4197. “拉班说, 今日这石堆作你我中间的证据. 因此给它起名叫迦累得” 表它将永远如此, 因此它的性质又一次被描述. 这从 “堆”, “证据”, “今日” 和 “起名” 的含义清楚可知: “堆” 是指良善 (参看4192节); “证据” 是指通过真理对良善的确认, 如下文述; “今日” 是指永恒 (2838, 3998节); “起名” 是指基本性质 (144, 145, 1754, 2009, 2724, 3421节). 那良善的具体就包含在 “迦累得” 这个名字中; 因为在古时, 当某个事物取名时, 这个名字就包含该事物的基本性质 (340, 1946, 2643, 3422节). 由此可见 “拉班说, 今日这石堆作你我中间的证据. 因此给它起名叫迦累得” 表示什么, 即表示此处 “拉班” 所表良善与主之属世层的神性良善结合, 因而主与外邦人通过良善结合的证据; 因为该良善就是 “拉班” 现在所代表的 (4189节). 属于该良善的真理就是为那结合作见证的; 然而, 只要他们活在世上, 他们的良善就在边上, 因为他们没有神性真理. 尽管那些处于该良善, 也就是过着彼此仁爱生活的人没有直接来自神性源头, 也就是来自圣言的神性真理, 但他们所拥有的良善并没有被关闭, 而是能被打开的那种. 而且在来世, 当他们接受有关信之真理和主的教导时, 它就被打开. 基督徒则不然. 对他们当中那些过着彼此仁爱的生活之人, 尤其那些处于对主之爱的人来说, 甚至在他们活在世上时, 直接来自神性源头的良善就存在, 因为他们拥有神性真理. 因此, 他们无需这类教导就可进入天堂, 只要他们的真理不含必须先被驱散的虚假. 但那些没有过着仁爱生活的基督徒则向自己关闭天堂, 并且他们当中许多人关闭到它无法被打开的地步. 因为他们知道真理, 却否认它们, 即便不在口头上, 也在心里强硬反对它们.

拉班先以自己的语言将这堆称为 “伊迦尔撒哈杜他”, 之后以迦南的语言, 这堆名为 “迦累得”; 而事实上, 这二者意思差不多, 这是为了聚在一起并由此结合的缘故. 以迦南的语言说话, 或说 “迦南的方言” 表示回应神性; 因为 “迦南” 表示主的国度, 在至高意义上表示主 (1607, 3038, 3705节); 这一点明显可见于以赛亚书:

当那日, 埃及地必有五座城说迦南的方言, 又指着万军之耶和华起誓. 当那日, 在埃及地中央必有为耶和华筑的一座坛; 在埃及的边界上必有为耶和华立的一根柱. 这都要在埃及地为万军之耶和华作记号和证据. (以赛亚书 19:18-20)

“见证或证据” 表示通过真理对良善, 以及对源于良善的真理的确认; 因此, “证词或法版” 表示真理植根于其中的良善, 和良善所产生的真理, 这一点从圣言的其它经文可以看出来. “证据” 表示通过真理对良善, 以及对源于良善的真理的确认, 这一点从以下经文明显看出来. 约书亚记:

约书亚对百姓说, 你们选定耶和华, 要事奉祂, 你们自己作见证吧! 他们说, 我们就是见证. 你们现在要除掉你们中间的外邦神, 专心归向耶和华以色列的神. 百姓对约书亚说, 我们必事奉耶和华我们的神, 听从祂的声音. 当日, 约书亚就与百姓立约, 在示剑为他们立定律例典章. 约书亚将这些话都写在神的律法书上, 又将一块大石头立在耶和华圣所旁边的橡树下. 约书亚对众民说, 看哪! 这石头可以向我们作见证, 因为是听见了耶和华所吩咐我们的一切话, 所以要向你们作见证, 免得你们背弃耶和华你们的神. (约书亚记 24:22-27)

“见证” 在此明显表示确认, 就是对约, 因而对他们与耶和华结合的确认; 因为 “约” 表示结合 (665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021节). 由于若非通过良善, 与耶和华或主结合是不可能的; 而良善若不从真理获得其真正性质, 就不可能产生结合, 故可知, “见证” 表示通过真理对良善的确认. 此处所表良善是指与耶和华或主的结合, 这种结合通过他们选定祂, 要事奉祂而实现; 作出确认的真理以 “石头” 来表示; 因为 “石头” 表示真理 (643, 1298, 3720节). 就至高意义而言, “石头” 是指主自己, 因为祂是一切真理的源头, 祂因此被称作 “以色列的磐石” (创世记 49:24); 经上还说 “看哪! 这石头可以向我们作见证, 因为是听见了耶和华所吩咐我们的一切话. ”

