Israel’s war with the tribe of Benjamin

The events of the previous chapter carry over into the last two chapters of the book of Judges, this one and the final one. The overall content of this chapter is about the division between Israel and the tribe of Benjamin (where the town of Gibeah was situated) and the eventual long war in which thousands on both sides died.

All Israel gathered together at Mizpah, four hundred thousand foot soldiers with swords, from every tribe, except the tribe of Benjamin who heard about the gathering. The reason for coming together, prompted by the dismembered parts of the concubine, was to decide what to do. The Levite told the story of the events. The men of Israel heard and decided that they would all immediately go up against the tribe of Benjamin, for them to hand over the perverted men of Gibeah for justice to be done and for Israel to be redeemed. They agreed to take one man out of every ten to go and, if necessary, to fight.

The spiritual meaning in this opening and gathering of Israel at Mizpah is mostly about its incompleteness. The tribe of Benjamin was not present even though Mizpah was in Benjamin’s territory. Spiritual incompleteness in us is to leave something out of our love and faithfulness to the Lord which makes each one of us a whole being. The twelve tribes of Israel stand for all the qualities which come together to form our spiritual life and purpose. (True Christian Religion 38)

The men of Israel go up and ask the Lord who should go to fight first. The reply is that Judah go first. The men of Benjamin refuse to hand the men of Gibeah over and they form an army to fight Israel. In the fighting, the men of Benjamin cut down twenty-two thousand men of Israel. Israel goes and weeps to the Lord and asks if they should go up again against their brother Benjamin. The Lord says they are to go up again.

The spiritual meaning of the tribe of Benjamin is that it stands for the ‘medium’ or the vital connection between what is internal or celestial and what is external or natural. If this connection is absent there is no passage or mutual link between these two and they are separated. This removes the completeness of our spiritual life as a whole. (See Arcana Caelestia 5822.)

Israel goes up against Benjamin on the second day and eighteen thousand men of Israel are cut down by the army of Benjamin. Israel goes to the house of the Lord and weeps, and asks if they should yet go out to fight their brother Benjamin. The Lord says that they are to fight a third time, and the He will deliver them into their hand.

Israel weeps. Weeping or crying stands for mourning the loss of something which is no longer present. In a good sense ‘weeping’ can be for the sense of loss of what is loved and what is part of us, here represented by ‘to battle the children of my brother Benjamin’.

The Lord wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44). (Arcana Caelestia 4293.3)

Israel fights on three consecutive day, and on the third day they defeat the tribe of Benjamin. ‘On the third day’ (see verse 30) stands for the need for conflict and personal states in our spiritual temptations and battles to be worked through until they are brought to an end and we can be brought out of temptation, into a new state. (Arcana Caelestia 5159)

The men of Israel laid an ambush and then went as before to fight the men of Benjamin. They moved away from them and Benjamin followed them and killed some men of Israel. The men in ambush arose and went to Gibeah and by arrangement made a great column of smoke after killing the men of the city. (Arcana Caelestia 9144) The men of Benjamin saw this and panicked, and twenty three thousand of them were slain. Six hundred men escaped and hid, and Israel went all around and destroyed men of Benjamin wherever they were found.

The spiritual meaning of this final battle is in the extent of the numbers killed and the aftermath of the victory with further killing. To ‘kill’ (or destroy) when it is used in the Word is to work completely towards the full expulsion of states, thoughts and intentions in us which are in opposition to the way of the Word and its wholeness and healing. (Arcana Caelestia 9320) This is the meaning of the term ‘vastation’ in which things which are opposed to the Lord need to be worked through and brought to an end so that a new state can come.

5117. 'And its clusters ripened into grapes' means spiritual truth when joined to celestial good. This is clear from the meaning of 'ripening' as the advancement of rebirth or regeneration even to the point where truth is joined to good, and so the two are joined together; and from the meaning of 'clusters' as the truth of spiritual good, and 'grapes' as the good of celestial truth; in this instance both of these as they exist within the sensory awareness represented by 'the cupbearer' is meant. The joining together of them within that sensory awareness may be likened to the ripening of clusters into grapes, for in rebirth or regeneration every truth aims to become joined to good. At first truth is unreceptive of life and is not therefore fruitful. This stage is represented in the fruits of trees while they are ripening. In unripe fruit, called 'clusters' here, that state when truth is still predominant is represented, whereas in ripe fruit, called 'grapes' here, the state when good has predominance is represented. This predominance of good is also represented in the flavour and the sweetness that one finds in ripe grapes. But regarding the joining together of truth and good within the sensory awareness subject to the understanding part, nothing more can be said as these are arcana too deep for anyone to understand. First of all one needs to have a thorough knowledge of the state of the celestial-spiritual and of sensory awareness, and also of the state of the natural in which that joining together of truth and good takes place.

[2] 'Grapes' means the good of the spiritual man, and so means charity. This may be seen from many places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. ¹ He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. Isaiah 5:1-2, 4.

'A vineyard' stands for the spiritual Church; 'he looked for it to yield grapes' for the good deeds of charity; 'but it yielded wild grapes' for the bad deeds of hatred and revenge.

[3] In the same prophet,

Thus said Jehovah, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it. Isaiah 65:8.

