~ Not Because You Are Righteous ~

Hear, O Israel.
You are now about to cross the Jordan
to go in and dispossess nations
greater and stronger than you,
with large cities that have walls up to the sky.
The people are strong and tall -- Anakites!
You know about them and have heard it said:
"Who can stand up against the Anakites?"
But be assured today
that the Lord your God is the one
who goes across ahead of you
like a devouring fire.
He will destroy them;
He will subdue them before you.
And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly,
as the Lord has promised you.

After the Lord our God has driven them out before you,
do not say to yourself,
"The Lord has brought me here
to take possession of this land
because of my righteousness."
No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations
that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.
It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity
that you are going in to take possession of their land;
but on account of the wickedness of these nations,
the Lord your God will drive them out before you,
to accomplish what He swore to your fathers,
to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Understand, then, that is is not
because of your righteousness
that the Lord your God is giving you
this good land to possess,
for you are a stiff-necked people.

(Deuteronomy 9:1-6)
 

AE 447 - Zebulun; AE 448 - Joseph; AE 449 - Benjamin (and Bethlehem); AE 450 - Dan

AE 447 [1]

Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:8)
means the conjunction with the Lord
of those who are in the third heaven.
. . . "Zebulun" in the Hebrew means cohabitation,
and cohabitation means in the spiritual sense conjunction,
such as exists with those who love each other.
Here "Zebulun" means the conjunction with the Lord
of those who are in the third heaven,
. . . therefore the three tribes last mentioned
mean conjunction with the Lord,
"the tribe of Zebulun" the conjunction with the Lord
of those who are in the third heaven,
"the tribe of Joseph" the conjunction with the Lord
of those who are in the second heaven,
and "the tribe of Benjamin" the conjunction with the Lord
of those who are in the lowest heaven.

AE 448 [1, 16]

Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:8)
means the conjunction with the Lord
of those who are in the second heaven.

[16]
"Joseph" means in the highest sense the Lord
in respect to the Divine spiritual . . ..
How the Lord was received when He came into the world,
and how He was tempted
and then became Lord of heaven and earth,
and subjugated the hells,
reduced the heavens to order
and established the church
is described by the story of Joseph . . ..

AE 449 [1, 2, 3]

Of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:8)
means the conjunction with the Lord
 of those who are in the lowest heaven.
This is evident from the representation of "Benjamin"
and the tribe named from him,
as being the spiritual-celestial in the natural person,
as "Joseph" represents it in the spiritual.
The spiritual-celestial is truth conjoined to good;
for truth regarded in itself is spiritual,
and good is celestial;
therefore by "Benjamin" and his tribe
the conjunction of truth and good in the natural is meant,
and thus here the conjunction with the Lord
of those who are in the lowest heaven;
for in the lowest heaven are those
who are in natural good and truth
from the spiritual and the celestial.

As "Benjamin" means truth conjoined to good
in the natural person,
and thus truth conjoined to good in those
who are in the lowest heaven,
so he was born to Jacob last,
and was called by him "son of the right hand,"
also he was born in Bethlehem,
and that city signifies truth conjoined to good in the natural.

He was called "the son of the right hand"
because "son" means truth,
and "right hand" means the power of truth from good,
and in the spiritual world
truth that is from good in the natural person has all power.
All the power the spiritual person has is in this,
because the effecting cause is in the spiritual person,
and the effect is in the natural,
and all the power of the effecting cause
puts itself forth through the effect.
For this reason he was called "Benjamin,"
that is, "the son of the right hand."
And as "Bethlehem" has a like signification,
namely, truth conjoined to good in the natural person,
David too was born there, and also anointed as king;
for David as king represented the Lord
in respect to truth from good,
and this, too, is signified by "king".
For the same reason the Lord was born in Bethlehem
because He was born a king,
and truth conjoined to good was with Him from birth.
For every infant is born natural,
and the natural,
because it is next to the external senses and the world,
is first opened,
and this with all men is ignorant of truth and desirous of evil;
but in the Lord alone t
he natural had a desire for good and a longing for truth;
for the ruling affection in a person,
which is his soul,
is from the father;
and with the Lord,
 the affection or soul from the Father was the Divine Itself,
which is the Divine good of the Divine love.

