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Mga Hukom 6 : Gideon: You Mighty Man of Valour

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1 At ginawa ng mga anak ni Israel yaong masama sa paningin ng Panginoon: at ibinigay sila ng Panginoon sa kamay ng Madian na pitong taon.

2 At ang kamay ng Madian ay nanaig laban sa Israel: at dahil sa Madian ay gumawa ang mga anak ni Israel ng mga kutang nangasa bundok, at ng mga yungib, at ng mga dakong matibay.

3 At ganito ang nangyari, noong ang Israel ay nakapaghasik, na nagsiahon ang mga Madianita, at ang mga Amalecita, at ang mga anak sa silanganan; sila'y nagsiahon laban sa kanila;

4 At sila'y humantong laban sa kanila, at kanilang sinira ang bunga ng lupa, hanggang sa sila'y dumating sa Gaza, at wala silang iniwang anoman sa Israel, maging tupa, o baka man, o asno man.

5 Sapagka't sila'y nagsiahong dala nila ang kanilang kawan at ang kanilang mga tolda; at sila'y nagsipasok na parang balang sa karamihan; sila at ang kanilang mga kamelyo ay walang bilang: at kanilang pinasok ang lupain upang gibain.

6 At ang Israel ay huminang totoo dahil sa Madian; at ang mga anak ni Israel ay dumaing sa Panginoon.

7 At nangyari, nang dumaing sa Panginoon ang mga anak ni Israel, dahil sa Madian.

8 Ay nagsugo ang Panginoon ng isang propeta sa mga anak ni Israel: at kaniyang sinabi sa kanila, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoon ng Dios ng Israel, Kayo'y aking iniahon mula sa Egipto, at inilabas ko kayo sa bahay ng pagkaalipin;

9 At pinapaging laya ko kayo sa kamay ng mga taga Egipto, at sa kamay ng mga pumipighati sa inyo, at aking pinalayas sila sa harap ninyo, at ibinigay ko sa inyo ang kanilang lupain;

10 At aking sinabi sa inyo, Ako ang Panginoon ninyong Dios; kayo'y huwag matatakot sa mga dios ng mga Amorrheo, na siyang lupaing inyong tinatahanan: nguni't hindi ninyo dininig ang aking tinig.

11 At ang anghel ng Panginoon ay naparoon at umupo sa ilalim ng encina na nasa Ophra, na kay Joas na Abiezerita: at ang kaniyang anak na si Gedeon ay pumapalo ng trigo sa ubasan, upang itago sa mga Madianita.

12 At napakita ang anghel ng Panginoon sa kaniya, at sinabi sa kaniya, Ang Panginoo'y sumasaiyo, ikaw lalaking makapangyarihang may tapang.

13 At sinabi ni Gedeon sa kaniya, Oh Panginoon ko, kung ang Panginoon ay sumasaamin, bakit nga ang lahat ng ito ay sumapit sa amin? at saan naroon ang lahat niyang kababalaghang gawa na isinaysay sa amin ng aming mga magulang, na sinasabi, Hindi ba tayo iniahon ng Panginoon mula sa Egipto? nguni't ngayo'y hiniwalayan kami ng Panginoon at ibinigay kami sa kamay ng Madian.

14 At tiningnan siya ng Panginoon, at sinabi, Yumaon ka sa kalakasan mong ito, at iligtas mo ang Israel sa kamay ng Madian: hindi ba kita sinugo?

15 At sinabi niya sa kaniya, Oh Panginoon, paanong ililigtas ko ang Israel? narito, ang aking angkan ay siyang pinakadukha sa Manases, at ako ang pinakamaliit sa bahay sangbahayan ng aking ama.

16 At sinabi ng Panginoon sa kaniya, Walang pagsalang ako'y sasaiyo; at iyong sasaktan ang mga Madianita na parang isang lalake.

17 At sinabi niya sa kaniya, Kung ngayo'y nakasumpong ako ng biyaya sa iyong paningin, ay bigyan mo nga ako ng isang tanda, na ikaw ang nakikipagusap sa akin.

