A company might have executives setting policy and strategy, engineers designing products, managers handling personnel and others handling various functions. They all do different things -- but if they're doing them with a shared underlying purpose, the company -- and the individuals in it -- will likely be successful. The Lord wants all human society to function in a similar way. We have different skills and individual loves, but if we all share a mutual love -- a love of serving others -- then society will function as one, will be a reflection of heaven and will be a good receptacle for the Lord's love. This can also happen within each of us, as we unify our talents and ideas around a central love. And in an abstract sense, it illustrates how a wide collection of varying ideas can be unified around a shared good intention. That is the kind of love pictured when “one” is used in the Bible, either as a specific number or in the sense of several people or objects “being one.” In more casual references -- when used to identify a specific person or object -- the meaning is relatively literal, and is connected to that person or object.

117. “古实地”, 亦即埃塞俄比亚, 盛产黄金, 宝石, 香料, 如前面所说, 这些象征良善, 真理及由两者所生的可喜之物, 如对爱与信的认知. 前面 (n. 113) 所引用的经文 (以赛亚书 60:6; 马太福音 2:1; 诗篇 72:15) 已说明这一点.

对于 “古实” (亦即 “埃塞俄比亚”), “示巴” 在圣经中所表类似, 这从先知书可知, 例如《西番雅书》也提到 “古实河”: “耶和华在她中间是公义的, 每早晨显明他的公义... 那时, 我必用清楚的语言转向百姓, 好让他们都求告耶和华的名, 并肩事奉他... 祈祷我的, 必从古实河外来, 给我献供物.” (西番雅书 3:5, 9–10)

又如《但以理书》论北方王和南方王说: ” 他必把持埃及的金银财宝和各样的宝物, 利比亚人和埃塞俄比亚人都必跟从他.” (但以理书 11:43) 在此, “埃及” 表知识, “埃塞俄比亚” 表信仰认知.

再如: “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)“示巴和拉玛的商人” 也表信仰认知. 《诗篇》论到主 (故也论属天之人) 说: “在他的日子义人要发旺, 大有平安, 直到月亮消逝. 他施和海岛的王要进贡, 示巴和西巴的王要献礼物.” (诗篇 72:7, 10)

从上下文可知, 这话是象征信的属天之性. 类似的有前来求见所罗门, 用难题进行试探, 并献上香料, 黄金, 宝石的示巴女王 (列王纪上10: 1–2), 因为圣经先知书和历史书的所有内容都象征, 代表, 蕴含着奥秘.