10568. And he said unto Him, If Thy faces go not, do not make us go up from hence. That this signifies that if the Divine be not there, there will not be anything of the church, is evident from the signification of the “faces of Jehovah,” as being the interior Divine things of the church, of worship, and of the Word (of which just above, see n. 10567); and from the signification of “not making us go up hence,” as being that there will not be anything of the church. The reason why this is signified by these words, is that by being “brought into the land of Canaan” is signified the setting up of the church; thus by “not making us go up from hence” is signified that thus there will not be anything of the church. That by being “brought into the land of Canaan” is signified the setting up of the church, may be seen above (n. 10560, 10561); and this is signified for the reason that by “the land of Canaan” in the Word nothing else is understood in heaven but the church, for in heaven all things of the Word are spiritually perceived. Wherefore when mention is made of any land, they think there of such things as are of the church in that land, or with the nation there. The angels of heaven cannot keep the mind in the idea of any land, because the idea of land is material; nor in the idea of any nation, for this idea also is material. Wherefore a spiritual idea at once occurs to them, which idea is about the church. In general a spiritual idea is about the Lord, His kingdom, heaven, the church, love to and faith in the Lord, and about countless things that belong to faith and love, thus that belong to the church. And if you will believe it, it is impossible for any material idea to enter heaven; it is put off at the first threshold. Such is the case with the whole and every part of the Word. From this then it is that by being “brought into the land of Canaan” is signified the setting up of the church; and by “not being brought” as here is signified no setting up of it.

10567. And he said, My faces shall go, and I will make thee to rest. That this signifies that the Divine of the church, of worship, and of the Word shall be there, but with the nation itself what is external without it, is evident from the signification of “faces,” as being the interiors (see the places cited in n. 9546), and when said concerning Jehovah, as being things Divine, here the Divine things of the church, of worship, and of the Word; from the signification of “going,” as being to live (see n. 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605, 8417, 8420, 9440), but when said of Jehovah, it denotes to give life, to be present, and to lead; for from this does man live; and from the signification of “making Moses rest,” as being the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, in which interior Divine things close; for by Moses is represented this external (n. 10563), and by “resting” is signified to rest and to close, thus that in which interior Divine things rest or in which they close; moreover in the original tongue this word means to rest and close. (That the interior things of the church, of worship, and of the Word close in their external, and that they rest upon it as upon their plane, or as a house upon its foundation, may be seen above, n. 9216.) That these things are signified by “making Moses rest,” is evident from what follows in this chapter in the internal sense, in which the interiors of the Word, of the church, and of worship are treated of, and the external wherein they close. This external is that which is represented by Moses.