18 Isinasamo ko sa iyo na huwag kang umalis dito, hanggang sa ako'y parito sa iyo, at ilabas ko ang aking handog, at ilapag ko sa harap mo. At kaniyang sinabi, Ako'y maghihintay hanggang sa ikaw ay bumalik.

19 At si Gedeon ay pumasok, at naglutong madali ng isang anak ng kambing, at ng isang efa ng harina, ng mga munting tinapay na walang lebadura: inilagay ang karne sa isang buslo, at kaniyang inilagay ang sabaw sa isang palyok, at inilabas sa kaniya sa ilalim ng encina, at inihain.

20 At sinabi ng anghel ng Dios sa kaniya, Kunin mo ang karne at ang mga munting tinapay na walang lebadura at ipatong mo sa batong ito at ibuhos mo ang sabaw. At kaniyang ginawang gayon.

21 Nang magkagayo'y iniunat ng anghel ng Panginoon ang dulo ng tungkod, na nasa kaniyang kamay, at sinalang ang karne at ang mga munting tinapay na walang lebadura; at napailanglang ang apoy sa bato, at pinugnaw ang karne at ang mga munting tinapay na walang lebadura; at ang anghel ng Panginoon ay nawala sa kaniyang paningin.

22 At nakita ni Gedeon na siya ang anghel ng Panginoon; at sinabi ni Gedeon, Aba, Oh Panginoon Dios! sapagka't aking nakita ang anghel ng Panginoon na mukhaan.

23 At sinabi ng Panginoon sa kaniya, Kapayapaan ang sumaiyo; huwag kang matakot: hindi ka mamamatay.

24 Nang magkagayo'y nagtayo roon si Gedeon ng isang dambana sa Panginoon, at tinawag na Jehova-salom: hanggang sa araw na ito ay nasa sa Ophra pa ng mga Abiezerita.

25 At nangyari nang gabi ring yaon, na sinabi ng Panginoon sa kaniya, Kunin mo ang toro ng iyong ama, ang ikalawang toro na may pitong taong katandaan, at iwasak mo ang dambana ni Baal na tinatangkilik ng iyong ama, at putulin mo ang Asera na nasa siping niyaon.

26 At ipagtayo mo, sa isang paraang maayos ng isang dambana ang Panginoon mong Dios sa taluktok nitong matibay na dako; at kunin mo ang ikalawang toro, at maghandog ka ng isang handog na susunugin sangpu ng kahoy ng Asera na iyong puputulin.

27 Nang magkagayo'y kumuha si Gedeon ng sangpung lalake sa kaniyang mga bataan, at ginawa ang ayon sa sinalita ng Panginoon sa kaniya: at nangyari, na sapagka't siya'y natakot sa sangbahayan ng kaniyang ama at sa mga lalake sa bayan, kaya't hindi niya nagawa sa araw ay kaniyang ginawa sa gabi.

28 At nang bumangong maaga ang mga lalake sa bayan ng kinaumagahan narito, ang dambana ni Baal ay wasak, at ang Asera na nasa siping niyaon ay putol, at ang ikalawang toro ay inihandog sa dambana na itinayo.

29 At sila'y nangagsalitaan, Sino ang gumawa ng bagay na ito? At nang kanilang usisain at itanong ay kanilang sinabi, Ginawa ni Gedeon na anak ni Joas ang bagay na ito.

30 Nang magkagayo'y sinabi kay Joas ng mga lalake sa bayan, Ilabas mo ang iyong anak upang siya'y mamatay: sapagka't kaniyang iniwasak ang dambana ni Baal, at sapagka't kaniyang pinutol ang Asera na nasa siping niyaon.

31 At sinabi ni Joas sa lahat na nakatayong laban sa kaniya, Ipagsasanggalang ba ninyo si Baal? o ililigtas ba ninyo siya? yaong magsasanggalang sa kaniya ay papatayin samantalang umaga pa; kung siya'y dios ay magsanggalang siya sa kaniyang sarili, sapagka't may nagwasak ng kaniyang dambana.

32 Kaya't nang araw na yaon ay tinawag siyang Jerobaal, na sinasabi, Magsanggalang si Baal laban sa kaniya, sapagka't iniwasak niya ang kaniyang dambana.

