False Gods: Mysteries of the 10 Commandments Explained
By Jonathan S. Rose, Curtis Childs
At face value, the Ten Commandments can seem intense and unforgiving. But Emanuel Swedenborg’s understanding of the internal sense of the Bible—spiritual meanings that lie beneath the literal words—can give us a new perspective on these familiar rules.
In this episode of their Swedenborg and Life web series, hosts Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose study the inner meaning of the first commandment.
(References: Apocalypse Revealed 950; Arcana Coelestia 8864, 8865, 8868, 8869, 8875, 8878, 8879, 8880, 8881)
Arcana Coelestia #2769
2769. 'And He said to him, Abraham' means the Lord's perception from Divine Truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' - in the historical parts of the Word - as perceiving, dealt with in 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, and from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord. This perception sprang from Divine Truth, as may be seen from the consideration that the name GOD is used, not JEHOVAH. For in the Word when truth is the subject the name God occurs, but when good is the subject the name Jehovah, see 2586. This explains why the name God is used in the present verse and in those that follow as far as verse 11, in that temptation is the subject in those verses, and why Jehovah is used in verse 11 and those that follow, in that deliverance is the subject in these verses. For it is from truth that all temptation and condemnation come about, but from good that all deliverance and salvation are effected. Truth condemns but good saves, see 1685, 2258, 2335.