9994. “与抹油的无酵薄饼” 表外在人里面的属天之物. 这从 “薄饼”, “无酵” 和 “油” 的含义清楚可知: “薄饼” 是指外在人里面的属天之物, 如下文所述; “无酵” 是指已洁净之物 (参看9992节); “油” 是指爱之良善 (886, 4582, 4638节). 从这些含义明显可知, “抹油的无酵薄饼” 表示外在人里面的属天之物, 这属天之物是从头两个属天层依次发出的. 经上说薄饼要 “抹油”, 而糕饼要 “调油”, 是因为薄饼排在第三位, 而糕饼排在第二位, 如刚才所述 (9993节). 排在第二位的直接从至内层发出, 因而拥有 “油” 所表示的至内在的属天层在里面; 排在第三位的间接, 也就是说, 经由排在第二位的从至内层发出, 因而不像排在第二位的那样那么拥有至内层在里面. 正因如此, 由于糕饼表示排在第二位的属天层, 所以经上说它们要 “调油”; 而薄饼表示排在第三位的属天层, 所以经上说它们要 “抹油”. 不过, 这些问题很难理解, 除非知道事物是如何按先后次序出现的; 这就像目的, 原因和结果. 至内在之物构成目的, 中间之物构成原因, 最末之物构成结果. 目的必须在原因里面, 以便它能成为这个目的的原因, 原因必须在结果里面, 以便它能成为这个原因的结果. 目的不像在原因里面那样显明在结果里面, 因为结果离目的, 比原因离目的更远. 这一切会启示心智认识到至内在之物, 中间之物和外在之物按先后次序彼此相随的性质.

8153. 'And the children of Israel went out with a lofty hand' means although they had been rescued by God's power from their attempt to bring them under their control. This is clear from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those who belong to the spiritual Church, that is, who are governed by faith bonded to charity, as immediately above in 8152; from the meaning of 'going out' as being delivered or rescued from the others' attempt to bring them under their control, which attempt is meant by 'pursuing', 8152; and from the meaning of 'a lofty hand' as God's power, for 'hand' means power, 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518, 7673, 8050, 8069, and 'lofty' means God's. The reason why 'lofty' means God's is that the word is used to indicate heaven, where God is. This is why the Word says of Jehovah or the Lord that He dwells 'in the lofty place' and why He is called 'the Most High', as in Isaiah,

Jehovah is exalted, for He dwells in the lofty place. Isaiah 33:5.

In the same prophet,

Thus said the High and Lofty One inhabiting eternity, whose name is the Holy One, I inhabit the holy and high [place]. Isaiah 57:15.

In David,

Jehovah sent from on high and snatched me away Psalms 18:16.

So it is that Jehovah is called the Most High in Deuteronomy 32:8; Daniel 4:17, 24, 34; 7:18, 22, 25; Psalms 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 46:4; 50:14; 57:2; 82:6. Because 'high' meant heaven, and God in heaven, the worship of God performed by those who belonged to the representative Church was established on mountains and on high places. It was therefore also performed in lofty shrines which they built for themselves, referred to in various places in the historical sections and prophetical parts of the Word, as in Ezekiel,

You built for yourself a lofty shrine, and made a high place for yourself in every street; at every head of a road you built your lofty shrine. Ezekiel 16:24-25, 31.

The reason why God's was meant by 'high' is that the starry heaven was a sign of the angelic heaven, which was also thought to be located there. But the wiser ones among them knew that heaven was not located on high but where the good of love was, and that this resided within a person, wherever he might be. For the meaning of 'high places' as interiors, or forms of good residing in them, see 450, 1735, 2148, 4210, 4599.