启示录:

我要使我那两个见证人, 穿着麻布, 说预言一千二百六十天. 这二人就是那两棵橄榄树, 两个灯台, 立在大地之神面前的. 若有人想要害他们, 就有火从他们口中出来, 烧灭仇敌; 这二人有权柄叫天闭塞. 他们作完见证的时候, 那从无底坑里上来的兽必与他们交战, 并且战胜他们, 把他们杀了. 过了这三天半, 有生命的灵气从神那里进入他们里面, 他们就立足站了起来. (启示录 11:3-7, 11)

此处所提到的 “两个见证人” 是指良善与真理, 也就是有真理在其中的良善和由良善所产生的真理, 这二者在人心里得到确认; 这一点从经上说这两个见证人是两棵橄榄树和两个灯台明显看出来. 因为 “一棵橄榄树” 是指这种良善 (参看886节); “两棵橄榄树” 表示属天良善和属灵良善. 属天良善本质上是对主之爱, 属灵良善本质上是对邻之仁. “灯台” 是指属于这两种良善的真理, 蒙主的神性怜悯, 这一点等到论述灯台时就会清楚可知. 正是这些良善与真理拥有关闭或打开天堂的权柄 (参看22章序言). “从无底坑 (即地狱) 里上来的兽必把他们杀了” 表示教会内良善与真理的荒废; “有生命的灵气从神那里进入他们里面, 他们就立足站了起来” 表示一个新教会.

由于在古时, 堆用作证据, 所以后来的祭坛也用作证据, 这一点明显可见于约书亚记:

流便人, 迦得人说, 你们看我们列祖所筑的耶和华坛的样式, 这并不是为献燔祭, 也不是为献别的祭, 乃是为作你我中间的证据. 流便人, 迦得人给坛起名叫证坛, 在我们中间证明耶和华是神. (约书亚记 22:28, 34)

“坛” 表示爱之良善, 在至高意义上表示主自己 (921, 2777, 2811节). “证明” 表示通过真理对良善的确认.

由于 “见证” (witness, 或译证据, 证明) 表示通过真理对良善, 以及对源于良善的真理的确认, 故就至高意义而言, “见证” (witness, 或译证据, 证明) 表示主, 因为主就是那作出确认的神性真理, 如以赛亚书:

我必与你们立永约, 就是应许大卫那可靠的恩典; 看哪, 我已立祂作万民的见证, 为万民的君王和司令. (以赛亚书 55:3, 4)

启示录:

并那诚实作见证的, 从死里首先复活, 为地上诸王元首的耶稣基督来的. (启示录 1:5)

又:

这些事是那为诚信真实见证的, 神工之初始的说的. (启示录 3:14)

在代表性教会有这样的要求: 真理必须建立在两三个证人, 而不是一个证人的证词上 (民数记 35:30; 申命记 17:6, 7; 19:15; 马太福音 18:16); 这个要求源于以下神性律法: 良善不是由一个真理, 而是由许多真理来确认的. 因为不与其它真理相关联的一个真理不能确认它, 只有许多真理才能, 因为从一个真理可以看到另一个真理. 单独一个不能赋予良善任何形式, 因而不会显明良善所拥有的任何基本品质, 但一系列相关联的真理则能. 因为正如一个音符不能产生任何旋律, 更不用说完全的和谐了, 一个真理同样不能成就任何事. 这就是要求有两三个证人的律法来源之处, 尽管从表面上看, 它似乎来源于世俗的法律. 然而, 一个不会违背另一个, 这一点也是十诫的情形, 如前所述 (2609节).