AE 450

Among these twelve tribes,
out of each of which twelve thousand
are said to have been sealed,
the tribe of Dan is not mentioned,
but in its stead the tribe of Manasseh.
. . . the tribe of Dan was the last of the tribes,
and therefore signified, in the Lord's kingdom,
the ultimates in which those are
who are in the good of life and of faith
according to their religion
in which there are no genuine truths.

~ What is the Meaning? ~

In the future, when your son asks you,
"What is the meaning of the stipulations,
decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?"
tell him:
"We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt,
but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand.
Before our eyes
the Lord send miraculous signs and wonders --
great and terrible --
upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household.
But He brought us out from there
to bring us in and give us the land
that He promised on oath to our forefathers.
The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees
and to fear the Lord our God,
so that we might always prosper and be kept alive,
as is the case today.
And if we are careful to obey
all this law before the Lord our God,
as He has commanded us,
that will be our righteousness.

(Deuteronomy 6:20-25)

AE 443 - Simeon; AE 444 - Levi; AE 445 - Issachar

AE 443 [1, 2, 3]

Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:7)
means obedience,
and that all who are in obedience are in heaven,
and come into heaven.
. . . The tribes of Simeon, Levi, and Issachar,
which are now mentioned,
and which constitute the third class of the sealed,
mean those who are in the first or lowest heaven,
and who come into that heaven.

Those belonging to this first or lowest heaven
are all obedient in doing the truths and goods
that are commanded in the Word
or in the doctrine of the church in which they were born,
or that they have heard
from some master or religious teacher,
from whom they have heard
that this or that is true and good, and ought to be done.
Most of these are not in truths themselves,
but in falsities from ignorance,
nevertheless these falsities
are accepted by the Lord as truths
because they have the good of life for their end,
and by this
the evils that usually cling to falsities are removed.
Such, then, are in the lowest or first heaven.

Because "Simeon" means obedience he also signifies faith,
for faith becomes faith in a person
when he obeys and does the commandments;

AE 444 [1-2, 3, 5, 11]

Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:7)
means good works.
This is evident from the representation
and consequent meaning of "Levi" and his tribe,
as being spiritual love,
which is called charity towards the neighbor.
"The tribe of Levi" here signifies good works
because spiritual love or charity
consists in doing things that are good,
and these are good works.
Charity, itself, viewed in itself,
is the affection of truth and good,
and where that affection is,
there is a life according to truths and goods,
for there is no affection without a life
according to the truths and goods
for which there is affection.

To live according to truths and goods
is what is meant in the Word by "doing,"
and the life itself is meant by "deeds" and "works"
which are so often mentioned in the Word;
these, therefore,
are what were represented and meant by "Levi"
and his tribe in the church with the Jews.
Because this affection is the very essential of the church,
the tribe of Levi was assigned to the priesthood . . ..

The priesthood was given to this tribe
because it represented and so meant love and charity.
Love and charity are the spiritual affection of good and truth;
since affection is predicated of love in its continuity,
for affection is the continuation of love.
This, too, is what the priesthood and its ministry
mean in the Word,
for this affection is the essential of the church,
for where it is
there the church is,
and where it is not
there the church is not;
for the affection of good and truth
is the very spiritual life of a person,
and when a person is affected by good and truth
he is in good and truth in respect to his life,
and his thought itself
is nothing but affection in a different form,
for whatever a person thinks he derives from affection;
no one can think without affection.
This is why the tribe of Levi
was appointed to the priesthood.

. . . every person acquires
knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom,
according to the affection of good and truth that is in him . . ..

. . . the Lord teaches in the Word and through the Word . . ..

AE 445 [1-2, 3]

Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:7)
means faith and salvation.

