Joshua 22: The tribes of Reuben, Gad and half Manasseh return.

With the land of Canaan now settled by Israel, the time had come for the men of Reuben, Gad, and one half of Manasseh to return to the other side of the Jordan, where their wives, children, cattle and sheep were left. The men of these two and a half tribes had been ordered to fight alongside the other tribes of Israel, and only then to return home.

They left, and when they came to the banks of the River Jordan, they built a large altar to the Lord. When the rest of Israel caught word of this, they wanted to go to war with these tribes, because they felt the altar was a sacrilege - Israel had the tabernacle for its worship of the Lord. They sent Phineas the priest to ask why they had built the altar. These tribes across the Jordan replied that in the future, the people of Israel may move against them, and reject them. They said the altar would serve as a witness to their worship of the Lord, just as the Israelites in Canaan worshiped. This answer pleased the priest, and when he told the leaders of Israel, it pleased them too.

The spiritual meaning of this episode is a very important one for us. The tribes living on the other side of the River Jordan stand for the worldly activities of our outward life, which in themselves are a very important part of our spiritual life. These actions make up the external part of spiritual life, in which we are able to do good (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 9824[2]).

The tribes building an altar to God portrays our understanding that all the good we do, and all the use we provide, is possible because of the Lord. He is the giver of all good, which is why we must serve the Lord. Without use, spiritual thoughts and beliefs do not have a foundation (Arcana Caelestia 9473[3]).

Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh said that the people of Israel might cut them off in the future. In spiritual terms, this would be to separate spiritual life and external life in daily living. This would result in such things as hypocrisy, and faith without charity, both of which are a threat to our spiritual well-being (see Swedenborg’s work, Doctrine of Life 4).

The altar, which was built on Canaan’s side of the Jordan before these tribes crossed over, was to stand as a witness to the union between the tribes within Canaan and the tribes across the Jordan, as one nation before the Lord (Arcana Caelestia 9714).

This unity means that we must be equally present in three areas of life: in the depths of our heart, in our worship and adoration of the Lord; in our mind, in our understanding and delight in the Lord’s Word with all its truth; and in our outward actions, where our acknowledgement of the Lord as our God leads us to be sincere, just, moral, fair, compassionate and dedicated to the service of God.

The answer from the three tribes pleased the priest and, in turn, the leaders of Israel. This reception represents our affirmation that ‘being spiritual’ does not take the place of helping others, but really demands that we serve the Lord in our daily actions (see Swedenborg’s work, Apocalypse Explained 325[4]).

9473. 'Oil for the light' means internal good present within mutual love and charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'oil' as the good of love, dealt with in 886, 4582, 4638; and from the meaning of 'the light' as mutual love and charity. 'The light' is mutual love by virtue of the flame by which that love is meant, and it is charity by virtue of the heat and light from the flame. For spiritual heat is the good of charity, and spiritual light is the truth of faith.

[2] A brief statement must be made here about what internal good present within mutual love and within charity is. Nothing comes into being by itself, only from what is prior to itself, as is indeed so with truth and good. Anything from which something else comes into being is the internal; and the something else brought into being is the external of this internal. The situation with all things that come into being is without exception like that of cause and effect, in that no effect can be brought into being without an efficient cause; for the efficient cause is the internal of the effect, while the effect is the external of that cause. The situation with them is also like that of endeavour and motion, in that no motion can be brought into being without the endeavour; the motion depends so much on the endeavour that the instant the endeavour ceases to exist the motion ceases to exist. Consequently the internal of the motion is the endeavour or moving force. The situation is very similar to that of endeavour in the mind, which is the will, and motion in the body, which is action, in that no action can come into being without the will; the action depends so much on the will that the instant the will ceases to function the action ceases. Consequently the internal of the action is the will. From all this it is evident that in all things without exception there must be an internal if they are to come into being and then remain in being, and that without the internal they are not anything.

[3] The situation is the same as this with the good of love; unless it has internal good within it, it is not good. The internal good within the good of faith is the good of charity, which is spiritual good, whereas the internal good within the good of charity is the good of mutual love, which is external celestial good. But the internal good within the good of mutual love is the good of love to the Lord, which is also the good of innocence. This good is internal celestial good. The internal good however within the good of love to the Lord, that is, within the good of innocence, is the actual good that is Divine, emanating from the Lord's Divine Human, and so is the Lord Himself. This good must be present within all other good if it is to be good; therefore no kind of good can exist unless its internal springs from the good that is Divine. Unless its internal springs from this it is not good but evil; for then it originates in the person himself, and that which emanates from the person is evil. This is so because in all the good he does the person has himself and also the world in view, and so not the Lord, nor heaven. If the Lord and heaven do enter into his thinking, they are for him only means that serve him in the attainment of personal position and gain. Those good deeds of his therefore are like white-washed sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful but inwardly are full of dead people's bones and of all uncleanness, Matthew 23:27, 29.