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Numre 18

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1 HE EN sagde til Aron: Du tillige med dine Sønner og dit Fædrenehus skal have Ansvaret for Helligdommen, og du tillige med dine Sønner skal have Ansvaret for eders Præstetjeneste.

2 Men også dine Brødre, Levis Stamme, din Fædrenestamme, skal du lade træde frem sammen med dig, og de skal holde sig til dig og gå dig til Hånde, når du tillige med dine Sønner gør Tjeneste foran Vidnesbyrdets Telt;

3 og de skal tage Vare på, hvad du har at varetage, og på alt, hvad der er at varetage ved Teltet, men de må ikke komme de hellige Ting eller Alteret nær, at ikke både de og I skal ..

4 De skal holde sig til dig og tage Vare på, hvad der er at varetage ved Åbenbaringsteltet, alt Arbejdet derved, men ingen Lægmand må der komme eder nær.

5 Men I skal tage Vare på, hvad der er at varetage ved Helligdommen og Alteret, for at der ikke atter skal komme Vrede over Israelitterne.

6 Se, jeg har selv udtaget eders Brødre Leviterne af Israelitternes Midte som en Gave til eder, de er givet HE EN til at udføre Arbejdet ved Åbenbaringsteltet.

7 Men du tillige med dine Sønner skal tage Vare på eders Præstegerning i alt, hvad der angår Alteret og det, der er inden for Forhænget, og udføre Arbejdet derved. Som en Gave skænker jeg eder Præstedømmet; men enhver Lægmand, der trænger sig ind deri, skal lide Døden.

8 HE EN talede fremdeles til Aron: Se, jeg giver dig, hvad der skal lægges til Side af mine Offerydelser; alle Israelitternes Helliggaver giver jeg dig og dine Sønner som eders Del, en evig gyldig ettighed.

9 Følgende skal tilfalde dig af det højhellige, fraregnet hvad der opbrændes: Alle deres Offergaver, der falder ind under Afgrødeofre, Syndofre og Skyldofre, som de bringer mig til Erstatning; som højhelligt skal dette tilfalde dig og dine Sønner.

10 På et højhelligt Sted skal du spise det, og alle af Mandkøn må spise deraf; det skal være dig helligt.

11 Fremdeles skal følgende tilfalde dig som Offerydelse af deres Gaver: Alle Gaver fra Israelitterne, hvormed der udføres Svingning, giver jeg dig tillige med dine Sønner og Døtre som en evig gyldig ettighed; enhver, som er ren i dit Hus, må spise deraf.

12 Alt det bedste af Olien, Mosten og Kornet, Førstegrøden deraf, som de giver HE EN, giver jeg dig.

13 De første Frugter af alt, hvad der gror i deres Land, som de bringer HE EN, skal tilfalde dig; enhver, som er ren i dit Hus, må spise deraf.

14 Alt, hvad der lægges Band på i Israel, skal tilfalde dig.

15 Af alt Kød, som de bringer til HE EN, såvel af Mennesker som af Dyr, skal alt, hvad der åbner Moders Liv, tilfalde dig; dog skal du lade de førstefødte Mennesker udløse, og ligeledes skal du lade de førstefødte urene Dyr udløse.

16 Hine skal du lade udløse, når de er en Måned gamle eller derover, med en Vurderingssum af fem Sekel efter hellig Vægt, tyve Gera på en Sekel.

17 Men de førstefødte Stykker Hornkvæg, Lam eller Geder må du ikke lade udløse; de er hellige, deres Blod skal du sprænge på Alteret, og Fedtet skal du bringe som øgoffer, et Ildoffer til en liflig Duft for HE EN;

18 men Kødet tilfalder dig; ligesom Svingningsbrystet og højre Kølle tilfalder det dig.

19 Al Offerydelse af Helliggaver, som Israelitterne yder HE EN, giver jeg dig tillige med dine Sønner og Døtre som en evig gyldig ettighed; det skal være en evig gyldig Saltpagt for HE ENs Åsyn for dig tillige med dine Efterkommere.

20 HE EN sagde fremdeles til Aron: Du skal ingen Arvelod have i deres Land, og der skal ikke tilfalde dig nogen Lod iblandt dem; jeg selv er din Arvelod og Del blandt Israelitterne.

21 Men se, Levisønnerne giver jeg al Tiende i Israel som Arvelod til Løn for det Arbejde, de udfører ved Åbenbaringsteltet.

22 Israelitterne må herefter ikke komme Åbenbaringsteltet nær, for at de ikke skal pådrage sig Synd og ;

23 kun Leviterne må udføre Arbejdet ved Åbenbaringsteltet, og de skal have Ansvaret derfor. Det skal være eder en evig gyldig Anordning fra Slægt til Slægt. Men nogen Arvelod skal de ikke have blandt Israelitterne;

24 thi Tienden, Israelitterne yder HE EN som Offerydelse, giver jeg Leviterne til Arvelod. Derfor sagde jeg dem, at de ikke skal have nogen Arvelod blandt Israelitterne.

25 HE EN talede fremdeles til Moses og sagde:

26 Tal til Leviterne og sig til dem: Når I af Israelitterne modtager Tienden, som jeg har givet eder som den Arvelod, I skal have af dem, så skal I yde HE EN en Offerydelse deraf, Tiende af Tienden;

27 og denne eders Offerydelse skal ligestilles med Offerydelsen af Kornet fra Tærskepladsen og Overfloden fra Vinpersen.

28 Således skal også I yde HE EN en Offerydelse af al den Tiende, I modtager af Israelitterne, og denne HE ENs Offerydelse skal I give Præsten Aron.