"Reward" is frequently spoken of in the Word,
as "that reward is to be received,"
and by it is understood eternal life, salvation,
and by many, heavenly joy;
and in the nearest sense this is the signification of "reward."
If a person is living according to the Lord's commandments,
it is permissible for him
to think of eternal life, salvation, and heavenly joy;
but it is not permissible for him
to keep his mind intent upon reward,
for if he does so he has reward as an end,
and easily falls into the thought
that by his life he deserves heaven and salvation,
and this thought causes him to have
regard to self in every particular,
and such regard to self removes him from heaven;
for so far as a person looks to self in what he does,
he does not look to heaven.
Because of this, "reward" in the Word means
that in which heaven and salvation are,
that is, in general, love and faith,
and from them intelligence and wisdom,
for in these are salvation and heaven,
and consequently heavenly joy,
so far as a person does not think about reward.
From this
the meaning of "Issachar" and his tribe can be seen.
Here faith is meant,
because "the tribe of Simeon" signifies obedience,
and "the tribe of Levi" signifies good works,
and those who are in good works from obedience
are in faith;
while such as are in the goods of life
from the spiritual affection of truth and good
are in charity,
and they who are in the goods of life
from celestial affection
are in love to the Lord.

~ Be a Wise and Understanding People ~

See, I have taught you decrees and laws
as the Lord my God commanded me,
so that you may follow them
in the land you are entering
to take possession of it.
Observe them carefully,
for this will show
your wisdom and understanding to the nations,
who will hear about all these decrees and say,
"Surely this great nation
is a wise and understanding people."
What other nation is so great
as to have their gods near them
the way the Lord our God is near us
whenever we pray to Him?
And what other nation is so great
as to have such righteous decrees and laws
as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely
so that you do not forget the things
your eyes have seen
or let them slip from your heart
as long as you live.
Teach them to our children
and to their children after them.

(Deuteronomy 4:5-9)

AE 438 - Asher; AE 439 - Naphtali; AE 440 - Manasseh

AE 438 [1, 2]

Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:6)
means charity towards the neighbor,
and that all who are in it
are in heaven and come into heaven.

Heaven and the church are constituted, in general,
of three universal essentials, namely,
love to the Lord,
charity towards the neighbor,
and the obedience of faith;
love to the Lord
is meant by the first three tribes,
Judah, Reuben, and Gad;
charity towards the neighbor
is meant by these three tribes,
Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh;
while the obedience of faith
is meant by the three tribes next named,
Simeon, Levi, and Issachar;
the conjunction of all of these with the Lord
is meant by the last three tribes,
Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
This, in brief, is the meaning
of all these tribes named in this order,
for their meaning is determined by
the order in which they are named.

From all this it can first be seen
that this second class of tribes, that is, the three tribes,
Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh,
mean those who are in charity towards the neighbor;
"the tribe of Asher"
meaning charity towards the neighbor;
"Naphtali"
the regeneration of those who are in that charity,
and "Manasseh"
their good of life.

AE 439 [1, 6]

Of the tribe Naphtali twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:6)
means regeneration and temptation.
This is evident from what is represented
and consequently meant by "Naphtali" and his tribe,
as meaning temptation and the state after it;
and as temptations occur
 for the sake of regeneration,
regeneration too is signified by "Naphtali."

The subjugation of the hells means
the subjugation of the natural person;
for evils from hell are in the natural person,
for in it, too,
are the delights of the love of self and of the world
and the knowledges that confirm these delights;
and when these delights are regarded as ends
and become dominant
they are against the goods and truths of the church.

From these few instances
the signification of "Naphtali" and his tribe in the Word
can be seen, namely, that it means in the highest sense
the Lord's own power,
by which He subjugated the hells and glorified His Human,
in the internal sense
temptation and the states after temptation,
and in the external sense resistance by the natural person;
therefore "Naphtali" means also
reformation and regeneration,
because these are results of temptations.

AE 440

Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:6)
means the goods of life therefrom.
This is evident from the representation
and consequent meaning of "the tribe of Manasseh,"
as meaning the voluntary [principle] of the church,
and the good of life therefrom.
It means the good of life
because the good of life makes one
with the voluntary of the church
or of the person of the church,
since that which a person wills
he does when he can,
for doing is nothing but the will acting,
as can be seen from the fact
that doing stops when the will stops,
and doing goes on as long as there is a will;
that which the will of a regenerated person does
is called the good of life.
For this reason, as the voluntary of the church
is meant by "Manasseh" and his tribe,
so the good of life is also meant.
Moreover, the good of life is the outcome
of charity towards the neighbor after regeneration,
which is signified by "Asher and Naphtali,"
like an effect from its cause;
for those who are in charity towards the neighbor
are regenerated by the Lord,
and those who are regenerated
are in the good of life,
since they act from charity,
and all action from charity is good of life.

