5957. And to his father he sent after this manner. That this signifies what was given gratuitously to spiritual good, is evident from the representation of Israel, who is here the “father,” as being spiritual good from the natural (see n. 5801, 5803, 5807, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833); and from the signification of “sending,” as being to give gratuitously. For everything that flows in from the Lord through the internal into the external, or into the natural (even what flows into spiritual good, which is “Israel,” because this good is from the natural), is given gratuitously. The Lord does indeed demand humiliation, adoration, thanksgivings, and many other things from man, which appear like repayings, and thus not gratuitous; but the Lord does not demand these things for His own sake, for the Divine has no glory from man’s humiliation, adoration, and thanksgiving. In the Divine, anything of the love of self is utterly inconceivable-that such things should be done for His own sake; but they are for the sake of the man himself; for when a man is in humiliation he can receive good from the Lord, because he has then been separated from the love of self and its evils, which are the obstacle; and therefore the Lord wills a state of humiliation in man for his own sake; because when he is in this state the Lord can flow in with heavenly good. The case is similar with adoration, and with thanksgiving.