4317. 就内在历史意义而言, “因为那人在坐骨神经筋上将雅各的大腿窝摸了一把” 表由于他们具有一种无法通过重生被根除的遗传性, 因为他们不允许这种事发生. 这从 “大腿” 的含义清楚可知, “大腿” 是指婚姻之爱, 因而是指一切属天和属灵之爱 (参看4280节); 因为 “大腿窝” 就是婚姻之爱, 以及一切属天, 属灵之爱与属世良善结合的地方 (4277, 4280节). 因此, “摸它”, 或损害它, 以至于瘸了是指摧毁从这些爱所流出的良善. 由于这事发生在雅各身上, 故它表示这种性质从他传到他的后代那里, 因而具有遗传性. “坐骨神经筋” (nerve of that which was displaced) 表示虚假 (参看4303节), 在此表示源自遗传之恶的虚假. 由此和整个思路可知, 这种遗传性无法通过重生根除, 因为他们不允许这种事发生.

他们具有这种遗传性, 并且无法重生; 这一点从圣言中有关他们的一切记载, 尤其摩西五经中的以下经文看得非常清楚:

摩西召了以色列众人来, 对他们说, 耶和华在埃及地, 在你们眼前向法老和他众臣仆, 并他全地所行的一切事, 你们都看见了; 但耶和华到今日没有使你们心能明白, 眼能看见, 耳能听见. (申命记 29:2, 4)

又:

我未领他们到我所起誓应许之地以先, 这百姓今日里所作的计画我都知道了. (申命记 31:21)

又:

我要向他们掩面, 看他们的结局如何. 他们本是极乖僻的一代, 心中无诚实的儿女. 我要除灭他们, 使他们的名从人间消失, 惟恐仇敌惹动我. 因为他们是缺乏智谋的民族, 他们里面毫无聪明. 他们的葡萄树是所多玛的葡萄树, 他们的葡萄是蛾摩拉田园出的; 他们的葡萄是苦毒的, 全挂都是苦的. 他们的酒是大蛇的毒气, 是虺蛇残害的头. 这不都是积蓄在我这里, 封锁在我府库中吗? (申命记 32:20, 26-34)

其它地方, 尤其耶利米书中的部分经文也提到这些事.

“摸雅各的大腿窝”, 然后他就瘸了, 就表示他们的遗传性; 这一点明显可见于何西阿书:

耶和华与犹大争辩, 必照雅各所行的惩罚他, 按他所做的报应他. 他在腹中抓住哥哥的脚跟, 壮年的时候与神较力; 与天使较力, 并且得胜, 哭泣恳求. (何西阿书 12:2-5)

就内在历史意义而言, 此处 “与神较力” 是指他们坚持认为教会的代表要存在于他们当中 (参看4290, 4293节). 由此明显可知, 他们所拥有的这种遗传性源自雅各自己, 这一点从更多目前不得不忽略过去的经文明显看出来.

关于具体的遗传性, 在当今的教会, 人们都以为一切遗传之恶皆来自第一代父母, 所有人都因此在遗传之恶方面受到诅咒. 但事实并非如此. 每个人里面的遗传之恶的源头在于他的父母和父母的父母, 也就是在于祖父母和历代先祖. 他们通过实际生活所获得, 通过频繁实践或习惯可以说已经成为其秉性一部分的一切邪恶都会传给他的儿女, 在他们里面变成遗传, 这恶还伴随着从祖父母和先祖植入在父母里面的东西. 来自父亲的遗传之恶更为内在, 来自母亲的遗传之恶更为外在. 前者无法轻易根除, 而后者则能. 当人正在经历重生时, 来自最近父母的根深蒂固的遗传之恶就会被根除; 但对那些未经历重生的人, 或不能重生的人来说, 它依然存留. 这就是遗传之恶 (参看313, 494, 2122, 2910, 3518, 3701节). 这个问题对于能反省的人, 以及从以下事实也是显而易见的, 即: 每个家族都有某种特定邪恶或良善, 该家族凭此而有别于其它家族; 这种特性如众所周知的, 是从父母和先祖遗传来的. 这同样适用于如今仍旧存留的犹太民族, 该民族与其它民族截然不同, 不仅能从它特有的性情被识别出来, 还可以从它的习俗, 言语和面貌被识别出来.