 

~ After Wandering in the Desert ~

Then we turned back and set out toward the desert
along the route to the Red Sea,
as the Lord had directed me.
For a long time we made our way
around the hill country of Seir.

Then the Lord said to me,
"You have made your way around this hill country
long enough; now turn north.
Give the people these orders:
"You are about to pass through
the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau,
who live in Seir.
They will be afraid of you, but be very careful.
Do not provoke them to war,
for I will not give you any of their land,
not even enough to put your foot on.
I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.
You are to pay them in silver
for the food you eat and the water your drink.'"

The Lord your God has blessed you
in all the work of your hands.
He has watched over your journey
through this vast desert.
These forty years the Lord your God has been with you,
and you have not lacked anything.

So we went on past our brothers
the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir.
We turned from the Arabah road,
which comes up from Elath along the Ezion Geber,
and traveled along the desert road of Moab.

Then the Lord said to me,
"Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war,
for I will not give you any part of their land.
I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession."

(Deuteronomy 2:1-9)

AE 434 - Reuben; AE 435 - Gad; AE 436 - A Summary

AE 434 [1, 2-3]

Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand sealed . . .
(Revelation 7:5)

"Reuben," and so the tribe named from him,
means in the highest sense the Lord
in respect to foresight or foreknowledge;
in the internal sense
spiritual faith and the understanding of truth;
and in the external sense, sight;
and as "Reuben" in the internal sense
means faith and understanding
he also means the light of truth,
for faith exists from the light of truth,
and the understanding is illustrated by it;
for where there is the light of truth
there is understanding and there is faith.

"Reuben," or the tribe of Reuben,
has the same signification as "Peter" the apostle;
for the twelve apostles in a similar manner
as the twelve tribes of Israel,
represented all things of the church,
and each apostle some universal essential of the church;
and as Peter had a similar representation with Reuben,
therefore was he the first of the apostles,
as Reuben was the first of the sons of Jacob.

AE 435 [1-2, 5]

Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand sealed,
(Revelation 7:5)

means the good of life therefrom.
. . . There is the good of life from a celestial origin,
from a spiritual origin, and from a natural origin.
The good of life from a celestial origin
is the good of life that comes from
the good of love to the Lord
through truths from that good;
the good of life is an effect of these.
Such good of life is what is here meant by
"the tribe of Gad;"
therefore it is called "the good of life therefrom,"
namely, from the good of love to the Lord,
which is meant by "the tribe of Judah,"
through truths from that good,
which are meant by "the tribe of Reuben."
The good of life from a spiritual origin
is the good of life that comes from
good of charity towards the neighbor
through truths from that good;
this good of life is meant by "Manasseh."

For the twelve tribes of Israel
are here divided into four classes,
and there are three tribes in each class,
and the three in series mean such things
as from beginning to end, or from first to last,
fully constitute that universal essential of the church
that is signified by the first tribe.
The three tribes first named,
that is, the tribes of Judah, Reuben, and Gad,
signify those things that fully constitute celestial good;
but the three following tribes, namely,
the tribes of Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh,
mean those that fully constitute spiritual good.
So it is with the tribes that follow.

Because the good of life is the good of the natural person,
therefore an inheritance was given to the tribe of Gad
beyond Jordan, together with the tribe of Reuben
and the half tribe of Manasseh;
for the land that was beyond Jordan
signified the external church.

AE 436

From this it can now be seen what
the three tribes first named, "Judah, Reuben, and Gad,"
mean in particular,
as also what they mean in the complex;
for the names of persons and places in the Word
mean things,
not only each by itself
meaning its own thing,
but in the complex they signify the thing in series.
The thing in series that is meant
by these three names, "Judah, Reuben, and Gad,"
is that all who are in love to the Lord,
and from that in truths,
and through truths in the good of life,
are in the inmost or third heaven;
for such have the three degrees of life opened;
the inmost degree is where love to the Lord has its seat,
the middle degree is where
truths from that good have their seat,
and the ultimate degree
is where the good of life has its seat.

~ Towns for the Levites ~

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho,
the Lord said to Moses,
"Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in
from the inheritance the Israelites will possess.
And give them pasturelands around the towns.
Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands
for their cattle, flocks and all their livestock.