29 Af alle de Gaver, I modtager, skal I yde HE ENs Offerydelse, af alt det bedste deraf, som hans Helliggave.

30 Og sig til dem: Når I yder det bedste deraf, skal det ligestilles med Offerydelsen af, hvad der kommer fra Tærskepladsen og Vinpersen.

31 I må spise det hvor som helst sammen med eders Familie, thi det er eders Løn for eders Arbejde ved Åbenbaringsteltet.

32 Når I blot yder det bedste deraf, skal I ikke for den Sags Skyld pådrage eder Synd og ikke vanhellige Israelitternes Helliggaver og udsætte eder for at .

   


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Arcana Coelestia # 4925

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4925. 'That behold, his brother came out' means the truth of good. This is clear from the meaning of 'brother' as that which is kindred, by virtue of good, dealt with in 3815, 4267, and so the truth of good. The truth of good is that truth which is rooted in good, or that faith which is rooted in charity. Dealt with here in the internal sense is the birthright in the case of those who are being born again or regenerated by the Lord, and therefore the birthright within the Church. It has been a matter of argument since most ancient times as to which is the firstborn, whether this is the good of charity or whether it is the truth of faith. Unseen while a person is being born again and becoming a Church, good conceals itself within the interior man and reveals itself solely within some affection which does not pass into the conscious feelings of the external or natural man until he has been born again. But truth reveals itself, for this does enter his conscious feelings and lodges in the memory belonging to the external or natural man. This explains why many have fallen into the error that truth is the firstborn, and at length even thinking that truth is the vital element of the Church, so vital that truth which is called faith can save a person without the good of charity.

[2] From this one error very many others have been derived which have infected not only what is taught but also life, such as the error that no matter what kind of life a person leads he can be saved provided he has faith. A further derivative error is that very wicked people are accepted into heaven provided that in the final hour before they die they declare their belief in those things which are matters of faith; and another such error is that, irrespective of the kind of life one has led, one is accepted into heaven solely by grace. Because people hold to this teaching they fail at length to know what charity is or to have any concern about what it is, till in the end they do not believe in the existence of it, or consequently in the existence of heaven and hell. The reason for this is that faith without charity, or truth without good, teaches a person nothing; and the more it departs from good, the more foolish it makes him. For good is what the Lord flows into and through which He flows, imparting intelligence and wisdom and consequently a superior ability to see, and also perception whether something is really true or not.

[3] From these considerations one may now see the position with regard to the birthright, namely that in actual fact it belongs to good but appears to belong to truth. This is what the birth of Tamar's two sons is used to describe in the internal sense. 'The twice-dyed thread' which the midwife bound on the hand that came out means good, as shown in 4922; 'coming out first' means priority of place, 4923; 'withdrawing the hand' means that good concealed its own power, as stated immediately above [in 4924]; 'his brother came out' means truth; 'you have made a breach upon yourself means this truth's apparent separation from good; 'afterwards his brother came out' means that good is in actual fact first; and 'on whose hand was the twice-dyed thread' means the acknowledgement that good is first. For it is not until after a person has been born again that good is acknowledged to be first, at which point that person's actions spring from good, and his view of truth and what this is like springs from the same.

[4] These are the matters contained within the internal sense, in which teaching is given regarding the good and truth with a person who is being born anew, namely that good in actual fact occupies first place but truth appears to do so, and that good is not seen to occupy the first place while a person is being regenerated but is plainly seen to do so once he has been regenerated. But there is no need to explain these matters any further since they have been explained already - see 3324, 3325, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 4244, 4247, 4337; and the fact that controversy has taken place since ancient times over whether the birthright belonged to good or to truth, that is, to charity or to faith, 2435.

[5] Because in the highest sense the Lord is the firstborn, and therefore love to Him and charity towards the neighbour are the firstborn, the law was for that reason laid down in the representative Church that firstborn things were Jehovah's: in Moses,

Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, that which opens the womb among the children of Israel; with man and with beast let them be Mine. Exodus 13:2.

You shall make over to Jehovah all that opens the worm', and every firstling of a beast; however many males you have they shall be Jehovah's. Exodus 13:12.

All that opens the womb is Mine; therefore among all your cattle, you shall give the male. that among oxen and small cattle which opens [the womb]. Exodus 34:19.

All that opens the womb among all flesh which they bring to Jehovah, from men and from beasts, shall be yours. Nevertheless you shall surely redeem all the firstborn of men. Numbers 18:15.

Behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, instead of every firstborn, that which opens the womb, from the children of Israel, so that the Levites may be Mine. Numbers 3:12.

[6] Because the firstborn is the one that opens the womb, the expression 'that which opens the womb' is therefore added, when the firstborn is mentioned in these places, so as to mean good. It is evident that this expression means good from the specific details contained in the internal sense, especially from those which are recorded regarding the sons of Tamar: Zerah is said to have opened the womb with his hand, and 'Zerah' represents good, as is also clear from the twice-dyed thread placed on his hand, dealt with in 4922. In addition to this 'the womb', to which the expression 'opened' is applied, means the place where good and truth, consequently the Church, lie, see 4918, while 'opening the womb' means supplying the power which enables truth to be born.

[7] Because the Lord is the only firstborn - He being Good itself, and His Good being the source of all truth - Jacob, who was not the firstborn, was therefore allowed to purchase the birthright from Esau his brother so that he might represent Him. Also, because this was not sufficient, he was called Israel, so that by this name he might represent the good of truth; for 'Israel' in the representative sense means good which comes through truth, 3654, 4286, 4598.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.