to his deeds? 

Also that the whole Word
is based upon two commandments,
which are to love God,
and to love the neighbor;
also that loving God is doing His commandments.
What people must do in order to be saved
is said a thousand times in each Testament,
also that hearing and knowing are nothing without doing.

~ Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Send for Jacob ~

When the news reached Pharaoh's palace
that Joseph's brothers had come,
Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased.
Pharaoh said to Joseph,
"Tell your brothers, 'Do this:  Load your animals
and return to the land of Canaan,
and bring your father and your families back to me.
I will give you the best of the land of Egypt
and you can enjoy the fat of the land.'

"You are also directed to tell them,
'Do this:  Take some carts from Egypt
for your children and your wives,
and get your father and come.
Never mind about your belongings,
because the best of all Egypt will be yours.'"

So the sons of Israel did this.
Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded,
and he also gave them provisions for their journey.
To each of them he gave new clothing,
but to Benjamin he gave
three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.
And this is what he sent to his father:
ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt,
and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread
and other provisions for his journey.
Then he sent his brothers away,
and as they were leaving he said to them,
"Don't quarrel on the way!"

So they went up out of Egypt
and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.
They told him, "Joseph is still alive!
In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt."
Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.
But when they told him everything
Joseph had said to them,
and when he saw the carts
Joseph had sent to carry him back,
the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
And Israel said, "I'm convinced!
My son Joseph is still alive.
I will go and see him before I die."

(Genesis 45:16-28)

AE 223 - "The City of My God"

AC 223

And the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem,
which is coming down out of heaven from My God,
(Revelation 3:12)

signifies the doctrine of the new church,
which is in the heavens.
This is evident from the signification of "the city of My God,"
as being the doctrine of Divine truth;
also from the signification of "the New Jerusalem,"
as being the church in respect to doctrine;
also from the signification of
"which comes down out of heaven from My God,"
as being that it is out of heaven from Divine truth there.

. . . That "the city of My God"
signifies the doctrine of Divine truth
seems at first view remote,
for the mind cannot readily think of doctrine
when "city" is mentioned,
or think of the church when a "land" is mentioned;
yet in the Word, "cities"
mean nothing else in the spiritual sense;
and for the reason that the idea of a city is merely natural,
but the idea of doctrine in a city is spiritual.
Angels, because they are spiritual,
can have no other idea of a city
than of the people therein in respect to doctrine,
as they can have no other idea of a land
than of the people therein in respect to their church
or their religion.
The reason of this is
that the societies into which the heavens are divided
are for the most part like cities [communities],
all differing from one another
in respect to the reception of Divine truth in good;
when, therefore, a "city" is mentioned
angels think of the doctrine of truth.

~ Joseph Sees All His Brothers ~

The steward took the men into Joseph's house,
gave them water to wash their feet
and provided fodder for their donkeys.
They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon,
because they had heard that they were to eat there.

When Joseph came home,
they presented to him the gifts
they had brought into the house,
and they bowed down before him to the ground.
He asked them how they were, and then he said,
"How is your aged father you told me about?
Is he still living?"

They replied,
"Your servant our father is still alive and well."
And they bowed low to pay him honor.

As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin,
his own mother's son, he asked,
"Is this your youngest brother,
the one you told me about?"
And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."
Deeply moved at the sight of his brother,
Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep.
He went into his private room and wept there.

After he had washed his face,
he came out and, controlling himself, said,
"Serve the food."

(Genesis 43:24-31)

AE 209 - Power From the Lord

AE 209 [1, 3]

For you have some power,
and have kept My word,
and have not denied My name,
(Revelation 3:8)

signifies that they have power from the Lord
against evils and falsities,
in the measure in which
they make truths from the Word to be of the life,
and acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human.

. . . It is evident also from the signification of
"to keep My word,"
as being to make truths from the Word to be of the life;
for to keep truths or commandments
means not only to know and perceive them
but also to will and do them, that is to keep them;
and those who will and do,
make the truths
that they know and perceive from the Word
to be of their life.
It is evident also from the signification of
"not denying My name,"
as being to acknowledge
the Divine of the Lord in His Human.