"The pasturelands around the towns
that you give the Levites
will extend out a thousand cubits from the town wall.
Outside the town,
measure two thousand cubits on the east side,
two thousand on the south,
two thousand on the west,
and two thousand on the north,
with the town in the center.
They will have this area as pastureland for the towns.

(Numbers 35:1-5)

AE 432 - Judah, Reuben, Gad; AE 433 - Isaiah 65:9

AE 432 [1]

Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand sealed.
(Revelation 7:5)

"Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed,"
means love to the Lord,
and that all who are in that love are in heaven,
and come into heaven;
"of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand sealed,"
means the light of truth from that good,
and that all who are in that light
are in heaven and come into heaven;
"of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand sealed,"
means the consequent good of life.

AE 433 [21]

And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob,
and out of Judah an Inheritor of My mountains;
that My chosen may possess it,
and My servants dwell there.
(Isaiah 65:9)

Here "Jacob" and "Judah" do not mean
a people from Jacob and a nation from Judah,
but a church to be established by the Lord;
"Jacob" means the church that is in the good of life,
and "Judah" the church
that is the good of love to the Lord;
thus "Jacob" an external church,
and "Judah" an internal church.
"Seed" means charity and faith,
and "mountains" the goods of love.
Those who are in charity are called "chosen,"
and those who are in truths from the good of love
are called "servants,"
therefore it is said
"that My chosen may possess it,
and My servants dwell there."

~ On the Plains of Moab ~

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho
the Lord said to Moses,
"Speak to the Israelites and say to them:
'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,
drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you.
Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols,
and demolish all their high places.
Take possession of the Land and settle in it,
for I have given you the land to possess.
Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans.
To a larger group give a larger inheritance,
and to a smaller group a smaller one.
Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs.
Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.

"'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land,
those you allow to remain
will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in our sides.
they will give you trouble in the land where you will live.
And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.'"

(Numbers 33:50-56)
 

AE 430 - What Some Things Mean (Signify); AE 431 - The Sequence of the Twelve Tribes

AE 430 [2, 3, 4, 5]

There are simple numbers
that are more meaningful than others,
and from which the greater numbers derive their meaning,
namely, the numbers two, three, five, and seven;
"two" means union, and is predicated of good;
"three" means fullness, and is predicated of truths;
"five" means much and something;
and "seven" means holiness.
. . . As the number "three" means fullness,
and fullness implies all,
the number twelve derives from this its meaning
of all things and all persons;
and it is predicated of truths from good
because it arises out of three multiplied into four,
and three is predicated of truths,
and four of good.

. . . all who are in the heavens differ from each other
in respect to good, and so also in respect to truth,
since every truth that has life in man or angel
is from good and in accordance with good.
Furthermore, all who are of the Lord's church
are in truths from good,
while those who are in truths and not in good
are not of the church;
for, as was just said,
every truth that has life in man or angel is from good.

. . . "man" means the reception of truth
from spiritual affection,
that is, from good,
and intelligence therefrom;
"angel" having a similar meaning,
since a man is an angel when he is in truths from good,
and also becomes an angel after death.

And the chief and primary constituent of the church
is truth from good, for everything of the church is from that,
for truth is of its doctrine,
and good is of a life according to doctrine.

AE 431 [14]

The representation of heaven and the church
is determined according to the order
in which the tribes are named,
and the first name or the first tribe is the guide
that determines all things that follow,
and accordingly all things of heaven and of the church,
with variations.
This arcanum (secret) can hardly be comprehended
by anyone unless he is in spiritual thought,
nevertheless it shall be briefly explained.
If, for example, the tribe of Judah
is the first tribe that is named,
as this tribe means the good of love,
then from the good of love as the beginning,
the meanings of the other tribes that follow
are determined,
and this with variations according to the order
in which they are named;
for each tribe means some universal of the church,
and the universal admits into itself specific variations,
thus some specific variation
derived from the first from which it descends;
so in this case,
all things in the series derive their specific spiritual sense
from the good of love,
which is meant by the tribe of Judah.
So if the tribe of Reuben,
which means truth in the light and the understanding of truth,
is named first,
from this the other tribes that follow derive their meanings,
agreeing and coinciding
with the universal which each means.
It is comparatively as with colors,
that are seen tinged by the primary color
which diffuses itself into the other colors
and varies their appearance.