33 Nang magkagayo'y lahat ng mga Madianita, at mga Amalecita at mga anak sa silanganan ay nagpulong; at sila'y nagtuloy at humantong sa libis ng Jezreel.

34 Nguni't ang Espiritu ng Panginoon ay suma kay Gedeon; at humihip siya ng isang pakakak; at ang mga Abiezerita ay nangagkapisan sa kaniya.

35 At nagsugo ng mga sugo sa buong Manases; at sila man ay nangakipisan sa kaniya: at siya'y nagsugo ng mga sugo sa Aser, at sa Zabulon, at sa Nephtali, at sila'y umahong sumalubong sa kanila.

36 At sinabi ni Gedeon sa Dios, Kung iyong ililigtas ang Israel sa pamamagitan ng aking kamay, gaya ng iyong sinalita.

37 Narito, aking ilalagay ang isang balat na lana sa giikan; kung dumoon lamang sa balat ang hamog, at maging tuyo ang buong lupa, ay malalaman ko nga na iyong ililigtas ang Israel sa pamamagitan ng aking kamay, gaya ng iyong sinalita.

38 At nagkagayon: sapagka't siya'y bumangong maaga ng kinaumagahan, at hinigpit ang buong balat, at piniga ang hamog sa balat, na isang tasang malaki ng tubig.

39 At sinabi ni Gedeon sa Dios, Huwag magalab ang iyong galit laban sa akin, at magsasalita na lamang ako ng minsan pa: isinasamo ko sa iyo na ipasubok mo pa sa aking minsan sa pamamagitan ng balat: tuyuin mo ngayon ang balat lamang, at sa buong lupa ay magkaroon ng hamog.

40 At ginawang gayon ng Dios nang gabing yaon: sapagka't natuyo ang balat lamang, at nagkaroon ng hamog sa buong lupa.

Commentary

 

Gideon: Weakness and Strength, Part 1 of 3 - You Mighty Man of Valour

By Malcolm Smith
"Weltchronik Fulda Aa88 174r detail" by Anonymous (Meister 3) - Hochschul- und Landesbibliothek Fulda.

"You Mighty Man of Valour"

This is part 1 of a 3-part series of sermons that follow the story of Gideon, one of the judges of Israel.

To understand the story of Gideon, it’s important to have some context. The book of Judges describes the period in Israel’s history after the children of Israel had been led out of slavery under the leadership of Moses, and had settled the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. For the next several centuries after Joshua’s death, the twelve tribes of Israel were led by judges whom the Lord appointed, who would liberate Israel from their enemies, settle disputes, and ensure that justice was done - but who did not rule over the people as kings.

If the children of Israel had kept Jehovah’s law, this would have been a period of peace and stability. But they did not consistently obey the Lord; instead, a pattern emerged, a cycle that repeated itself over and over again. First, the people would disobey God. As a result, they would be defeated by an enemy. They would cry out for help, and the Lord would raise a judge to save them. After learning their lesson, for a time, they would obey; but after the judge’s death, inevitably they would backslide, and the cycle would start again.

It is after this had already occurred several times that the story of Gideon begins, as recounted in the sixth chapter of the book of Judges. The chapter begins as so many in the book of Judges do:

“Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah” (Judges 6:1). The consequence of their evil, as always, was that they were conquered by an enemy; in this case, by the people of Midian, who would come down in raiding parties every time the children of Israel grew crops or bred livestock and take everything, leaving the Israelites hungry and poor. As a result, the children of Israel lived in a constant state of fear, hiding themselves in dens and caves of the mountains. When we first hear of Gideon, we find him threshing wheat in a winepress, trying to hide what little he has from the Midianites.

Let’s pause here and take a step back and ask a big question: what does all of this have to do with life here and now? In the New Church, we are taught that every part of the Lord’s Word describes an eternal spiritual reality. Everything in this story of Gideon represents something in our own spiritual lives.