Something shall now be said
about the power that a person has from the Lord
against evils and falsities.
All power that angels have
and also that people have
is from the Lord;
and the measure in which they receive the Lord
is the measure of their power.
He who believes
that any power against evils and falsities
comes from what is person's own [proprium]
is greatly mistaken;
for it is evil spirits,
conjoined to the hells,
that induce evils and falsities with people,
and these spirits are numerous,
and each one of them is conjoined to many hells,
in each of which also there are many spirits,
and no one except the Lord
can turn these away from a person,
for the Lord alone has power over the hells,
and a person has no power at all from himself
or from what is his own [proprium];
therefore a person has power
to the extent that he is conjoined to the Lord by love.

~ Joseph Sees All His Brothers ~

The steward took the men into Joseph's house,
gave them water to wash their feet
and provided fodder for their donkeys.
They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon,
because they had heard that they were to eat there.

When Joseph came home,
they presented to him the gifts
they had brought into the house,
and they bowed down before him to the ground.
He asked them how they were, and then he said,
"How is your aged father you told me about?
Is he still living?"

They replied,
"Your servant our father is still alive and well."
And they bowed low to pay him honor.

As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin,
his own mother's son, he asked,
"Is this your youngest brother,
the one you told me about?"
And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."
Deeply moved at the sight of his brother,
Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep.
He went into his private room and wept there.

After he had washed his face,
he came out and, controlling himself, said,
"Serve the food."

(Genesis 43:24-31)

AE 204 - To Love Another: AE 205 - "The Key of David"; AE 206 - Open or Shut ; AE 208 - The Door

AE 204 [2]

. . . to love people for the sake of
what is true, sincere, and just in them
is spiritual love;
for what is true, sincere, and just are spiritual things,
because they are out of heaven from the Lord.

AE 205

He that has the key of David,
(Revelation 3:7)
signifies who has power by means of Divine truth . . .
therefore "key" means here the power of saving . . ..

It is said, "He that has the key of David,"
because David represented the Lord
in respect to Divine truth,
and the Lord has all power
in the heavens and on earth
from Divine good through Divine truth;
for in general, good without truth has no power,
neither has truth without good any power,
for good acts through truth.
From this it is that Divine good and Divine truth
proceed united from the Lord,
and so far as they are conjointly received by the angels,
so far the angels are powers.
This then, is why it is said "the key of David."

AE 206 [1, 2]

. . . the Lord alone opens heaven
to those who are admitted.
This no person, spirit, or angel can do from himself.
How this is shall be explained in a few words.
When a person after death is in such a state
that he can be admitted into heaven,
there appears to him a way
that leads to the heavenly society in which he is to be;
until he is in this state
the way there does not appear to him;
this way is opened to him by the Lord only.
Such is each one's introduction
and admission into heaven.
The same is true of the evil person after death.
When he is in the state for passing into hell,
a way appears to him
that leads to the infernal society in which he is to be;
until he is in this state
the way there does not appear to him.
The reason of this is that ways in the spiritual world
appear to each one according to
the intention of his thought,
thus according to the affection of his love.
When, therefore,
a spirit has been brought into his reigning love
(for everyone after death is brought into that love),
then ways to the society where his love reigns appear.
From this it is clear that it is love itself that opens;
and as all the love of good and truth is from the Lord,
it follows that the Lord alone opens the ways for those
who are admitted into heaven.

Heaven is opened to those who are in the faith of charity,
and is shut to those who are not . .
and those who are in the faith of charity
are in Divine truth from the Lord,
and Divine truth from the Lord has all power . . ..

AE 208 [2]

. . . it can now be seen
what "doorways," "doors," and "gates," signify in the Word,
namely, admission into heaven:
and as the church is the Lord's heaven on earth,
they also signify admission into the church;
and as heaven or the church is within a person,
"doorways," "doors," and "gates"
signify approach and entrance . . ..
And because all things that signify heaven and the church
signify also the things of heaven and the church,
and here the things that introduce,
which are truths out of good from the Lord,
and because these truths are from the Lord,
and are therefore His, and are Himself in them,
therefore "doorway," "door," and "gate"
to heaven and the church,
mean in the highest sense the Lord.

