AC 7620, 7622 - A Beautiful Flame

AC 7620

I saw a certain most beautiful flame;
it was of various colors, crimson,
and also from white reddening,
and the colors likewise
sparkled beautifully from the flame.
I saw also a certain hand,
which did not hold this flame,
but to which it adhered,
at first on the back part,
afterward on the palm or hollow of the hand,
and thence it played around the hand.
This continued for some time.
Then the hand together with the flame
were removed to a distance,
and where they rested, there was light;
in this light the hand withdrew,
and then the flame was changed into a bird,
which at first had like colors with the flame,
the colors in like manner sparkling.

AC 7622

They perceived that such a sight
must signify something heavenly.
They knew that a flame
signifies celestial love and its affections;
that a hand, to which the flame adhered,
signifies life and its power;
that changes of color signify varieties of life
in respect to wisdom and intelligence;
that a bird signifies the same, but with this difference,
that a flame signifies celestial love
and what is of this love,
whereas a bird signifies spiritual love
and what is of this love;
celestial love is love to the Lord,
and spiritual love is mutual love
and charity toward the neighbor . . ..

~ The Israelites Settle in Goshen ~

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 theigh
and promise that you will show me
kindness and faithfulness.
Do not bury me in Egypt
and bury me where they are buried."

"I will do as you say," he said.
Then Joseph swore to him,
and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

(Genesis 47:27-31)

AC Various - Significations

AC 7568

Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven.
(Exodus 9:33)

That this signifies attention,
and the approach of heaven,
is evident from the signification of
"stretching forth the hand,"
as being to cause to pay attention,
for by the stretching forth of the hand,
something has the attention directed to it and is shown;
and from the signification of "heaven,"
as being the angelic heaven;
and as when anyone
has his attention directed to heaven,
and it is shown to him,
he also directs his sight and thought to there,
from this there is also signified approach,
for all approach in the spiritual world
is effected by the determination of the thought.

AC 7569

. . . the signification of "hail,"is being falsity from evils destroying,namely, every good and truth of the church;
and from the signification of
"the land of Egypt,"
as being the natural mind.

AC 7571

That "herb" signifies truth
is because the "land" signifies the church, also a "field;"
and consequently all the produce from it
signifies either the truth that is of faith,
or the good that is of charity,
for these are of the church.

~ Jacob and His Family Move to Egypt ~

So Israel set out with all that was his,
and when he reached Beersheba,
he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said,
"Jacob!  Jacob!"

"Here I am," he replied.

"I am God, the God of your father," He said.
"Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
for I will make you into a great nation there.
I will go down to Egypt with you,
and I will surely bring you back again.
And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes."

(Genesis 46:1-4)

AC 7550 - Not for His Sake, But for the Human Race

AC 7550

. . . the most essential of worship
is the acknowledgment that the Lord is the only God,and that His Human is Divine,
and that from this proceeds all faith and love,therefore by the "name of Jehovah being told"
is signified that the Lordis to be acknowledged as the only God,
and from the signification of "the earth,"as being the church.
That Jehovah or the Lord
in this and in many other passageswills that His might and power may appear,
and His name be told,and elsewhere
that He be humbly worshiped and adored,seems as if He desires to show forth His glory,
and as if He loves adoration for the sake of Himself.But quite different is the real case.
It is not for the sake of Himself,but for the sake of the human race;
not from self-glory,but from love;
for He wills to be conjoined with the human race,and to give them eternal life and happiness.
This cannot be doneunless the man is in humble worship;and there can be no humble worship
unless the man acknowledges and believesthat he himself is dust and ashes,
that is, nothing but evil,and that Jehovah or the Lord
is the Greatest and the Holiest,and that he dare not from himself approach Him.
When a person is in such humble worship,then the Lord can flow in with the life of His love,
and give heaven and eternal happiness.This is the reason why Jehovah or the Lord
so greatly extols His own power and glory in the Word.

~ Ten of Jacob's Sons Are Sent to Egypt ~

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt,
he said to his sons,
"Why do you just keep looking at each other?"
He continued, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt.Go down there and buy some for us,
so that we live and not die."