According to the teachings of the New Church, the specific enemies that defeated Israel reflected the specific evils they had fallen into; so if we understand what Midian represents, we can understand what kind of spiritual state this story is all about. According to the book, Secrets of Heaven, the Midianites represented “truth which was not truth, because there was no good of life [attached to it]” (Secrets of Heaven 5955) - that is, a knowledge of truth divorced from any application to life. In particular, the Midianites are said represent a state where “the delight of pleasures,” rather than goodness of life, is regarded as the goal (Secrets of Heaven 7602). We're attacked and defeated by the Midianites, then, when we might know the truth, but we don’t particularly care about learning or applying it because we’re more concerned about just doing what feels good.

There’s an exercise you can do that may help you identify the Midianites in yourself. Listen to this statement, and pay attention to your response to it. Here’s the statement:

“I will set aside a significant amount of time every day to read the Lord’s Word and seriously reflect on how I can practically live by what it teaches me.”

Now, pay attention, and see if there is a part of yourself where your reaction to that statement is, “Ugh,” where that feels tedious and boring. That’s Midian.

Maybe for some of you, that response isn’t there at all. Maybe for others, you recognise it as being there, but also recognise part of yourself where you long for that time set aside. And maybe for some of you your reaction is, “What do you mean, the part of myself where my reaction is ‘ugh.’ That’s all of me!” If that’s you - you may have a Midianite problem.

And here’s the problem with the Midianites, which most of us have probably experienced. When we’re living exclusively for the sake of worldly things - food, pleasure, fun, entertainment, video games, TV, recreation, socialising, parties, etc. - even though we enjoy ourselves, after a while we realise there’s part of us that wishes there were something more, that even feels like it’s starving. Life starts to feel meaningless and flat. Those Midianites - that living for the sake of pleasure - are plundering the part of you that yearns for a life of depth and meaning.

But there is hope, because there is something in us that is represented by Gideon, too. As the story begins, Gideon is doing what he can with the little bit he has, threshing wheat in the winepress. That’s a picture of the part of us, that even when we’ve become obsessed with worldly things, is still trying to do a little bit to live by God’s Word. There’s power there - but it might not feel like it, and Gideon doesn’t know it yet.

While Gideon was there threshing wheat, suddenly the angel of Jehovah appeared to him. This angel was a manifestation of God Himself. And his first words to Gideon were shocking: “Jehovah is with you, you mighty man of valour!” Both parts of that statement were shocking: Gideon - hiding out in a winepress - certainly didn’t feel like a mighty man of valour. And it certainly didn’t feel like Jehovah was with him. If Jehovah was with him, why were things so bad? He said to the angel, “If Jehovah is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt?’

When we’re in states where we’ve gotten totally wrapped up in worldly things, we might have similar feelings. When we hear the Lord say in His Word, “I am with you always,” our response might be pretty similar to Gideon’s. Really? Because it sure doesn’t feel like it. In these states, it’s difficult to believe that there’s anything beyond the physical world, let alone the kind of powerful, loving, personal God that we’ve heard people talk about and maybe even have a dim memory of experiencing ourselves. If the Lord is with us, why does it feel like He is so completely absent as to be non-existent?

We might expect here a note of reassurance from the angel, some comforting explanation of why God feels absent. But that’s not what Gideon was given. Instead, Jehovah said something even more startling: “Go in this power of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” Not, “Don’t worry, I will save you.” No. “You, Gideon - you’re going to save Israel, because I’ve told you to. Go, do it.”

Gideon protests, as we all probably would: “Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my thousand are the poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” As we might say, “Really Lord? I’m nobody! I think you’ve got the wrong guy.” There’s truth in Gideon’s confession, and it’s important. Any of us who have tried and failed to make a change in our lives know how weak we are of ourselves. Acknowledging that weakness is the first step toward asking for the Lord’s power in place of our own. And as Jehovah reveals, it is because of His power that Gideon will be able to succeed; he said to Gideon, “Surely I will be with you.”

But even having said this, He continued to focus on Gideon’s part; he said, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.” It’s still Gideon doing it. And this “you” here in Hebrew is singular - not “you, the Israelites” shall defeat the Midianites. No, “you, Gideon.” You personally. Because of My presence with you, yes - but you’re still the one who is going to do it.