From this is clear the signification
of what the Lord says in John:

Jesus said, Verily I say unto you,
he that enters not through the door into the sheepfold,
but climbs up another way,
the same is a thief and a robber.
But he that enters in through the door
is the shepherd of the sheep;
to him the porter opens.
I am the door of the sheep,
through Me if anyone enter in,
he shall be saved,
and shall go in and go out,
and find pasture.
(John 10:1-3, 7, 9)

~ Joseph Tells Pharaoh What His Dreams Mean ~

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh,
"Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.
. . . Now a young Hebrew was there with us,
a servant of the captain of the guard.
We told him our dreams,
and he interpreted them for us,
giving each man the interpretation of his dream.
And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us:
I was restored to my position,
and the other man was hanged."

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph,
and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.
When he had shaved and changed his clothes,
he came before Pharaoh.

. . . Then Joseph said to Pharaoh,
"The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.
God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
The seven good cows are seven years,
and the seven good heads of grain are seven years;
it is one and the same dream.
The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward
are seven years,
and so are the seven worthless heads of grain
scorched by the east wind:
They are seven years of famine.

"It is just as I said to Pharaoh:
God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
Seven years of great abundance
are coming throughout the land of Egypt,
but seven years of famine will follow them.
Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten,
and the famine will ravage the land.
The abundance in the land will not be remembered,
because the famine that follows it will be so severe.
The reason the dream
was given to Pharaoh in two forms
is that the matter has been firmly decided by God,
and God will do it soon.

. . . Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,
"Since God has made all this known to you,
there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
You shall be in charge of my palace,
and all my people are to submit to your orders.
Only with respect to the throne
will I be greater than you."

(Genesis 41:9, 12-14, 25-32, 39-40)

AE 198 - Perception and Reception; AE 200 - The Father

AE 198

. . . all intelligence and wisdom are from Divine truths
according to the perception of them
and their reception in the life.
To see truths, and to see what they are, is of perception;
and to live according to them is of reception;
and according to perception and reception
there is intelligence and wisdom.

. . . and the light of heaven enters into a person's spirit
when he is in
the good of love and of charity from the Lord,
and when he is in that good he is also in faith.

AE 200 [4, 5]

The Lord so often spoke of the Father
as another than Himself,
for this, among many reasons,
that by "Father," in the internal or spiritual sense,
is meant the Divine good,
and by "Son," the Divine truth,
each in the Lord and from the Lord;
for the Word is written by correspondences,
and is thus as well for men as for angels.
The "Father" therefore is mentioned,
that the Lord's Divine good
may be perceived by the angels
who are in the spiritual sense of the Word;
and "Son of God" and "Son of man" are mentioned,
that the Divine truth may be perceived.

. . . if it is accepted as a doctrine and acknowledged,
that the Lord is one with the Father,
and that His Human is Divine from the Divine in Himself,
light will be seen in every particular of the Word;
for that which is assumed as doctrine
and acknowledged from doctrine
is in light when the Word is read;
moreover, the Lord, from whom is all light
and who has all power,
will enlighten those who acknowledge this.

~ Joseph and Potiphar ~

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt.
Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials,
the captain of the guard,
bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered,
and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
When his master saw that the Lord was with him
and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,
Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.
Potiphar put him in charge of his household,
and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

. . . Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,
and after a while
his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said,
"Come to bed with me!'

But he refused.
"With me in charge," he told here,
"my master does not concern himself
with anything in the house;
everything he owns he has entrusted to my care.
No one is greater in this house than I am.
My master has withheld nothing from me except you,
because you are his wife.
How thing could I do such a wicked thing
and sin against God?"

. . . Then she told him (Potiphar) this story:
"That Hebrew slave you brought us
came to me to make sport of me.
But as soon as I screamed for help,
he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

When his master heard the story his wife told him,
saying, "This is how your slave treated me,"
he burned with anger.
Joseph's master took him and put him in prison,
the place where the king's prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison,
the Lord was with him;
He showed him kindness
and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
So the warden put Joseph in charge
of all those held in the prison,
and he was made responsible
for all that was done there.
The warden paid no attention
to anything under Joseph's care,
because the Lord was with Joseph
and gave him success in whatever he did.

