10683. 'For in accordance with these words I make a covenant with you and with Israel' means being joined through these truths to those whose worship is outward and inward. This is clear from the meaning of 'in accordance with these words' as through these leading truths that were to be adhered to, dealt with above in 10682; from the meaning of 'making a covenant' as being joined together, dealt with in 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778; from the representation of 'Moses', with whom and with Israel, it is said, a covenant is being made, as the outward form taken by the Word, the Church, and worship, that has what is inward in it, dealt with in 10563, 10571, 10607, 10614; and from the meaning of 'Israel' as the inward aspect of the Church and worship, dealt with in 4286, 4292, 4570, 6426. This explains why the covenant is said to be made with Moses and with Israel. It does not say 'with the children of Israel' because in the present chapter and the previous chapter 'the children of Israel' is used to mean those who are interested in the outward aspect of the Church, worship, and the Word without the inward, see 10454-10457, 10461, 10498, 10549-10551, 10570, 10575, 10629.

[2] A brief statement must be made here of what the inward aspect of the Word, the Church, and worship is; what the outward aspect of these that has the inward within it is; and what the outward aspect devoid of the inward is. The inward aspect of the Word, the Church, and worship is what people adhere to if they love to do the truth for its own sake because of an inward and thus spiritual affection. The outward aspect of these that has the inward within it is what people adhere to if they love truth for its own sake because of an outward and thus natural affection. These are external members of the Church, whereas the former are internal; for in every Church there are internal members and external ones. But people's worship is outward devoid of what is inward if they do not love truth for its own sake but for the sake of gain in the world, thus do not love to do truths except for their own benefit or to be seen by others. These people are not within but outside the Church.

[3] When people who love to do the truth for its own sake because of an inward or spiritual affection hear truths, they rejoice and think about the way to live in accord with them. But when those who love truth for its own sake because of an outward or natural affection hear the truth, they too rejoice but do not think about the way to live in accord with them, though without their awareness an influence from an inner source moves them to lead such a life. Those however who love truth for the sake of gain in the world do not think about the way to live; nor do they receive any influence from an inner source. They do no more than commit truths to memory, to the end that they can talk about them.

[4] Those who love to do truth for its own sake love the Lord; for truth comes from the Lord, and the Lord causes it to become good through the willing and doing of it, thus causes it to become part of a person's life. For truth does not become part of a person's life until it passes into his will. Its presence in his will can be known about from and detected in the fact that he does it, and still more in the fact that he loves to do it; for to the extent that a person wills truth he loves it.

[5] Loving truth for its own sake and for the sake of leading a life in accord with it is described by the Lord in the following way in Matthew,

Whoever welcomes you welcomes Me; but he who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in a righteous person's name will receive a righteous person's reward. Indeed whoever gives one of these little ones a cup of water only in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. Matthew 10:40-42.

Anyone unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word cannot know what welcoming a prophet in the name of a prophet, a righteous person in a righteous person's name, and the Lord's disciple in the name of a disciple means, nor what the declaration that those who welcome these will receive a reward in keeping with that welcome means. Without the internal sense does anyone know what welcoming another in that person's name means?

[6] But those acquainted with the internal sense pay no attention to the person, only to the reality meant by the person, so that their attention is not focused on a disciple or a prophet but on the realities meant by disciple and prophet. In the internal sense 'disciple' means truth practised in life, but 'prophet' truth upheld by doctrine; and 'in the name of anyone' means on account of his character. From all this it is evident what those words spoken by the Lord mean, namely that those who love truth for its own sake, and those who love to do the truth for its own sake, love the Lord and receive heaven into themselves; for the reward which the Lord imparts is the affection for truth for truth's sake, and the affection for truth for truth's sake holds heaven within it.

[7] By 'disciples' all aspects of love and faith in their entirety are meant, thus in particular those who are led by the Lord, see 3488, 3858(end), 6397.

'Prophet' means truth upheld by doctrine, 2534, 7269.

'Name' means character or essential nature, 144, 145, 1896, 2009, 2724, 6674, 9310.

'Reward' means an affection for truth and good, 3956, 6388.