不过, 很少有人知道何为遗传之恶. 人们以为遗传之恶在于行恶, 而事实上, 它在于意愿, 因而思想邪恶. 遗传之恶就在意愿本身和源于此的思维中; 它就是在它们里面, 甚至在此人行善时也会将自己附着上的向恶的实际倾向. 它通过当邪恶临到别人身上时所感觉到的快乐可被识别出来. 这根深深向下隐藏, 因为接受来自天堂, 也就是经由天堂来自主的良善与真理的内在形式本身被扭曲, 可以说已经扭曲得变形了; 以致当良善与真理从主流入时, 它们要么被反射回去, 要么被歪曲, 要么被窒息. 正是由于这个原因, 如今对良善与真理的觉知不存在了, 对重生之人来说, 取而代之的是良心; 良心承认从父母和老师那里所学到的为良善与真理. 爱自己胜过他人, 若其他人不尊敬我们, 就向他们意愿邪恶, 以报复为乐, 以及爱世界胜过天堂, 就出自遗传之恶; 一切恶欲或邪恶情感也出自这一源头. 人不知道这类事物就存在于遗传之恶里面, 更不知道它们是天上情感的对立面. 然而, 在来世可以清楚显明, 每个人通过实际生活引向自己的源自遗传之物的邪恶何等之多, 以及他因来自这一源头的邪恶情感而距离天堂何等遥远.

雅各后代里面的遗传之恶无法通过重生而根除, 因为他们不允许这种事发生. 这一事实从圣言中的历史描述明显看出来; 因为他们在旷野的一切试探中都屈服了, 如摩西五经所记载的; 后来在迦南地, 一看不到神迹, 也会屈服. 然而, 这些试探都是外在的, 而不是内在的或属灵的. 他们在属灵的事上不能受试探, 因为他们不知道内在真理, 也没有任何内在良善, 如前所示; 除了在他所知道或所拥有的事物方面外, 没有人能受试探. 试探就是实现重生的实际手段. 这些事就是他们不允许重生的意思. 关于他们在来世的状态和命运, 可参看前文 (939-941, 3481节).

大人和对应 (续)

此处关于与总体上感官的对应

8301. 'Who is like You among the gods, O Jehovah' means that every truth of good emanates from the Lord's Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of 'gods' as truths, dealt with in 4402, 7268, 7873, at this point truths springing from good since comparison with Jehovah is made when it says, Who is like You among the gods, O Jehovah? 'Jehovah' in the Word means the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5041, 5663, 6280, 6281, 6303, 6905, 6945, 6956; but at this point 'Jehovah' is used to mean the Divine Human because the theme of the song is the salvation of those belonging to the spiritual Church, accomplished through the Lord's Coming into the world, and by means of His Divine Human while He was in it, see 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834, 6372, 6854, 6914, 7035, 7091(end), 7828, 7932, 8018, 8054. The reason why the words used mean that every truth of good emanates from the Lord's Divine Human is that truths can emanate from anyone at all, but the truths of good can do so only from the Lord, consequently from those who are governed by good received from the Lord. Truths divorced from good are also contemplated and declared by those who possess faith that is mere persuasion and still lead a life of evil, as well as by many others within the Church. But those truths are not the truths of good, and so they do not emanate from the Lord but from such people themselves.

[2] The fact that truths springing from good emanate from the Lord may be recognized from the consideration that the Lord is Good itself because He is Love itself. Truth emanates from that Love just as light does from the flames of the sun. This truth is also like the light in springtime and summer, which holds warmth within itself and causes all things on the planet to come alive so to speak. But truth that does not flow from good is like the light in wintertime when all things on the planet die off. The reason why 'gods' are the truths of good is that 'gods' is used in the good sense to mean angels, who are called 'gods' because they are substances or forms receiving truth that has good from the Lord within it.

[3] Angels, and therefore the truths of good which emanate from the Lord, are also meant by 'gods' in the following places:

In David,

God places himself in the assembly of God in the midst of the gods will He judge. I said, You are gods and sons of the Most High, all of you. Psalms 82:1, 6.