(Genesis 39:1-4, 6.5-9, 17-23)

AE 193, 195 - Thinking About the Lord, His Word and Living a Moral Life

AE 193 [2]

. . . with those who, when left to themselves alone,
think justly about the Divine,
about the Word and the truths of the church therefrom,
and who love truths even to the life, that is,
so that they wish to live according to them.
The thoughts of these in their spirit
make one with their thoughts
from the memory of the body,
thus they make one
with the knowledges of truth and good
which they have from the Word;
and so far as these make one,
these knowledges receive spiritual life,
for they are elevated by the Lord
from the external or natural person
into the internal or spiritual person,
and constitute the life, that is,
the understanding and will, of the spiritual person.
Truths, in the spiritual person, are living truths,
because they are Divine,
and from these person has life there.

AE 195 [2]

A person lives a moral life from a spiritual origin
when he lives it from religion;
that is, when he thinks,
when anything evil, insincere, or unjust presents itself:
that this must not be done
because it is contrary to the Divine laws.
When one abstains from doing such things
in deference to Divine laws
he acquires for himself spiritual life,
and his moral life is then from the spiritual;
for by such thoughts and faith
a person communicates with the angels of heaven,
and by communication with heaven
his internal spiritual person is opened,
the mind of which is a higher mind,
such as the angels of heaven have,
and he is thereby imbued (permeated)
with heavenly intelligence and wisdom.
From this it can be seen
that to live a moral life from a spiritual origin
is to live from religion,
and within the church,
to live from the Word;
for those who live a moral life
from religion and from the Word
are elevated above their natural person,
thus above what is their own [proprium],
and are led by the Lord through heaven;
consequently they have
faith, the fear of God, and conscience,
and also the spiritual affection of truth,
which is the affection of
the knowledges of truth and good from the Word,
for to such people
these are Divine laws,
according to which they live.
Many of the heathen live such a moral life,
for they think that evil must not be done
because it is contrary to their religion;
this is why so many of them are saved.

~ Joseph Begins His Journey to Egypt ~

Joseph, a young man of seventeen,
was tending the flocks with his brothers,
the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah,
his father's wives,
and he brought their father a bad report about them.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,
because he had been born to him in his old age;
and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.
When his brothers saw that their father loved him
more than any of them,
they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

. . . Now his brothers had gone to graze
their father's flocks near Shechem,
and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know,
your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.
Come, I am going to send you to them."

"Very well," he replied.

So he said to him, "Go and see
if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks,
and bring word back to me."
Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.

. . . So when Joseph came to his brothers,
they stripped him of his robe --
the richly ornamented robe he was wearing --
and they took him and threw him into the cistern.
Now the cistern was empty;
there was no water in it.

. . . Judah said to his brothers,
"What will we gain if we kill our brother
and cover up his blood?"
Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites
and not lay our hands on him;
after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood."
His brothers agreed.

So when the Midianite merchants came by,
his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern
and sold him for twenty shekels of silver
to the Ishmaelites,
who took him to Egypt.

(Genesis 37: 2.5-4, 12-14, 23-24, 26-28)
________________________________________________

AC 4756

'And men passed by, Midianites, who were traders'
(Genesis 37:28)
means those who are in the truth of this good,
is evident from the representation of the Midianites,
as being those who are in the truth of simple good;
and from the meaning of 'traders'
as those who possess knowledges of good and truth,
for such knowledges are meant by
riches, wealth, and wares in the spiritual sense,
and therefore 'trading' means acquiring
and communicating these knowledges.
Here not knowledges of good but those of truth are meant,
for, as stated above,
'Midianites' means those in whom
the truth that partners simple good is present.
For the same reason they are called 'men',
since the expression 'men'
is used of those who possess truth.
From the historical chain of events described here
it is plain that Joseph was sold to Ishmaelites,
but that he was drawn out of the pit by Midianites
and was also sold by the Midianites to Potiphar in Egypt;
for it is said in the final verse of this chapter,
'And the Midianites sold him into Egypt
to Potiphar, Pharaoh's bedchamber-servant'.
One would think that
because Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites
that these, not the Midianites,
would be the ones to sell him in Egypt.
But things happened the way they did
for the sake of the representation
of what is contained in the internal sense.
'Joseph', that is, Divine Truth,
cannot be sold by those governed by good,
only by those governed by the truth partnering that good.