“证词或法版” 表示真理植根于其中的良善, 和良善所产生的真理, 这一点从刚才所述可推知, 也可从以下事实清楚看出来: 写在两块石版上的十诫是以一个词, 即 “证词” 来称呼的, 如摩西五经:

耶和华在西乃山和摩西说完了话, 就把两块法版 (two tables of the testimony) 交给他, 是神用指头写的石版. (出埃及记 31:18)

又:

摩西下山, 手里拿着两块法版, 这版是两面写的. (出埃及记 32:15)

由于两块法版被放在柜里, 故这柜被称为 “约柜”, 如摩西五经:

耶和华对摩西说, 你必将把我所要赐给你的法版放在柜里. (出埃及记 25:16, 21)

摩西又取了法版放在柜里. (出埃及记 40:20)

又:

我要与你相会, 又要从法柜二基路伯中间的施恩座上, 和你说. (出埃及记 25:22)

利未记:

使香的烟云遮掩法柜上的施恩座. (利未记 16:13).

民数记:

你要把这十二根杖存在会幕内法柜前. (民数记 17:4)

这柜由此也被称作 “法柜” (还可参看出埃及记 25:22; 31:7; 启示录 15:5).

故十诫被称为 “法版”, 因为它们是立约的条件, 因而主与人彼此结合的条件. 这种彼此结合是不可能的, 除非人遵守这些诫命, 不仅外在形式上遵守, 内在也要遵守. 至于这些诫命的内在形式是什么, 可参看前文 (2609节); 所以, 这就是 “法版” (testimony, 或译证词) 所表示的通过真理所确认的良善, 和源于良善的真理. 正因如此, 这两块石版也被称作 “约版”; 柜被称作 “约柜”. 由此可见在圣言中, “法版” 的真正意义是什么 (如申命记 4:45; 6:17, 20; 以赛亚书 8:16; 列王纪下 17:15; 诗篇 19:7; 25:10; 78:5; 93:5; 119:2, 22, 24, 59, 79, 88, 138, 167; 122:3-4; 启示录 6:9; 12:17; 19:10).

3869. 'For Jehovah has heard' means in the highest sense providence, in the internal sense the will of faith, in the interior sense obedience, in the external sense the sense of hearing - faith in the will which is received from the Lord alone being meant here. This is clear from the meaning of 'hearing'. As regards 'hearing' meaning the sense of hearing, this needs no explanation; but that 'hearing' in the interior sense means obedience and in the internal sense faith in the will, this is clear from the many places in the Word that are referred to below. The same is clear also from the nature of the sense of hearing when compared with that of sight. Sight in the interior sense means the understanding and in the internal sense faith in the understanding, see 3863; and the reason why it has these meanings is that the essential nature of things comes to be seen by means of one's internal sight and with the aid of this comes to be grasped by a kind of faith, though such as exists only in the understanding. When however things that are heard penetrate to the interior parts they too are converted into something similar to sight, for things that are heard are then seen interiorly. Consequently that which is meant by the sense of sight is also meant by the sense of hearing; that is to say, that which is of the understanding and also that which is of faith is meant. But the sense of hearing at the same time convinces a person that the thing is true, for it has an influence not only on the understanding part of a person's mind but also on the will part, and so reaches more interiorly. That is to say, it reaches the will and causes that person to will that which he sees. This is why 'hearing' means the understanding of a thing and at the same time obedience, and why in the spiritual sense it means faith in the will.

[2] It is because these two - obedience, and faith in the will - lie thus within 'hearing' that these attributes are also meant in everyday speech by the phrases hearing, listening to, and paying attention to; for a person who 'hears' is one who is obedient, and 'listening to' somebody also means obeying him. For those entities which exist interiorly within something are sometimes included within the actual expressions a person uses when he speaks. These occur there because it is a person's spirit which thinks and which grasps the meaning of the expressions used by others when they speak; and his spirit is in a way in contact with spirits and angels among whom the first beginnings of verbal expressions exist. What is more, the whole range of man's experience is such that whatever enters in through the ear and eye, or hearing and sight, passes into his understanding, through the understanding into the will, and from the will into deed. So it is with the truth of faith. This first becomes the truth of faith present within knowledge, then the truth of faith within the will, and finally the truth of faith in deed, and so finally charity. Faith within knowledge or the understanding is meant by 'Reuben', as has been shown; faith in the will by 'Simeon'; and faith in the will when it becomes charity by 'Levi'.

[3] As regards 'hearing' in the highest sense meaning providence, this may become clear from what has been stated above in 3863 about 'seeing' in the highest sense meaning foresight, for the Lord's foresight is a seeing from eternity to eternity that a thing is so, whereas His providence is a governing that that thing should be so and a bending of a person's freedom towards good insofar as He foresees that that person is going to allow himself in freedom to be bent towards it, see 3854.

