约书亚记第一章：上帝委托约书亚记

约书亚记是关于进入，征服和定居的。以色列人要进入和生活在神应许给他们的土地上，在那里他们居住了多个世纪。

约书亚记第一章拉开了这个故事的序幕。约书亚（Joshua）担任以色列儿童的领袖，他受命带领人民穿越约旦河并占领该土地。这个故事的内在含义不是政治上的含义，而是因为它在圣经中是个人或精神上的含义。迦南土地是我们自己的个人生活（请参阅 启示录569[5]）以及以以色列人民所代表的崇高理想和良好意图，在以自我为中心，批判性，贪婪，有判断力（你叫出名字！）方面也是很人性化的-这些特质都得到了体现以色列在埃及的时候，迦南的几个支派在约书亚记中住了下来。他们的部落名称的含义包括“低洼”和“泥巴居民”。征服它们象征着我们需要在上帝的帮助下，克服人类这些低龄人的缺点，而要由上帝的真理来领导（天国的秘密4816）。

约书亚受上帝委托带领人民（天国的秘密8595）。摩西去世了，现在约书亚掌管了。在调试时，上帝描述了我们需要与个人相关的几件事。首先，我们被告知我们需要穿越约旦河才能进入陆地。河流是一个非常明确的边界，这告诉我们，旧生活与新生活之间存在明显的区别，没有灰色阴影。

接下来约书亚被告知，脚踩到的每个地方都应该属于你。这表明我们需要切实地通过生活和生活来使用上帝的真理，而不是从思想上仅仅考虑它们，因为我们的“脚”是我们身体的最低点，直接接触地面（参见 天堂与地狱97）。我们所走的基础是生命本身。

然后，以姓名（namem）描述迦南地的边界，这些边界使我们对需要挑战（荒野），善解人意（黎巴嫩），做好事（希蒂人）以及更多（大海）的想法。然后上帝说，如果我们决定实现上帝的真理，那么任何事情都将无法阻挡我们。

然后是著名的话“坚强和非常勇敢”（天国的秘密6343）。这些在第一章中多次出现，以鼓励我们并使我们保持上帝大能的力量。我们还被告知不要向右或向左转，这意味着我们要服从上帝，做对的事而不会偏离。伟大的开始之后，我们可以轻松地放慢脚步并转身离开。

法律之书不能脱离我们的嘴，但我们必须日夜沉思，并在我们的思想，我们的心，我们的行动和意图中将其保存在我们的嘴里。

然后，约书亚（Joshua）向领导人下达命令，使人民准备就绪。对我们来说，这意味着我们认识到我们必须跟随上帝并征服我们的生活，这需要从我们的思想中潜入我们的每一个细节，甚至最小化。并时刻准备着。

第1章的最后一部分是关于以色列的某些部落-鲁贝尼特人，加迪特人和玛拿西的一半。早些时候，这些部落决定，他们宁愿定居在约旦河东侧，那里有很好的牧场。摩西曾对他们说“是”，但现在约书亚说，在他们这样做之前，所有男人必须与所有人一起进入迦南并战斗，然后才返回约旦，与妻子，儿女和羊群在一起。

这告诉我们，我们的生活中存在着享乐的地方，但只有当我们首先拥有并生活了上帝的事物时（天国的秘密870).

384. And there was given unto them power over the fourth part of the earth, to kill, signifies the deprivation of every good and thence of every truth from the Word, and in consequence in the doctrine of their church from the Word. This is evident from the signification of "power," as being effect, since to be able means to effect; from the signification of "to kill" or "to slay," as being to deprive of good and truth (of which above, n. 366; from the signification of "fourth part," as being every good and thence every truth (of which presently); and from the signification of "earth," as being the church and everything thereof (of which above, n. 29, 304). And as a church is a church from doctrine there, and from life according to it, and as every doctrine of the church must be from the Word, so the doctrine of the church from the Word is at the same time signified. From this it can be seen that "there was given unto them power over the fourth part of the earth to kill" signifies the deprivation of every good and thus of every truth from the Word, and in consequence in the doctrine of the church from the Word. It is said that "power was given unto them," meaning to evils and to falsities therefrom, and these are signified also by "death and hell." That those who are in evils and falsities deprive themselves of all the perception of good and the understanding of truth from the Word, and in consequence in the doctrine of their church from the Word, is clearly evident in the case of those who are in falsities of doctrine from evils of life. Such, although they read the Word, either do not see the truths that are in it or they falsify them by applying them to the falsities of their own opinions and to the evils of their own loves; for the sense of the letter of the Word is such that those who are in good see truths in it, and those who are in evil see falsities, for the sense of the letter is according to the apprehension of little children, boys, and the simple, and is therefore according to appearance; but still in that sense truths lie hidden that are not seen by any except those who are in good, those who are in evil not wishing to see them, but they draw all things by perverse interpretations to the evils of their loves and to the falsities of their opinions, as is plainly evident from so many heresies existing within the church, especially the heinous Babylonian heresy, and also from the Jewish heresy.

[2] "A fourth part" signifies every good and thence every truth, because the number "four" signifies the conjunction of good and truth, and therefore "a fourth part" or "a fourth" signifies everything of conjunction. In the Word "a third part" and also "a fourth part" are often mentioned, and those who do not know that all numbers signify things may believe that "a third part" means a third part, and "a fourth part" a fourth part, or that they signify some portion; but "a third part" signifies all truth, and "a fourth part" all good; and as all truth is from good, "a fourth part" signifies all good and the truth therefrom, here the deprivation of these, because it is said "there was given to them power over the fourth part of the earth to kill." That "three" and thence "a third part" are predicated of truths, will be seen hereafter, where that number is mentioned. But "four" and thence "a fourth part" are predicated of goods and the truths therefrom, because they signify the conjunction of good and truth. This has been made evident to me by much experience from the spiritual world; for when angels spoke there of the conjunction of good and truth, or of love and faith, and their speech was determined into numbers, the number four was exhibited, and sometimes also the number two, or the number eight, or the number sixteen, because these numbers have a like signification, for numbers multiplied or divided by themselves have a like signification as the numbers with which they are multiplied or divided (See Arcana Coelestia 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973). That angelic speech falls also into numbers, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 263). That "four" signifies the conjunction of good and truth has its origin from the four quarters in heaven, in two of which, namely, in the east and the west, those dwell who are in the good of love, and in the other two, namely, in the south and the north, those who are in truths therefrom (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 141-153). Consequently "the four quarters," or "the four winds," signify all good and the truth therefrom, and "four" their conjunction. "A fourth part" signifies everything of conjunction of good and truth, because here "a fourth" constitutes all, and "a fourth" is significative of conjunction; therefore "killing a fourth part" signifies all of conjunction, consequently every good and truth; for where no conjunction of good and truth exists, there they are not; for there can be no good without truth, nor truth without good; they are in their essence one, since truth is of good, and good is of truth (as can be seen from what is said, and the passages cited respecting good and truth in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 11-27).