The idea of a person is converted in the internal sense into that of some reality, 5225, 5287, 5434, 8343, 8985, 9007, 10282.

Doing the truth for its own sake constitutes loving the Lord, 10336.

6426. 'From there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel' means that from this springs all the goodness and truth which the spiritual kingdom possesses. This is clear from the meaning of 'the shepherd' as one who leads to the good of charity by means of the truth of faith, dealt with in 343, 3795, 6044 (here in the highest sense, since it has reference to the Lord, goodness and truth themselves are meant); from the meaning of 'the stone' as truth, dealt with in 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798; and from the representation of 'Israel' as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 3305, 4286, for 'Israel' is spiritual good or the good of truth, 4286, 4598, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. And since the good of truth is the essential element of the spiritual Church, 'Israel' means the spiritual Church, and in the highest sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom. From all this it is evident that 'from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel' means that from this springs all the goodness and truth which the Lord's spiritual kingdom possesses.

[2] The reason why in the highest sense 'the stone of Israel' means the Lord with respect to the truth that His spiritual kingdom possesses is that in general 'the stone' means the temple, and specifically the foundation on which it stands. 'The temple' in turn means the Lord's Divine Human, as is clear in John 2:19, 21, and so does its 'foundation' in Matthew 21:42, 44, and in Isaiah 28:16. This meaning of 'the stone' in the highest sense - the Lord in respect to Divine Truth which His spiritual kingdom possesses - is evident in David,

The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This has been done by Jehovah; it is marvellous in our eyes. Psalms 118:22-23.

'The stone' here is the Lord, as is made clear in Luke,

It is written, The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. Whoever falls onto that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. Luke 20:17-18.

These things are spoken by the Lord regarding Himself. In Isaiah,

He is your fear, and He is your dread; for He will be a sanctuary, though He will be a stone to strike against and a rock to stumble over ¹ for both houses of Israel. Many among them will trip, and fall, and be broken to pieces. Isaiah 8:13-15.

Here the Lord is referred to. In the same prophet,

The Lord Jehovih said, Behold I [am He who] will lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tested stone, a precious corner-stone, surely founded. He who believes will not be hasty. Isaiah 28:16.

In Zechariah,

Jehovah Zebaoth will visit His flock, the house of Judah, and will place them as His glorious horse ² in battle. From Him comes the corner-stone, from Him the tent-peg, from Him the battle-bow. Zechariah 10:3-4.

[3] In Daniel,

You were watching, until a stone was cut out, not by means of hands, and it struck the statue on its feet, which were iron and clay, and smashed them to pieces. The stone that struck the statue became a great rock and filled the whole earth. The God of heaven will cause a kingdom to arise that will never be destroyed, and His kingdom will not be left to other people; it will crush and consume all those kingdoms, but will itself stand for ever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the rock, not by means of hands, and it smashed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold . . . Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45.

Here 'the stone' is used in the highest sense to mean the Lord, and in the relative sense to mean His spiritual kingdom. When it says that 'the stone was cut out of the rock' the meaning is that it came out of the truth of faith, for the truth of faith is meant in the Word by 'rock'. And because the truth of faith is meant by 'the stone' and 'the rock', the Lord's spiritual kingdom is also what is meant, since the truth of faith and good ensuing from this truth prevail in that kingdom. Something similar is also meant by 'the stone' on which Jacob slept and which he afterwards set up as a pillar, described as follows,

Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely Jehovah is in this place and I did not know it. And he was afraid and said, How awesome is this place! This is nothing other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And in the morning Jacob rose up early, and took the stone which he had placed as his headrest, and placed it as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He said, This stone which I have placed as a pillar will be God's house. Genesis 28:16-18, 22.

The fact that by 'the stone' the ancients understood the Lord in the highest sense and His spiritual kingdom in the relative sense is also plain to see in Joshua,

Joshua erected the stone under the oak which was in Jehovah's sanctuary. And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone will be a witness to us, for it has heard all the sayings of Jehovah which He spoke to us. And it shall be a witness against you, lest you deny your God. Joshua 24:26, 17.

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