'The new wine in the cluster' stands for truth obtained from good within the natural.

[4] In Jeremiah,

I will surely gather them, says Jehovah; there will be no grapes on the vine, and no figs on the fig tree. Jeremiah 8:13.

'No grapes on the vine' stands for the non-existence of any interior or rational good, 'no figs on the fig tree' for the non-existence of any exterior or natural good; for 'the vine' means the understanding part, as shown just above in 5113. When truth and good exist joined together there, 'the vine' means the rational, for the rational exists as a result of that joining together. As regards 'the fig' meaning the good of the natural or exterior man, see 217.

[5] In Hosea,

Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel, like the first fruit on the fig tree, in its beginning, I saw your fathers. Hosea 9:10.

'Grapes in the wilderness' stands for rational good not yet made spiritual; 'the first fruit on the fig tree' in a similar way for natural good. 'Israel' stands for the ancient spiritual Church when it first began, 'fathers' here and elsewhere being not the sons of Jacob but those people among whom the Ancient Church was first established.

[6] In Micah,

There was no cluster to eat; my soul desired the first fruit. The holy man has perished from the earth, and there is none upright among men. Micah 7:1-2.

'Cluster to eat' stands for the good of charity in its first beginnings, 'the first fruit' for the truth of faith at the same stage also.

[7] In Amos,

Behold, the days are coming, so that the ploughman catches up with the reaper, and the treader of grapes with him who sows seed. The mountains will drip new wine, and all the hills will flow down with it. And I will bring again the captivity of My people, in order that they may build the devastated cities, and may settle down and plant vineyards, and may drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. Amos 9:13-14.

This refers to the establishment of the spiritual Church, which is described in this manner. The joining of spiritual good to its truth is foretold by the statement that the ploughman will catch up with the reaper, and the joining of spiritual truth to its good by the statement that the treader of grapes will catch up with the one who sows seed. The good deeds of love and charity resulting from that joining together are meant by the statement that the mountains will drip new wine and the hills will flow down with it. 'Bringing again the captivity of the people stands for deliverance from falsities, 'building the devastated cities' for the correction of falsified teachings regarding the truth, 'settling down and planting vineyards' for a development of what constitutes the spiritual Church, 'drinking their wine' for making the truths of that Church one's own, which truths teach about charity, and 'making gardens and eating their fruit' for making one's own the forms of good derived from these. Anyone can see that building cities, planting vineyards, drinking wine, making gardens and eating their fruit are descriptions of merely natural activities, which but for the spiritual sense would hold nothing Divine within them.

[8] In Moses,

He washes his clothing in wine, and his garment in the blood of grapes. Genesis 49:11.

This refers to the Lord. 'Wine' stands for spiritual good originating in Divine love, 'the blood of grapes' for celestial good originating in the same.

[9] In the same author,

Butter from the herd, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs and of rams, the breed ² of Bashan, and of goats, with kidney-fat of wheat; and of the blood of the grape you drink unmixed wine. Deuteronomy 32:14.

This refers to the Ancient Church whose good deeds of love and charity are described in this manner. Each particular product referred to means some specific kind of good. 'The blood of the grape' means spiritual-celestial good, the expression used for the Divine in heaven, coming forth from the Lord. Wine is also called 'the blood' of grapes because wine and blood mean holy truth coming forth from the Lord, though 'wine' is used in reference to the spiritual Church and 'blood' to the celestial Church. For the same reason wine has also been prescribed in the Holy Supper.

[10] In the same author,

From the vine of Sodom comes their vine, and from the fields of Gomorrah; its grapes are grapes of poison, they have clusters of bitterness. Deuteronomy 32:32.

This refers to the Jewish Church. 'From the vine of Sodom comes their vine, and from the fields of Gomorrah' stands for the fact that the understanding part is occupied by falsities that are the product of hellish love. 'Its grapes are grapes of poison, they have clusters of bitterness' stands for the fact that the will part is in the same predicament; for as 'the grape' in the good sense means charity, it is therefore used in reference to the will part, though to the will present within the understanding part. The same is true in the contrary sense, for all truth belongs essentially to the understanding, and all good essentially to the will.

[11] In John,

The angel said, Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the earth, for its grapes have ripened. Revelation 14:18.

'Gathering the clusters of the earth' stands for destroying all existence of charity.

[12] In Matthew,

By their fruits you will know them. Do people gather grapes from thorns, and figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16.

And in Luke,

Every tree is known by its own fruit; for people do not collect figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble-bush. Luke 6:44.

The subject here being charity towards the neighbour, it is said that they will be recognized 'by their fruits', which are the good deeds of charity. Internal good deeds of charity are meant by 'grapes', external ones by 'figs'.

[13] The law was laid down in the Jewish Church,

When you enter your companion's vineyard you shall eat grapes at your pleasure until you have had enough; ³ but you shall not put them into your vessel. Deuteronomy 23:24.

This law implies that when anyone is among others whose teachings and religion are different from his own, he is free to learn about and welcome their charitable deeds, but he is not free to adopt the same charitable practices and link them into his own truths. 'A vineyard', meaning the Church, describes a place where teaching or religion exists; 'grapes' means the good deeds of charity, 'vessel' the truth that the Church possesses.

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