AE 182 - Moral Life; AE 183 - "The Spirit of God"

AE 182 [1-2, 3, 4]

Moral life is acting well, sincerely, and justly
with one's companions
in all the affairs and occupations of life;
in a word, it is the life that is apparent before men,
because it is the life lived with them.
But this life has a two-fold origin;
it is either from the love of self and the world,
or it is from love to God and love towards the neighbor.

Moral life from the love of self and the world
is not in itself moral life,
although it seems to be moral;
for the person acting thus acts well, sincerely, and justly
for the sake of self and the world only,
and what is good, sincere, and just
serves him as means to an end,
which is, either that he may be
raised above others and rule over them,
or that he may gain wealth;
and of these things he thinks in his spirit,
or when he is by himself secretly;
but these things that he thinks
he does not dare to avow openly,
because they would destroy
the good opinion others have of him,
and thus destroy the means
by which he wishes to attain his ends.

But spiritual life is wholly different,
because it has a different origin;
for it is from love to God and love towards the neighbor.
Consequently, the moral life also of those
who are spiritual is different,
and is a truly moral life;
for these, when they think in their spirit,
which takes place
when they are thinking secretly by themselves,
do not think from self and the world,
but from the Lord and heaven;
for the interiors of their minds,
that is, of their thought and will,
are actually elevated by the Lord into heaven,
and are there conjoined to Him;
thus the Lord flows into
their thoughts, intentions, and ends,
and governs them and withdraws them
from their proprium [what is their own],
which is solely from the love of self and of the world.
The moral life of such persons is, in appearance,
like the moral life of those described above,
and yet their moral life is spiritual,
because it is from a spiritual origin.
Their moral life is simply an effect of spiritual life,
which is the efficient cause, thus the origin.
For they act well, sincerely, and justly with their fellows
from fear of God and from love of the neighbor;
in these loves the Lord keeps their mind and disposition;
consequently when they become spirits,
which takes place when the body dies,
they think and act intelligently and wisely,
and are elevated into heaven.
Of these it may be said,
that with them
every good of love and every truth of faith
flows in out of heaven,
that is, through heaven from the Lord.

. . . worship with those
who live a moral life from a spiritual origin . . .
is truly a worship of God,
for their prayers are elevated to heaven
and are heard,
for the Lord leads their prayers
through heaven to Himself.

AE 183 [8]

Divine truth proceeding from the Lord
is "the Spirit of God,"
because from it people have all their life;
and those who receive that Divine truth in faith and life
have heavenly life.

~ Jacob Returns to Isaac ~

Jacob had twelve sons:
The Sons of Leah:
Reuben the first born of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
The sons of Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin.
The sons of Rachel's maidservant Bilhah:
Dan and Naphtali.
The sons of Leah's maidservant Zilpah:
Gad and Asher.
There were the sons born of Jacob,
who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre,
near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron),
where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.
Then he breathed his last and died
and was gathered to his people,
old and full of years.
And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

(Genesis 36:23-29)

AE 178 - Glorification, Regeneration; AE 179 - The Morning Star

AE 178

. . . as the Lord glorified His Human,
so He regenerates a person . . ..

AE 179

And I will give him the morning star,
(Revelation 2:28)

signifies intelligence and wisdom
from the Lord's Divine Human.

This is evident from the signification of "stars,"
as being the knowledges of good and truth;
and as they signify the knowledges of good and truth,
they also signify intelligence and wisdom,
for all intelligence and wisdom come
by means of the knowledges of good and truth.

It is evident also from the signification of "morning"
as being the Lord in respect to His Divine Human,
therefore "the morning star"
means intelligence and wisdom from Him.

"Morning" is often mentioned in the Word,
and its signification varies
according to the connection in the internal sense;
in the highest sense it signifies the Lord,
and also His coming;
in the internal sense it signifies His kingdom and church,
and their state of peace.

~ Laban Goes After Jacob ~

On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
Taking  his relatives with him,
he pursed Jacob for seven days
and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.
Then God came to Laban the Aramean
in a dream at night and said to him,
"Be careful not to say anything to Jacob,
either good or bad."

Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead
when Laban overtook him,
and Laban and his relatives camped there too.