Then ten of Joseph's brothers
went down to buy grain from Egypt.
But Jacob did not send Benjamin,
Joseph's brother,
with the others,
because he was afraid that harm might come to him.
So Israel's sons were among those
who went to buy grain,
for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.

(Genesis 42:1-5)

AC 7523 - Man and Beast; AC 7533 - Hardening Hearts

AC 7523

And it shall be upon man and upon beast.
(Exodus 9:9)

 . . . but when "man and beast" are mentioned,
then by "man" is signified
interior affection or cupidity,
and by "beast" exterior.
The interior good and also the interior evil
which are signified by "man"
are those which are of the intention or end,
for the intention or end is the inmost of man;
but the exterior good and also the exterior evil
which are signified by "beast"
are those which are of the thought,
and of the consequent action
when nothing stands in the way.
That what is exterior is signified by "beast"
is because in respect to his external or natural man,
a man is nothing else than a beast,
for he takes delight in the like cupidities and pleasures,
as also in the like appetites and senses.
And the reason why
that which is interior is signified by "man"
is that man is man in respect to the internal or spiritual man,
taking delight there in the affections of good and truth,
such as belong to the angels in heaven,
and also because through this
he rules his natural or animal man, which is a beast. 

AC 7533

. . .  it is the evil with man which makes him firm
or determined against the Divine;
and evil comes from man,
and flows in from hell,
but not from heaven.
Nothing but good flows in through heaven from the Lord;
evil cannot come forth from good,
still less from the veriest Good;
evil comes forth from its own origin,
namely, from things contrary
to love to God and to love to the neighbor;
such origins exist in man,and not at all in God. From this it is evident that when it is said in the Word
that "God leads into evil,"
this is said according to the appearance.

~ Pharaoh Gives Joseph a Big Job ~

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 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 41:25, 32, 39-40)

AC 7488, 7506 - Loves and Life

AC 7488

From all that has been said
about the loves of self and of the world,
it is evident that all evils spring from them,
and because all evils spring from them,
so do all falsities;
and on the other hand,
from love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor
spring all goods,
and because all goods spring from them,
so do all truths.

AC 7506 [3]

, , , when the good of life
which is from charity
flows into the intellectual
which is the receptacle of truth,
it forms beautiful ideas
with respect to the goods and truths of faith;
whereas when the evil of life
which is contrary to charity
flows into the intellectual,
it makes ugly ideas
in respect to the goods and truths of faith,
and such as are not acknowledged in heaven.

~ Joseph's Beginning Service in Egypt ~

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt.
Potiphar, an Eygptian 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.
. . . with Joseph in charge,he did not concern himself with anything
except the food he ate.

. . . 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; 19-23)

AC 7456 - Stoning and Hanging Upon Wood

AC 7456 [2]

As regards the signification of "stoning,"
be it known that there were two death penalties
among the Israelites and Jews,
which whom the representative of a church
had been instituted,
of which the one was stoning,
and the other was hanging upon wood.
Stoning was for any one
who desired to destroy the truths of worship
that had been commanded,
and hanging was for any one
who desired to destroy the good of life.
That those were stoned
who desired to destroy the truths of worship,
was because a "stone" signified truth,
and in the opposite sense falsity;
and that those were hanged upon wood
who desired to destroy the good of life,
was because "wood signified good,
and in the opposite sense the evil of cupidities.

~ Esau ~

This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom).

Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan:
Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite,
and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah
and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite --
also Basemath daughter of Ishmael
and sister of Nebaioth.

Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau,
Basemath bore Reuel;
and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah.
These were the sons of Esau,
who were born to him in Canaan.

Esau took his wives and sons and daughters
and all the members of his household,
as well as his livestock
and all his other animals
and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan,
and moved to a land some distance
from his brother Jacob.
Their possessions were too great
for them to remain together;
the land where they were staying
could not support them both
because of their livestock.
So Esau (that is, Edom)
settled in the hill country of Seir.

(Genesis 36:1-8)

AC 7437 - Thinking

AC 7437 [3]

. . . those who are in evils
cannot do otherwise than think
from evils to falsities.
It is the same also with those
who are in a state of good,
in that they cannot do otherwise
than think from good to truths;
for good and truth are conjoined,
and also evil and falsity . . ..