Gideon cannot believe it, and he challenges the angel to prove he is who he says he is. And we’ll see several more times that Gideon is faltering and uncertain, in constant need of reassurance that he can do this. And it seems that maybe his responses, although they contain a healthy humility, also contain an unhealthy element of fear and avoidance. In some ways, it seems like Gideon’s doing everything he can to get out of the job he’s been called to do. He’d asked where the God was who’d performed miracles in Egypt, and quite possibly he was expecting a miraculous, instantaneous salvation from the Midianites. Instead, it turns out that he himself is going to have to work hard for it. It might not be exactly the rescue he’d had in mind.

The same thing can be true for us in our path of regeneration or rebirth. It really is true that the Lord does everything for us, that all power comes from Him. But that’s not how we experience it, especially not at first. Even if intellectually we’ve been taught that everything good we do is from God, we’re not really going to get what that means until we’ve done a fair amount of fighting that feels like work we’re doing from our own power. Gideon wants a miracle, and he does get several of them, but only with his own participation - miracles that still require him to act.

The first miracle - the confirmation that he has been speaking with God - occurs when he brings food to his guest. He brings out a young goat as an offering, along with unleavened bread and broth. He puts them down on a rock. According to the teachings of the New Church, these things represent the ingredients we need to recognise that God really is present, even when He feels absent. That rock represents God’s Word, the truth. The young goat represents innocence, a willingness to simply do what God says. And the unleavened bread represents a desire for goodness.

So what does this all mean in the context of oppression by Midian? Well, think of those states of mind, where it seems like God is absent. The first thing we’re called to do is to make a humble, innocent decision - I’m going to start following God even if I don’t feel like He’s real. I’ll try to build my life on the rock - laying down that sacrifice before the Lord. And in making that decision, we might notice a shift in ourselves. This is something different from the life of pleasure that we’ve been living. Maybe there is a different kind of life, where we experience power beyond our own. That’s represented by the angel reaching out that staff. And maybe there is a deeper kind of love than the surface-level interactions we’ve been having. That love is represented by the fire from heaven consuming the offering.

Now here’s the thing - even though it was blindingly obvious in the story as it happened, it might not be so obvious to us that we really have caught a glimpse of God. We’ll think maybe we saw something, and maybe we didn’t. Even Gideon, who did see this miracle, asked again later for another confirmation. The state of mind represented by the Midianite oppression is murky and unclear - that’s why we see so many images of caves and darkness and night throughout the story. We're not going to be sure of ourselves until those Midianites are gone. Until then, we’re going to be wavering and in the dark.

But even in the dark, Gideon did go through with what he was called to do. The first thing he was called to do was to tear down the idols of his father’s household, effectively declaring war on the false god that had led to their enslavement by Midian. And this is the first step in taking up arms against the spiritual Midianites that beset us now - to make a commitment to shape our lives around what the Lord calls us to in His Word, to make a commitment to living for more than our own pleasure, to look at concrete steps we can take to bring our lives more into alignment with what the Lord wants us to do. It’s a commitment to do that daily work, to say, “I will set aside time every day to read the Lord’s Word and seriously reflect on how I can practically live by what it teaches me.” It is a commitment to reject behaviour that is forbidden in the Word. If we’ve never done this, it can be a scary thing, since we don’t really know what we’re doing. Do I have to become one of those religious people? Do I have to go to church every Sunday? Do I have to be serious all the time? And yet, despite the fact that we can’t see clearly, we know we have to do something.

Above all, here’s what we can’t do: we can’t sit idly by and hope for inspiration, to hope that a sudden bolt of divine intervention will shake us out of our pleasure-seeking sedation. That’s not the way it works: we have to do the hard work of compelling ourselves before we start to experience the presence of the Lord. It was only after Gideon - at night, confusedly, fumblingly, of his own power - knocked down his father’s idol that the spirit of God came over him. Self-compulsion doesn’t feel like it brings freedom, and it doesn’t feel like it brings the presence of God - but after we’ve done it, in hindsight, we recognise that this is exactly what it does. Listen to this passage from Secrets of Heaven:

They who have compelled themselves to resist what is evil and false - although at first they supposed that this was from themselves or from their own power, but were afterwards enlightened to see that their effort was from the Lord, even to the least of all the particulars of the effort - these in the other life cannot be led by evil spirits, but are among the happy. Thus we may see that a person ought to compel himself to do what is good and to speak what is true. (Secrets of Heaven 1937)

This dynamic is summed up in the Lord’s own words: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The abiding in the Word, the discipleship comes first; the sight of truth, the sense of freedom, only comes afterward.