. . . So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.
He said to his relatives, "Gather some stones."
So they took stones and piled them in a heap,
and they ate there by the heap.
Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha,
and Jacob called it Galeed.

(Genesis 31:22-24, 45-47)

AE 163 - When the Natural World Rules; AE 166 - "The Son of Man"; AE 167 - Truth In the Will

AE 163 [2]

. . . when the natural world with a person
is not governed by the spiritual world,
the bond with heaven is broken;
and when this is broken
the person makes the world his all,
and heaven of little or no account;
so also self as all,
and God of little or no account.
When the external or natural person is in such a state
it is in falsities
from the evils that spring forth
out of the love of self and the world.

AE 166

. . . the Lord called Himself "the Son of man,"
because He was Divine truth,
and because every truth of heaven and of the church
proceeds from Him.

AE 167 [2]

Truth in the will
and from that in the act
is what separates and dissipates falsities.
Truth in the will
and from that in the act
is willing and doing
what a person knows and things to be true . . ..

~ Jacob Leaves Paddam Aram ~

Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying,
"Jacob has taken everything our father owned
and has gained all this wealth
from what belonged to our father."
And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him
was not what it had been.

Then the Lord said to Jacob,
"Go back to the land of your fathers
and to your relatives,
and I will be with you."

. . . Then Jacob put
his children and his wives on camels,
and he drove all his livestock ahead of him,
along with all the goods
he had accumulated in Paddan Aram,
to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

When Laban had gone to shear his sheep,
Rachel stole her father's household gods.
Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean
by not tell him he was running away.
So he fled with all he had,
and crossing the River,
he headed for the hill country of Gilead.

(Genesis 31:1-3, 17-21)

AE 150 - The Internal & External Person; AE 152 - The Body & the Spirit and The Lord's Divine Providence

AE 150

In every person there is an internal and an external;
his internal is what is called the spiritual person,
the external what is called the natural person.
When a person is born,
the external or natural person is first opened;
and afterwards, as he grows up
and is perfected in intelligence and wisdom,
the internal or spiritual person is opened.
The external or natural person is opened by
such things as a person derives from the world,
while the internal or spiritual person is opened by
such things as he derives from heaven;
for the external or natural person is formed
for receiving such things as are in the world,
but the internal or spiritual person
for receiving such things as are in heaven.
The things in the world,
for receiving which the external or natural person is formed,
have reference, in general,
to all things of civil and moral life;
while the things in heaven,
for receiving which the internal or spiritual person is formed,
have reference, in general, to all things of love and faith.

AE 152 [2, 15]

The whole body, with all its sensories,
is merely an instrument of its soul, or of its spirit;
which is also the reason that when a person's spirit
is separated from the body,
the body has no sensation whatever,
but the spirit afterwards continues
to have sensation as before.

. . . the Lord's Divine Providence . . .
is His government of all things
in the heavens and on the earth
by Divine Wisdom;
for the Lord by Divine Providence
sees all things,
disposes all things,
and looks out for all things.

~ Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel ~

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month,
Laban said to him,
"Just because you are a relative of mine,
should you work for me for nothing?
Tell me what your wages should be."

Now Laban had two daughters;
the name of the older was Leah,
and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Leah had weak eyes,
but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful.
Jacob was in love with Rachel and said,
"I'll work for you seven years
in return for your younger daughter Rachel."

Laban, "It's better that I give her to you
than to some other man.
Stay here with me."
So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel,
but they seemed like only a few days to him
because of his love for her.

Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife.
My time is completed, and I want to lie with her."

So Laban brought together
all the people of the place and gave a feast.
But when evening came,
he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob,
and Jacob lay with her.
And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah
to his daughter as her maidservant.

When morning came, there was Leah!
So Jacob said to Laban,
"What is that you have done to me?
I served you for Rachel, didn't I?
Why ave you deceived me?"

Laban replied, "It is not our custom here
to give the younger daughter in marriage
before the older one.
Finish this daughter's bridal week;
then we will give you the younger one also,
in return for another seven years of work."

And Jacob did so.
He finished the week with Leah,
and then Laban gave him
his daughter Rachel to be his wife.
Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah
to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant.
Jacob lay with Rachel also,
and he loved Rachel more than Leah.
And he worked for Laban another seven years.

(Genesis29:15.5-30)