Verse 3. And thus the soul acquires a new regenerate will from the good of the Lord's Divine Humanity (that is, from the character of God as revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ), and endeavours to prepare the heart to receive Divine truths which would conjoin the soul to the Lord, according to the former perception of His will, and the higher faculties rise into a state of love to the Lord, and seek His aid whilst endeavouring to carry out His laws in all the actions of life. [Note.—It is said the new regenerate will is acquired from the good of the Lord's Divine Humanity; that is, from the Lord Jesus Christ, because, apart from Divine good as revealed in His character, the human mind is incapable of forming any true idea of what real good is, and of course of acquiring any new will derived from good.]

1672. 'And the kings who were with him' means the apparent truth that goes with that good. This is clear from the meaning of 'kings' in the Word. Kings, kingdoms, and peoples in the historical and prophetical sections of the Word mean truths and the things that belong to truths, as may be confirmed from many places. In the Word a careful distinction is made between people and nation, 'people' meaning truths, 'nation' goods, as shown already in 1259, 1260. Kings have reference to peoples, and not so much to nations. The children of Israel, before they sought to have kings, were 'a nation' and represented good, or that which is celestial; but after they desired a king and received one, they became 'a people' and represented not good or that which is celestial, but truth or that which is spiritual, and this was the reason why this was ascribed to them as a fault in 1 Samuel 8:7-end. This, in the Lord's Divine mercy, will be explained elsewhere. In the present verse, since 'Chedorlaomer' is referred to, and then the phrase 'the kings who were with him' is added, both good and truth are meant - good by 'Chedorlaomer' and truth by 'the kings'. But what kind of good and truth it was when the Lord's temptations first began has been stated above.