[4] That 'Jehovah heard', the phrase from which Simeon received his name, in the interior sense means obedience, and in the internal sense faith in the will acquired from the Lord alone, is evident from very many places in the Word, such as the following: In Matthew,

Behold, a voice from the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him. Matthew 17:5.

'Hearing Him' stands for possessing faith in Him, and obeying His commandments, and so possessing faith in the will. In John,

Truly, truly, I say to you, that the hour will come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice. John 5:25, 28.

'Hearing the voice of the Son of God' stands for possessing faith in the Lord's words, and willing them. People who possess faith that is part of the will receive life, and that is why the words 'those who hear will live' are used.

[5] In the same gospel,

The one entering by the door is the shepherd of the sheep; to him the gate-keeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:2-3, 16, 27.

'Hearing the voice' plainly stands for obedience resulting from faith that is part of the will. In the same gospel,

Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. John 18:37.

Here the meaning is similar. In Luke,

Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets neither will they be persuaded if someone rose from the dead. Luke 16:29, 31.

'Hearing Moses and the Prophets' stands for knowing things contained in the Word and possessing faith in it, and so also willing those things. For possessing faith without willing is seeing but not hearing, whereas possessing faith together with willing is seeing and hearing. This is why both - seeing and hearing - are mentioned together in various places throughout the Word, seeing meaning that which is portrayed through 'Reuben' and hearing that which is portrayed through 'Simeon', since the two are joined together like brother to brother.

[6] The fact that seeing and hearing are referred to jointly is clear from the following places: In Matthew,

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because those who see do not see, and those who hear do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says, By hearing you will hear and not understand, and seeing you will see and not discern. This people's heart has become gross, and with ears they have heard in a dull manner, and their eyes they have closed, lest perhaps they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and with their heart understand. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Matthew 13:13-17; John 12:40; Isaiah 6:9.

In Mark,

Jesus said to the disciples, Why do you discuss the fact that you have no loaves? Are you still without understanding and do not understand? Do you still have your heart hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? Mark 8:17-18.

[7] In Luke,

To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but for everyone else in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear. Luke 8:10.

In Isaiah,

The eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be opened. Isaiah 35:5.

In the same prophet,

Then on that day the deaf will hear the words of the book, and out of thick darkness and out of darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Isaiah 29:18.

In the same prophet,

Hear, you deaf, and look and see, you blind. Isaiah 42:18.

In the same prophet, Bring forth the blind people, who will have eyes, and the deaf, who will have ears. Isaiah 43:8.

In the same prophet,

The eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. Isaiah 32:3.

In the same prophet, Let your eyes be looking at your teachers, and let your ears hear the word. Isaiah 30:20-21.

In the same prophet,

He who stops his ear lest it hears of blood, and shuts his eyes lest they see evil, will dwell on the heights. Isaiah 33:15-16.

In Ezekiel,

Son of man, you are dwelling in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see but they do not see, who have ears to hear but they do not hear. Ezekiel 12:2.

In these places both seeing and hearing are mentioned because one follows the other. That is to say, faith in the understanding, meant by 'seeing', is followed by faith in the will, meant by 'hearing'. Otherwise it would have been sufficient to mention only one. From this it is also evident why one son of Jacob was named from the expression 'seeing' and the other from 'hearing'.

[8] The origin of 'seeing' meaning faith within knowledge or the understanding, and 'hearing' faith within obedience or the will rests in correspondences in the next life and in meaningful signs based on these. People who have understanding and faith resulting from that understanding belong to the province of the eye, and those who are obedient and have faith resulting from that obedience belong to the province of the ear. The truth of this will be seen from what, in the Lord's Divine mercy, is going to be shown at the ends of chapters concerning the Grand Man and the correspondence with it of everything in the human body.

[9] So it is then that 'the eye' in the internal sense means the understanding, see 2701, and 'the ear' obedience. And in the spiritual sense 'the ear' means faith resulting from obedience, or faith in the will, as is also clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Even so, you have not heard, even so, you have not known; even so, from that time your ear has not opened itself. Isaiah 48:8.

In the same prophet,

The Lord Jehovih will arouse my ear to hear like those who are being taught. The Lord Jehovih opened my ear, and I was not rebellious. Isaiah 50:4-5.