~ God Tells Jacob Up to Bethel ~

Then God said to Jacob,
"Go up to Bethel and settle there,
and build an altar there to God,
who appeared to you
when you were fleeing from your brother Esau."

So Jacob said to his household
and to all who were with him,
"Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you,
and purify yourselves and change your clothes.Then come, let us go up to Bethel,
where I will build an altar to God,
who answered me in the day of my distress
and who has been with me
wherever I have gone."So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had
and the rings in their ears,
and Jacob buried them
under the oak at Shechem.
Then they set out,
and the terror of God
fell upon all the towns all around them
so that no on pursued them.

(Genesis 35:2-5)

AC 7384 - Frogs

AC 7384

Frogs also correspond to reasonings from falsities,
for each and all things in the natural world
have a correspondence with those
which are in the spiritual world;
and this because the natural comes forth
through the spiritual.
Therefore universal nature is a theater
representative of the spiritual world.

~ Jacob Called the Place Mananaim ~

Jacob also went on his way,

and the angels of God met him.

When Jacob saw them, he said,
"This is the camp of God!"
So he named that place Mananaim.

(Genesis 32:1)

AC 7367, 7369 - Love of Self; AC 7378 - Exodus 8 - More on the Vastation of Falsities

AC 7367, 7369

The love of self reigns with a person,

that is, he is in the love of self,

when in what he thinks and does,
he does not regard his neighbor,
thus not the public,
still less the Lord,
but only himself and those who belong to him . . ..
 

In so far as a person is in the love of self,
so far he removes himself from the love of the neighbor;
consequently in so far as a person is in the love of self,

so far he removes himself from heaven,
for in heaven there is the love of the neighbor.
from this it also follows
that in so far a a person is in the love of self,
so far he is in hell,
for in hell there is the love of self.

AC 7378

In this chapter, in the internal sense,
the subject is continued of the vastation
of those who are in falsities,
and who infest the upright in the other life.
The first two degrees of vastation were described
in the preceding chapter,
also the third degree in part,
which was that they reasoned only from falsities.
Reasonings from mere falsities
are signified by "the frogs;"
which subject is continued in this chapter;
and then the fourth and fifth degrees of the vastation
of those who are in falsities
and infest the upright in the other life are treated of.
The fourth degree is
that they were in evils
which destroyed every good with them,
also whatever they had from natural good;
these are signified by the lice from the dust of the land.
The fifth degree is
that they were in falsities from these evils,
whereby every truth would be destroyed;
these are signified by the noisome fly.

~ Jacob Leaves Laban ~

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.

(Genesis 31:1-3, 28-18)

AC 7342 - Does the Understanding Rule?

AC 7342

It is believed by some
that the understanding rules,
but the understanding does not rule
unless the will inclines;
the the understanding favors the will,

because regarded in itself
the understanding is nothing else.
This affection is what rules man,
for the affection of love is his life.
If a man's affection is that of self and the world,
then his whole life is nothing else,
nor can he withstand it,
for this would be to withstand his very life.
Principles of truth effect nothing;
if the affection of these loves has dominion,
it draws truth over to its side and falsifies it,
and if truth does not fully favor,
it rejections it.

~ Jacob Waters the Sheep ~

Jacob asked the shepherds,
"My brothers, where are you from?"

"We're from Haran," they replied.

He said to them,
"Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?"

"Yes, we know him," they answered.

Then Jacob asked them, "Is he well?"

"Yes, he is," they said,
"And here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep."

"Look," he said, "the sun is still high;
it is not time for the flocks to be gathered.
Water the sheep and take them back to pasture."

"We can't," they replied,
"until all the flocks are gathered
and the stone has been rolled away
from the mouth of the well.

Then we will water the sheep."

While he was still talking with them,
Rachel came with her father's sheep,for she was a shepherdess.
When Jacob saw Rachel
daughter of Laban, his mother's brother,and Laban's sheep,
he went over and rolled the stone away
from the mouth of the well
and watered his uncle's sheep.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.
He told Rachel that he was a relative of her father
and a son of Rebekah.
So she ran and told her father.

(Genesis 29:4-13)