This is only the beginning of the story, though. Gideon has a success. When we make that commitment to topple the false God of pleasure, to live for something more, we can feel a sense of accomplishment, a new clear-sightedness - we know who the enemy is, and we are ready to go into battle against it. Gideon blows the trumpet and rallies the tribes around him. And yet - things are still not entirely clear. Gideon still asks for another sign, which the Lord graciously grants, the sign of the fleece. Even after that initial sense of progress, we will start to feel unsure of ourselves again, and the Lord understands that - and He asks us to trust that if we keep following, He’ll keep giving us signs that He’s there. Making that commitment to a spiritually-focused life does not mean the battle is won; but it does mean that there is a battle, that we recognise two sides within us now, that there is more than Midian. We will strive against Baal, and Baal against us. We’ll do that by compelling ourselves away from evil and toward goodness.

But that is starting to get ahead of ourselves - that is the battle, the story for next week. For this week, if nothing else, take away this: you have great power when the Lord is with you, and the Lord is with you. Act from your power which He gives you. Don’t wait for Him to flow in and take over your life - start doing what He says, and give Him a good vessel to work with. Compel yourself to set aside time to focus on spiritual things. Commit yourself to entering that spiritual battlefield, to toppling the false gods you’ve set up. Know that you will stumble, and things will not always be clear. But know this: you are a mighty man or woman of valour, because the Lord is with you. Go now, in this your power, and overcome the enemy.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4735

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4735. 'Do not shed blood' means not to do violence to what is holy. This is clear from the meaning of 'blood' as that which is holy, dealt with below, and therefore 'shedding blood' means doing violence to it. Everything holy in heaven proceeds from the Lord's Divine Human, as consequently does everything holy in the Church. For this reason to prevent people from doing violence to that which is holy the Lord instituted the Holy Supper, in which it is explicitly declared that the bread there is His flesh and the wine His blood, thus that His Divine Human is the source of that which is holy in the Holy Supper. Among the Ancients 'flesh and blood' meant the human proprium, for that which is human consists of flesh and blood. This explains what the Lord said to Simon,

Blessed are you, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:17.

Therefore the flesh and blood meant in the Holy Supper by the bread and wine are the Lord's Human Proprium. The Lord's actual Proprium which He acquired to Himself by His own power is Divine. His Proprium was since His conception that which He had from Jehovah His Father and was Jehovah Himself, and therefore the Proprium which He acquired to Himself within the Human was Divine. It is this Divine Proprium within the Human that is called flesh and blood, 'flesh' being His Divine Good, 3813, 'blood' Divine Truth that goes with Divine Good.

[2] The Lord's Human, now that it has been glorified or made Divine, cannot be thought of as something merely human but as Divine Love within a human form. This is more true of Him than it is of angels, who - when they come to be seen, as I myself have seen them - are seen as forms of love and charity taking on a human appearance, the Lord enabling this to be so. For it was by Divine Love that the Lord made His Human Divine, even, as has been stated, as heavenly love serves to make someone an angel after death, so that he too is seen as a form of love and charity taking on a human appearance. From this it is evident that in the celestial sense the Lord's Divine Human means Divine Love itself, which is a love directed towards the whole human race whom He wishes to save, making them blessed and happy for ever, and to whom He wishes to impart, insofar as its members can accept it, what is His and is Divine, so that it becomes their own. This love, and man's reciprocated love to the Lord as well as his love towards the neighbour, are meant and represented in the Holy Supper, Divine celestial love by the flesh or bread in it and Divine spiritual love by the blood or wine.

[3] From all this one may now see what is meant by eating the Lord's flesh and drinking His blood in John,

I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live for ever. But the bread which I shall give is My flesh. Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drank His blood you will have no life in you. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. This is the bread which came down from heaven. John 6:50-58.