Truths emanating from the Lord are what 'gods' is used to mean here. This is clear from the fact that the singular, 'in the assembly of God', is used first, and 'in the midst of the gods' afterwards. For 'God' is used in the Word where truth is referred to, see 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010; and in the highest sense 'God' is the Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, 7268.

In the same author,

I will confess You with my whole heart; before the gods I will make melody to You. Psalms 138:1.

In the same author,

There is none like You among the gods O Lord. Psalms 86:8.

In the same author,

A great God is Jehovah, and a great King above all gods. Psalms 95:3.

In the same author,

You, O Jehovah, are [high] above all the earth; You are exceedingly exalted above all gods. Psalms 97:9.

In the same author,

I know that Jehovah is great, and our Lord is above all gods. Psalms 135:5.

So it is too that Jehovah is called Lord of lords and God of gods in Deuteronomy 10:17; Joshua 22:22; Psalms 136:2.

[4] The reason why it is said so many times that Jehovah is above all gods and is God of gods is that at that time a large number of gods were worshipped. Nations were distinguished from one another according to the gods they worshipped, each nation believing that its god was the highest of all. As a result of this the idea of a large number of gods was rooted in everyone's mind, though there was disagreement over which one of them was the greatest, as becomes quite clear from many places in the historical narratives of the Word. That idea was rooted in the minds of the Jews more than others, and this explains why it says so many times in the Word that Jehovah was greater than all gods and that He was King and God of gods. The fact that this idea of a large number of gods was rooted in the minds of the Jews more than other nations becomes quite clear from their frequent apostasy, when they turned to the worship of other gods, many instances of which are recorded in the historical books of the Word, such as Judges 2:10, 13, 17, 19; 3:5-7; 8:27, 33; 10:6, 10, 13; 18:14, 17-18, 20, 24, 31; I Sam. 7:3-4; 8:8; 1 Kings 14:23-24; 16:31-33; 18:20ff; 21:26; 22:53; 2 Kings 16:1, 10ff; 17:7, 15-17; 21:3-7, 21; 23:4-5, 7-8, 10-13; and elsewhere.

[5] The mind of that nation was so unsound that with their lips they declared belief in Jehovah alone, yet in their heart acknowledged other gods. This becomes perfectly clear from the consideration that they saw so many miracles in Egypt, and in addition so many after that - the division of the sea before them and the drowning of Pharaoh's army, the pillar of cloud and fire constantly appearing, the manna raining down from heaven every day, and the actual presence of Jehovah with such great majesty and awe on Mount Sinai. And having seen such miracles they declared openly that Jehovah alone was God. Yet only weeks later, merely because Moses delayed [coming down from the mountain], they asked for molded gods which they could adore. And also after Aaron had made them those people attended them with divine worship through a feast, burnt offerings and sacrifices, and dancing. From this it becomes clear that the worship of many gods remained fixed in their hearts. The fact that this nation was like this, more than any other nation on the entire earth, is also clear in Jeremiah,

Has a nation changed its gods, and My people changed their glory for what does not profit? Be astonished, O heavens, over this, and shudder, be in great trepidation. According to the number of your cities have your gods been, O Judah. Jeremiah 2:11-12, 28.

[6] The character of that nation is also such that they adore external things, and so idols, more than all other nations do; they have no desire whatever to know about internal things. For they are the most avaricious of all nations; and avarice, which with them is such that gold or silver is loved for its own sake and not for the sake of any useful purpose, is an extremely earthly desire. It drags the mind down completely to a physical level and submerges it in it; and it closes interior levels to such an extent that no faith or love whatever from heaven can enter them. This shows how greatly mistaken those people are who believe that that nation will be chosen again, or that the Lord's Church will pass to them again after all others have been cast aside, when in fact you will convert stones to faith in the Lord before you convert them. This belief that the Church will pass to them is again due to many places in the prophetical parts of the Word which speak of their future return. But such people do not know that in those places Judah, Jacob, or Israel is not used to mean that nation, but those among whom the Church resides.