~ The Tribes of Reuben and Gad and the Half Tribe of Manasseh ~

The Reubenites and Gadites,
who had very large herds and flocks,
saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead
were suitable for livestock.
So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest
and to the leaders of the community, and said,
. . . "the land the Lord subdued
before the people of Israel --
is suitable for livestock,
and your servants have livestock.
If we have found favor in your eyes," they said,
"Let this land be given to your servants as our possession.
Do not make us cross the Jordan."

. . . Then they came up to him (Moses) and said,
"We would like to build pens here for our livestock
and cities for our women and children.
But we are ready to arm ourselves
and go ahead of the Israelites
until we have brought them to their place.
meanwhile our women and children
will live in fortified cities,
for protection from the inhabitants of the land.
We will not return to our homes
until every Israelite has received his inheritance.
We will not receive any inheritance with them
on the other side of the Jordan,
because our inheritance has come to us
on the east side of the Jordan."

Then Moses said to them,
"If you will do this --
if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle,
and if all of you will go armed
over the Jordan before the Lord
until He has driven His enemies out before Him --
when the land is subdued before the Lord,
you may return and be free
from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel.
And this land will be you possession before the Lord.

. . . Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites
and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph
the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites
and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan --
the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.

(Numbers 32:1-2, 4-5, 16-22, 33)

~ Vows ~

Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel:
"This is what the Lord commands:
When a man makes a vow to the Lord
or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge,
he must not break his word
but must do everything he said."

(Numbers 30:1-2)

AE 427 - Sealed on Their Foreheads

AE 427 [1, 2]

Till we have sealed the servants of our God
on their foreheads,
(Revelation 7:3)

means that those who are in truths from good
are first to be separated.
. . . It is from correspondence that "forehead"
means the good of love . . ..
The whole face, where the organs of
sight, smell, hearing, and taste, are situated,
corresponds to the affections
and the thoughts therefrom in general,
the eyes corresponding to the understanding,
the nose to perception,
the ears to hearkening and obedience,
and the taste to the desire to know and be wise;
but the forehead corresponds to the good of love,
from which all these are,
for it forms the highest part of the face,
and directly encloses
the front and primary part of the brain,
which is the seat of man's intellect.
This is why the Lord looks upon angels in the forehead,
and the angels look to the Lord through the eyes;
this is so because the forehead corresponds to the love,
from which the Lord looks upon them,
and the eyes correspond to the understanding
from which they look to the Lord . . ..

"To be sealed" means not to be sealed,
but to be reduced to such a state
that their quality may be recognized,
and that they may thus be conjoined with those
who are in a like state
and separated from those who are in a dissimilar state.

~ Joshua to Succeed Moses ~

Then the Lord said to Moses,
"Go up this mountain in the Abarim range
and see the land I have given the Israelites.
After you have seen it,
you too will be gathered to your people,
as your brother Aaron was,
for when the community rebelled
at the waters in the Desert of Zin,
both of you disobeyed My command
to honor Me as holy before their eyes."
(These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh,
in the Desert of Zin.)

Moses said to the Lord,
"May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind,
appoint a man over this community
to go out and come in before them,
one who will lead them out and bring them in,
so the Lord's people
will not be like sheep without a shepherd."

So the Lord said to Moses,
"Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit,
and lay your hand on him.
Have him stand before Eleazar the priest
and the entire assembly
and commission him in their presence.
Give him some of your authority
so the whole Israelite community will obey him.
He is to stand before Eleazar the priest,
who will obtain decisions for him
by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord.
At his command
he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out,
and at his command they will come in."

Moses did as the Lord commanded him.
He took Joshua and had him stand
before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly.
Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him,
as the Lord instructed through Moses.

(Numbers 27:12-23)

AE 422 - What It Takes To Be In Good; AE 423 - "The Living God"

AE 422 [6]

. . . all who are in good are also in truths,
for good and truth everywhere act as one . . ..

AE 423

. . . the Lord is called "the living God" from the Divine love,
for love is a person's very life,
and the Divine love is the source of the life of all.