Because 'flesh' and 'blood' mean the Divine Celestial and the Divine Spiritual that proceed from the Lord's Divine Human, as has been stated, or what amounts to the same, mean Divine Good and Divine Truth that proceed from His Love, 'eating' and 'drinking' mean making these things one's own. They become one's own through the life of love and charity which is also the life of faith. For 'eating' means making good one's own, and 'drinking' making truth one's own, see 2187, 3069, 3168, 3513, 3596, 3734, 3832, 4017, 4018.

[4] Because 'blood' in the celestial sense means the Divine Spiritual or Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human, it therefore means that which is holy, for Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human is Holiness itself. There is no other Holiness, nor any other source of it.

[5] As regards 'blood' meaning that Holiness, this may be seen from many places in the Word, of which let the following be quoted here: In Ezekiel,

Son of man, thus said the Lord Jehovih, Say to every bird of the air, to every wild animal of the field, Assemble and come, gather yourselves from all around to My sacrifice which I am sacrificing for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, so that you may eat flesh and drink wine. You will eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth - rams, lambs, and he-goats, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I will sacrifice for you. You will be glutted at My table with horse and chariot, with the mighty, and with every man of war. Thus will I set My glory among the nations. Ezekiel 39:17-21.

This refers to the calling together of all people to the Lord's kingdom, and specifically to the establishment of the Church among gentiles. 'Eating flesh and drinking wine' means making Divine Good and Divine Truth one's own, and so making one's own the Holiness which proceeds from the Lord's Divine Human. Is there anyone who cannot see that here in the references to their eating the flesh of the mighty and drinking the blood of the princes of the earth, and their being glutted with horse, chariot, the mighty, and every man of war, 'flesh' is not used to mean flesh nor 'blood' to mean blood?

[6] Similarly in John,

I saw an angel standing in the sun, who called out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, Come, gather yourselves together to the supper of the Great God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and those seated on them, and the flesh of all, free men and slaves, small and great. Revelation 19:17-18.

Can anyone ever understand these things unless he knows what 'flesh' means in the internal sense, or what 'kings', 'captains', 'mighty men', 'horses', 'those seated on them', 'free men and slaves' mean?

[7] Also in Zechariah,

He will speak peace to the nations; His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River even to the ends of the earth As for you also, through the blood of your covenant I will let out your bound ones from the pit. Zechariah 9:10-11.

This refers to the Lord. 'The blood of the covenant' is Divine Truth proceeding from His Divine Human and is the Holiness itself which has gone out from Him since He was glorified. This Holiness is that which is also called the Holy Spirit, as is evident in John,

Jesus said, If anyone thirsts let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. This He said about the spirit which those believing in Him were to receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39.

As regards the holiness proceeding from the Lord being 'the spirit', see John 6:63.

[8] Further to 'blood' meaning the holiness proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human - in David,

From deceit and from violence He will redeem 1 their soul, and precious will their blood be in His eyes. Psalms 72:14.

'Precious blood' stands for the holiness which they are to receive. In John,

These are they who are coming out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:14.

And in the same author,

They have conquered the dragon by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony; and they did not love their soul even to death. Revelation 12:11.

[9] The Church at the present day knows no more than this, that 'the blood of the Lamb' here means the Lord's passion, for it believes that people are saved solely through the Lord's passion and that it was to endure this that He was sent into the world, a belief which may be enough for the simple who are incapable of grasping interior arcana. The Lord's passion was the last stage of His temptation, by which He fully glorified His Humanity, Luke 24:26; John 12:23, 27-28; 13:31-32; 17:1, 4-5. But 'the blood of the Lamb' here in Revelation is the same as the Divine Truth or that which is holy proceeding from His Divine Human, and so is the same as 'the blood of the covenant' referred to just above, and also in Moses,

[10] Moses took the book of the covenant, and read it in the ears of the people, who said, All that Jehovah has spoken we will do and hear. Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it over the people. and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which Jehovah has made with you, upon all these words. Exodus 24:7-8.

'The book of the covenant' was Divine Truth as it existed with them at that time, which Truth was corroborated by means of the blood that bore witness to the fact that such Truth proceeded from His Divine Human.