In the same prophet,

Attend diligently to Me, and eat what is good, that your soul may delight in fatness; incline your ear and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live. Isaiah 55:2-3.

In Jeremiah,

To whom am I to speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot listen. Jeremiah 6:10.

In the same prophet,

This I commanded them, saying, Hear My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. But they did not hear, nor did they incline their ear. Jeremiah 7:23-24, 26

In the same prophet,

Hear, O women, the word of Jehovah, and let your ear receive the word of His mouth. Jeremiah 9:20.

In the same prophet,

You did not incline your ear, and you did not obey Me. Jeremiah 35:15.

In Ezekiel,

Son of man, all My words that I have spoken to you, receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. Ezekiel 3:10.

In the same prophet,

I will bring My zeal against you, and they will deal with you in fury. Your nose and your ears they will remove Ezekiel 23:25.

'Removing nose and ears' stands for removing the perception of truth and good, and the obedience that goes with faith. In Zechariah,

They refused to pay attention, and fumed a stubborn shoulder, and made their ears heavy so that they might not hear, and set their heart adamant, so that they might not hear the law. Zechariah 7:11-12.

[10] In Amos,

Thus said Jehovah, As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so will the children of Israel in Samaria be rescued, on the corner of a bed and on the end of a couch. Amos 3:12.

'Rescuing two legs' stands for rescuing the will for good, 'a piece of an ear' for rescuing the will for truth. It may be seen that 'a piece of an ear' has this meaning, as has been stated, solely from correspondences in the next life and from the meaningful signs based on these, with which the internal sense of the Word and also the ritual observances in the Israelitish and Jewish Church are in accordance. This explains why, when Aaron and his sons were to be consecrated for their specific function, Moses was commanded among other things to take some of the ram's blood and to put it on the tip of Aaron's ear and on the tips of the ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the large toes of their right feet, Exodus 29:20. This ritual act represented the will anointed by faith, into which also as priest he was to be initiated. Anyone can recognize that this ritual act was holy since it was Jehovah who commanded Moses to perform it, and so also that putting blood on the tip of the ear was holy. But what holy thing was meant cannot be known except from the internal sense of the things in the Word, which at this point is that the holiness of faith when applied to the will must be preserved.

[11] The meaning of 'the ear' as obedience, and in the internal sense as faith resulting from that obedience, is even more plainly evident from the ritual that was to be observed when a slave did not wish to go free, described in Moses as follows: If a slave or servant-girl did not wish to go free,

His master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him for ever. Exodus 21:6; Deuteronomy 15:17.

'Piercing his ear with an awl at the doorpost' stands for serving and obeying for ever. In the spiritual sense it stands for having no wish to understand what is true, only a wish to be obedient to it. This, compared with an understanding of what is true, is not freedom.

[12] Since the obedience of faith is meant in the internal sense by 'the ears', and being obedient by 'hearing', one may see what is meant by the following words spoken by the Lord many times, He who has an ear to hear, let him hear, Matthew 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35; Revelation 2:7, 11, 29; 3:13, 22.

[13] As regards 'hearing' in the highest sense meaning providence and 'seeing' foresight, this is clear from the following places in the Word in which eyes and also ears are attributed to Jehovah or the Lord; as in Isaiah,

Incline Your ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Your eyes, O Jehovah, and see. Isaiah 37:17.

In Daniel,

Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes ¹ and see our devastations. Daniel 9:18.

In David,

O God, incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Psalms 17:6.

In the same author,

Incline to me Your ear, and save me. Psalms 71:2.

In the same author,

Turn an ear to my prayers, on account of Your truthfulness; answer me, on account of Your righteousness. Psalms 143:1.

In Jeremiah,

O Jehovah, You heard my voice; do not hide Your ear at my sighing, at my cry. Lamentations 3:56.

In David,

O Jehovah, do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; incline to me Your ear; in the day I cry answer me. Psalms 102:2.

[14] It is well known that Jehovah does not have ears or eyes as man does but that some attribute which may be ascribed to the Divine is meant by the ear and the eye, namely infinite will and infinite understanding. Infinite will is providence, and infinite understanding foresight; and it is these that are meant in the highest sense by ear and eye when these are attributed to Jehovah. These considerations now show what is meant in each sense [of the Word] by 'Jehovah heard', the phrase from which 'Simeon' received his name.

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