~ The Second Census ~

After the plague the Lord said
to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest,
"Take a census of the whole Israelite community
by families --
all those twenty years old or more
who are able to serve in the army of Israel."
So on the plains of Moab
by the Jordan across from Jericho,
Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said,
"Take a census of the men twenty years old or more,
as the Lord commanded Moses."

The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.

These are the ones counted by
Moses and Eleazar the priest
when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab
by the Jordan across from Jericho.
No one of them was among those
counted by Moses and Aaron the priest
when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai.
For the Lord had told those Israelites
they would surely die in the desert,
and not one of them was left
except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

(Numbers 26:1-4, 51, 63-65)

 

AE 419 - He Rebuked the Wind

AE 419 [24-26]  (signify = mean)

"There arose a great storm of wind,
and the waves beat into the boat,
so that it was now filling.
But Jesus was in the stern, slumbering on a pillow;
and they awoke Him, and said unto Him,
Do not You care not that we perish?
And He awoke, and rebuked the wind,
and said unto the sea, Be still, be dumb.
And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."
(Mark 4:37-39).

"As they sailed Jesus fell asleep;
and there came down a storm of wind on the lake,
and they were filling [with water], and were in danger;
and coming to Him they awoke Him, saying,
Master, Master, we perish.
And having awakened,
He rebuked the wind and the raging of the sea;
and they ceased, and there was a calm."
(Luke 8:23, 24)

This miracle of the Lord, like all the rest,
involves arcana (secrets) of heaven
and interior things of the church.
The difference between Divine miracles
and those not Divine
is that Divine miracles also signify Divine things,
because the Divine is in them,
while miracles not Divine signify nothing,
because there is nothing of the Divine within them;
and moreover,
in the description of the Divine miracles in the Word,
and in every particular of them,
there is a spiritual sense.
This miracle involves spiritual temptations;
"a great storm of wind,
so that the waves beat into the boat, and it was filling,"
signifies such temptations;
and that when they were in extreme fear,
"Jesus awoke, and rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, Be still, be dumb;
and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm,"
signifies deliverance from temptations.
Moreover, every single word here
contains a spiritual sense;
but this is not the place to unfold it particularly,
but only to note that the "storm" and "tempest of wind"
signify temptations, for these are irruptions* of falsities,
or inundations of the mind by falsities.
This, too, is plain
from the rebuke of the wind and the waves,
and from the words of the Lord to the sea,
"Be still, be dumb,"
as if He were speaking to those things or those persons
that induce temptations.

Furthermore, the winds that spring up in the spiritual world
appear to arise there from different quarters,
some from the south, some from the north,
and some from the east;
those from the south
disperse truths with such as are in falsities,
and those from the east
disperse goods with such as are in evils.
The winds disperse these because the winds spring from
a powerful and strong influx of the Divine
through the heavens into the parts below,
and where the influx enters
it fills truths and goods,
that is, it fills the minds and spirits of those
who are in truths and goods with the Divine;
therefore those, the interiors of whose mind and spirit
consist merely of falsities and evils,
while exteriorly truths are mixed with falsities
and goods are mixed with evils,
cannot endure such influx from the Divine,
consequently they withdraw
into their falsities and evils which they love,
and reject the truths and goods,
which they do not love
except for the sake of self and appearance.

This makes clear what effect there is produced
by the wind coming from the east,
which is called "the east wind,"
namely, that with the evil it disperses
all the goods and truths
which they presented in external form before the world,
and all the truths which they talked about
for the sake of appearances.
This is why withering and drying up
are ascribed to that wind,
"withered" signifying where there is no good,
and "dried up" where there is no truth,
as can be seen from passages in the Word
where that wind is mentioned.

*  irruptions -- sudden violent spontaneous occurrences
(usually of some undesirable condition)

~ Balak Is Angry With Balaam ~

Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam.
He struck his hands together and said to him,
"I summoned you to curse my enemies,
but you have blessed them these three times.
Now leave at once and go home!
I said I would reward you handsomely,
but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded."

Balaam answered Balak,
"Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,
'Even if Balak gave me his palace
filled with silver and gold,
I could not do anything of my own accord,
good or bad,
to go beyond the command of the Lord --
and I must say only what the Lord says'?"

(Numbers 24:10-13)