[11] In the ritual requirements of the Jewish Church 'blood' meant nothing other than the holiness proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human. When people were being consecrated blood was therefore used to effect this, as when Aaron was consecrated along with his sons. At that time the blood was sprinkled over the horns of the altar, the residue being poured out at the base of it. Some was also put on the tip of their right ear, on their right thumb and the big toe of their right foot, and on their vestments, Exodus 29:12, 16, 20-21; Leviticus 8:15, 19, 23, 30. And when Aaron went within the veil to the mercy-seat the blood had also to be sprinkled with his finger seven times over the east side of the mercy-seat, Leviticus 16:12-15. Likewise in all other consecrations, as well as expiations and cleansings, mentioned in Exodus 12:7, 13, 22; 30:10; Leviticus 1:5, 11, 15; 3:2 , 8, 13; 4:6-7, 17-18, 25, 30, 34; 5:9; 6:27-28; 14:14-19, 25-30; 16:12-15, 18-19; Deuteronomy 12:27.

[12] As 'blood' in the genuine sense means that which is holy, so in the contrary sense 'blood' and 'bloods' mean things which bring violence to it. This is because 'shedding innocent blood' means doing violence to that which is holy. For the same reason too infamous deeds in life and profane acts of worship are called 'blood'. The fact that such things are meant by 'blood' and 'bloods' is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

When the Lord will have washed the excrement of the daughters of Zion and washed away the blood of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgement and by a spirit of purging. Isaiah 4:4.

In the same prophet,

The waters of Dimon are full of blood. Isaiah 15:9.

In the same prophet,

Your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Their feet run to evil, and they hasten to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Isaiah 59:3, 7.

In Jeremiah,

Yes, in your skirts the blood of poor innocent souls is found. Jeremiah 2:34.

[13] In the same prophet,

For the sins of the prophets, the iniquities of the priests who shed in the midst of Jerusalem the blood of the righteous. They went astray blind in the streets, they are defiled with blood. Things which have no power they touch with their garments. Lamentations 4:13-14.

In Ezekiel,

I passed by you and saw you weltering in your blood, 2 and I said to you, Live in your blood; 2 I indeed said to you, Live in your blood'. I washed you with water and washed away your blood 2 from upon you, and anointed you with oil. Ezekiel 16:6, 9.

In the same prophet,

You, son of man, will you dispute with the city of blood? 2 Declare to her all her abominations. By your blood which you have shed you have become guilty, and by the idols which you have made you are defiled. Behold, the princes of Israel, each according to his power, 3 have been among you and have shed blood. Men of intrigue have been among you, [ready] to shed blood, and among you have eaten on the mountains. Ezekiel 22:2-4, 6, 9.

In Moses,

If anyone sacrifices anywhere else than on the altar at the tent of meeting it shall be [regarded as] blood, and as though he had shed blood. Leviticus 17:1-9.

[14] Truth that has been falsified and rendered profane is meant in the following references to 'blood': In Joel,

I will give portents in the heavens and on earth, blood and fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into thick darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes. Joel 2:30-31.

In John,

The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became like blood. Revelation 6:12.

In the same author,

The second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third part of the sea became blood. Revelation 8:8.

In the same author,

The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of one dead, from which every living soul died in the sea. The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and into the fountains of water, and blood was made. Revelation 16:3-4.

[15] A similar meaning occurs in the turning of the rivers, pools and ponds in Egypt into blood, Exodus 7:15-22, for 'Egypt' means knowledge which enters of its own accord into heavenly arcana and as a consequence perverts Divine truths, refuses to accept them, and renders them profane, 1164, 1165, 1186. Being Divine ones, all the miracles performed in Egypt embodied the same kind of meanings. 'The rivers' which were turned into blood means the truths that go with intelligence and wisdom, 108, 109, 3051, as likewise do 'waters', 680, 2702, 3058, and 'springs', 2702, 3096, 3424. 'Seas' means factual truths taken as a single whole, 28. 'The moon', which, it is also said, is to be turned into blood, means Divine Truth, 1529-1531, 2495, 4060. From this it is evident that the turning of the moon, sea, springs, waters, and rivers into blood means Truth that has been falsified and rendered profane.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin means bring back (imperative singular), but the Hebrew means He will redeem.

2. literally, bloods

3. literally, arm

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

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