Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 3:9-12
[2] It is false memory-knowledge which chiefly infests those of the spiritual church; because they have no perception of truth from good, but only the memory-knowledge of truth from doctrine; they who are such are very much infested by memory-knowledges For memory-knowledges are the most general vessels, which sometimes appear contrary to truths, until truths being let into them make them transparent, and thus not to be noticed. Moreover memory-knowledges are full of the fallacies of the senses, which cannot be dispelled by those who are in mere knowledges from doctrine, and not in the perception of truth from good; mainly because the light of the world predominates with them, which light appears clear so long as the light of heaven does not flow into it, but as soon as the light of heaven flows in, instead of light it becomes obscurity. Hence it is that these persons are enlightened and clever in the things of the world, but obscured and dull in the things of heaven.
[3] These believe themselves enlightened when they have confirmed in themselves the doctrinal things of the church, but it is a sensuous light from the light of the world which then deceives them; for doctrinal things of every kind can be confirmed, as Jewish doctrinal things by the Jews, enthusiastic ones by enthusiasts, Socinian ones by the Socinians, and heresies by heretics of every sort; and when they have been confirmed, they appear to their in the sensuous light as very truths. But they who are in the light of heaven are in enlightenment from the Lord; and before confirmations, by looking into the memory-knowledges which are beneath and are there arranged in order, they discern whether it is a truth that may be confirmed or not. Hence it is evident that these latter have an interior view, which is above the memory-knowledges, and thus is distinct; whereas the former have a lower view, which is within the memory-knowledges, and thus is an entangled one (n. 2831).
. And Moses said unto God. That this signifies perception from the Divine and humiliation, is evident from the signification of "saying," as being perception; and from the representation of Moses, as being the Lord as to the law Divine (n. 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827). The Divine is signified by "God." That these words also involve humiliation is plain from what follows, for Moses says, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring forth the sons of Israel?" As by Moses is represented the Lord, and mention is here made of humiliation, something must be said about the state of the Lord‘s humiliation when He was in the world. So far as the Lord was in the human not yet made Divine, so far He was in humiliation; but so far as He was in the Human made Divine, so far He could not be in humiliation, for so far He was God and Jehovah. The reason why He was in humiliation when in the human not yet made Divine, was that the human which He took from the mother was by heredity evil, and this could not come near to the Divine without humiliation; for in genuine humiliation a man divests himself of all ability to think and do anything from himself, and wholly leaves himself to the Divine, and thus draws near to the Divine. The Divine was indeed in the Lord, because He was conceived of Jehovah, but this appeared remote in so far as His human was in the heredity from the mother; for in spiritual and heavenly things it is unlikeness of state that causes removal and absence, and it is likeness of state that causes approach and presence; and it is love that makes likeness and unlikeness. All this shows whence came the state of humiliation with the Lord when He was in the world; but afterward, when He put off all the human which He took from the mother, insomuch that He was no longer her son, and put on the Divine, then the state of humiliation ceased, for then He was one with Jehovah. . Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh? That this signifies not being yet in such a state as to seem to himself to be able to go and remove the infesting falsities, is evident from the signification of "Who am I?" as being that he was not yet in such a state; and from the signification of "going to Pharaoh," as being to go to the infesting falsities, for by "Pharaoh" is signified falsity which infests (n. 6651, 6679, 6683). That it also denotes to remove, is because the holy proceeding from the Lord’s Human (n. 6864) removes falsities and evils, because these are quite unable to endure its presence. As these things were said from humiliation, it is said that he did not yet seem to himself able to do this. . And that I should bring forth the sons of Israel. That this signifies and thus to liberate those of the spiritual church, is evident from the signification of "bringing forth," as being to liberate (n. 6865); and from the representation of the sons of Israel, as being those of the spiritual church (n. 6637, 6862, 6865). . And He said, Because I will be with thee. That this signifies that the Divine will be in the Human, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Lord as to the law Divine (n. 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827), thus as to the Human, for as shown above, the Lord made His Human the law Divine, that is, Divine truth, when He was in the world; and from the signification of "I will be with thee," as being the Divine, for it is Jehovah who speaks. . And this shall be the sign to thee that I have sent thee. That this signifies the knowledge that the Divine proceeded from Himself, is evident from the signification of a "sign," as being the confirmation of truth, and hence the knowledge that it is so; and from the signification of "being sent," as being to proceed (n. 2379, 4710, 6831); thus "to be sent of God" denotes to proceed from the Divine; and it also denotes that the Divine proceeds from Himself, for he who proceeds from the Divine, receives the Divine and advances it further. . When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt. That this signifies when the spiritual have been liberated from infestation by falsities, is evident from the signification of "bringing forth," as being to liberate (n. 6865, 6868); from the signification of the "sons of Israel," who in this case are "the people," as being the spiritual, that is, those of the spiritual church (n. 6637, 6862, 6865); and from the signification of "Egypt," as being false memory-knowledge infesting (n. 6692). . Ye shall worship God upon this mountain. That this signifies then perception and acknowledgment of the Divine from love, is evident from the signification of "worshiping God," as being adoration of the Divine, but when said of the Lord, it denotes the perception and acknowledgment of the Divine in the Human; and from the signification of "mountain," as being the good of the Divine love (n. 795, 796, 2722, 4210, 6435, 6829). Hence it is evident that by "worshiping God upon this mountain," when said of the Lord, is signified the perception and acknowledgment of the Divine from love.[2] What the perception and acknowledgment of the Divine from love are, must be told. Every man‘s quality is known from his love; for love is the being of the life of everyone, from it springing the veriest life itself; such therefore as the love is with a man, such is the man. If there is the love of self and of the world, consequently the love of revenge, of hatred, of cruelty, of adultery, and the like, the man is a devil as to his spirit, or as to the interior man which lives after death, however he may appear in the outward form. But if there is with a man the love of God and the love of the neighbor, and consequently the love of good and truth, also of what is just and honorable, then however he may appear in the outward form, he is an angel as to his spirit which lives after death. But He with whom there is Divine love, which was with the Lord alone, is God; thus His Human was made Divine when He received in the Human the love of His Father, which was the being of His life. From all this it can be seen what is meant by the perception and acknowledgment of the Divine from love.
[3] That man is altogether as is his love, is a constant truth, as is plain from the angels in the other life, who when seen appear as forms of love, the love itself not only shining forth, but also exhaling from them, so that you would say that they are wholly nothing but loves. The reason is, that all the interiors of an angel, as also of a man, are nothing but forms recipient of life, and because they are forms recipient of life, they are forms recipient of loves, for loves make the life of man. When therefore the inflowing love and the recipient form are in agreement, it follows that the angel or man is such a. his love is; and this not only in his organic beginnings, which are in the brain, but also in the whole body, for the body is nothing but an organ derived from its beginnings.
[4] From all this it can be seen that man is made altogether new when he is being regenerated, for then each and all things with him are so disposed as to receive heavenly loves. Nevertheless with man the prior forms are not destroyed, but only removed; but with the Lord the prior forms, which were from the maternal, were completely destroyed and extirpated, and Divine forms were received in their place. For the Divine love does not agree with any but a Divine form; all other forms it absolutely casts out; hence it is that the Lord when glorified was no longer the son of Mary.
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| Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). | Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. | www.BibleMeanings.info |