1171. “拉玛的儿子” 同样表那些没有内在敬拜, 但有对信的认知之人, 他们的宗教信仰只在于具有这类认知; “示巴, 底但” 是指具有这些认知的民族, 因为在内义上, 这些民族表认知本身. 这从以下先知书的经文, 以及诗篇中有关西巴, 示巴和拉玛的经文明显看出来, 诗篇:

他施和海岛的王要进贡, 示巴和西巴的王要献礼物; 诸王都要叩拜祂. (诗篇 72:10-11)

这论及主, 祂的国和属天的教会. 谁都能看出, “贡” 和 “礼物” 在此表各种敬拜; 但是, 若不明白 “他施和海岛”, “示巴和西巴” 各是什么意思, 就不知道这些敬拜属于哪种类型, 以及它们的性质. 前面已说明 “他施和海岛” 表与内在相应的外在敬拜. 由此可知, “示巴和西巴” 表内在敬拜, 即 “示巴” 表敬拜的属天事物, “西巴” 表敬拜的属灵事物.

以赛亚书:

我已经使埃及作你的赎价, 使古实和西巴代替你. (以赛亚书 43:3)

此处, “古实和西巴” 表信的属灵事物. 同一先知书:

埃及劳碌得来的和古实的货物, 身量高大的西巴人都必过来归你. (以赛亚书 45:14)

“埃及劳碌得来的” 表知识, “古实的货物, 身量高大的西巴人” 表对属灵事物的认知, 这些认知有助于人们信主.

又:

成群的骆驼并米甸和以法的独峰驼必遮满你; 示巴的众人都必来到, 要奉上黄金乳香, 又要传说耶和华的赞美. 基达的羊群都必聚集到你这里. (以赛亚书 60:6, 7)

此处, “示巴” 用来表属天事物和衍生的属灵事物, 它们被描述为 “黄金乳香”; 就象刚才所解释的, 这些是 “耶和华的赞美”, 就是内在敬拜.

以西结书:

示巴和拉玛的商人与你交易, 他们用各类上好的香料, 各类的宝石和黄金兑换你的货物. (以西结书 27:22-23)

这论及推罗. “示巴和拉玛” 的意思从经上所说他们交易的货物清楚可知, 即香料, 宝石和黄金. “香料” 的内义是仁爱, “宝石” 的内义是源于仁之信, “黄金” 的内义是对主的爱, 所有这一切都是 “示巴” 所表示的属天事物. 严格来说, “示巴” 表对这些事物的认知, 这就是为何他们在此被称为 “商人” 的原因, 那些成为教会成员的人就被赋予这些认知, 因为没有认知, 没人能成为教会成员.

同样代表这类事物的还有, 拜访所罗门, 并给他带来香料, 黄金和宝石的示巴女王 (列王纪上10: 1-3), 还有耶稣出生时前来跪拜祂的东方智者, 他们打开财宝, 将黄金, 乳香和没药献为礼物 (马太福音 2:1, 11). 这些礼物表属天, 属灵和属世之善. 耶利米书:

从示巴出的乳香, 从远地出的甘蔗奉来给我有何益呢? 你们的燔祭不蒙悦纳. (耶利米书 6:20)

此处也很明显, “示巴” 表认知和崇拜, 也就是 “乳香和甘蔗” 所指的, 但它们在此是指那些缺乏仁爱的事物, 因而不蒙悦纳.

9865. 'A ruby, a topaz, a carbuncle' means the celestial love of good. This is clear from the meaning of these stones as the good of celestial love, celestial love being love to the Lord, received from the Lord. Those stones mean that love on account of their red and flaming colour; for 'red' means love, 3300, and so does 'flaming', 3222, 6832, 7620-7622, 9570. But here celestial love is meant because those stones are in the first row; and those in the first row correspond to the realities that exist in the inmost heaven, where celestial love, which is love to the Lord, reigns. Since the twelve stones in the breastplate represented all the truths that spring from good they also represented the whole of heaven; for heaven is heaven by virtue of the Divine Truth emanating from the Lord's Divine Good, the angels there who constitute heaven being recipients of that Truth. So it is that the three stones which are in the first row represent the inmost heaven, consequently the love that reigns there, which is called the celestial love of good and celestial love of truth. The stones in the first row represent the celestial love of good, those in the second row the celestial love of truth. These stones represent that love, as has been stated, on account of their colour; for what precious stones represent is determined by their colours.

[2] In heaven colours of indescribable beauty appear; for they are modifications of heavenly light, and heavenly light is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord. From this it is evident that colours present themselves there in accord with variations of goodness and truth; thus they are modifications of the light emanating from the Lord, through the angels. The light emanating from the Lord appears in the inmost heaven as a flame; therefore the colours resulting from it are red and flashing. But the same light appears in the middle heaven as a brilliantly white light; therefore the colours resulting from it are brilliant, and to the extent that they have good within them they are gleaming. This explains why there are two basic colours to which all others are related, namely the colour red and the colour white; and the colour red is representative of good, while the colour white is representative of truth, see 9467.

[3] From all this it is now clear why it was that stones of so many colours were set in rows in the breastplate, namely in order that they might represent all the forms of good and the truths that exist in heaven in their proper order, and consequently represent the whole of heaven. The reason why the stones in the first row - a ruby, a topaz, and a carbuncle - represented the celestial love of good is that they are different hues of red. Furthermore the noun used in the original language for 'a ruby', the first in the row, is derived from a word that means 'redness'; and that for 'a carbuncle', the third in the row, is derived from a word meaning 'flashing', as if from fire. But as for the derivation of 'a topaz', the middle one in the row, this is unknown, though it very probably comes from something describing a red and flaming colour. This may be why in Job something similar is said of a topaz as is said of gold,

With wisdom the topaz of Ethiopia will not compete, it cannot be valued in pure gold. Job 28:19.

'Gold' too means the good of love, 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 8932, 9490, 9510.