10401. 'And Aaron said to them' means the outward features of the Word, the Church, and worship, devoid of the inward. This is clear from the representation here of 'Aaron' as the outward features of the Word, the Church, and worship, devoid of the inward, dealt with above in 10397. The fact that no Church existed among the Israelite and Jewish nation, only what was representative of a Church, thus an outward form devoid of the inward substance, is perfectly clear from Aaron, who, though a typical member of that nation, was nevertheless made the high priest, to whom the most sacred things of the Church were entrusted, and who was therefore considered to be holier than everyone else. For it is said of him that he made the golden calf, built an altar for it, made a proclamation that there was to be 'a feast to Jehovah' for it, brought that sin upon the people, and caused them to become undisciplined, in verses 2, 4-5, 21, 25, 35; and elsewhere that Jehovah was greatly moved with anger against Aaron and would have destroyed him, and that Moses prayed for him, Deuteronomy 9:20. These words imply that Aaron was like the people, who were idolatrous at heart, 4208, 4281, 4820, 5998, 6877, 7401, 8301, 8882. But since only the outward form of a Church devoid of its inward substance existed with that nation, and yet by means of it there was contact with heaven, it did not matter what a person there was like, provided that when engaged in external observances he obeyed what had been decreed and revered it.

In the case of representatives no attention is paid to the person, only to the reality represented by that person, see 665, 1097(end), 3670, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4444, 8588.

3402. 'Anyone touching this man and his wife will surely die' means that Divine Truth and Divine Good were not to be disclosed, insomuch that not even any approach was to be made towards them by faith because of the danger of eternal condemnation if they were profaned. This is clear from the meaning of 'touching this man and his wife' as making an approach towards Divine Truth and Divine Good, represented by Isaac and Rebekah - truth here being mentioned first and good second because the subject is people who belong to the spiritual Church and who are capable of adulterating and indeed of profaning truth, but not good, which is why the expression 'man and wife' (vir et mulier) is used, see 915, 2517; and from the meaning of 'surely dying' as eternal condemnation (which is spiritual death) resulting from profanation, under discussion here.

[2] For information about the Lord in His providence not allowing anyone, because of the danger of eternal condemnation, to enter into goodness and truth, that is, into an acknowledgement of them and affection for them, beyond the point where he is able to remain with them, see above in 3398. For goodness and truth, as stated and shown several times already, are such that when present with a person they retreat to an internal position that is determined by the amount of evil and falsity also present in him. Consequently insofar as the angels present with him from heaven depart, the devil-spirits present with him from hell draw near, and vice versa. To one in whom evil and falsity are present, the removal of good and truth, and consequently of angels, is not apparent, for at that time he is convinced that evil is good, and falsity is truth. This conviction arises from his affection for them and from the resulting delight. And when this is his state he is quite incapable of recognizing that goodness and truth have been removed from him. Goodness and truth - or angels - are said to be removed from a person when he has no affection for them, that is, when he no longer takes any delight in them, and instead his affection is for the things that go with self-love and love of the world, that is, when he takes delight wholly in these.

[3] Having a knowledge of goodness and truth - or holding them in the memory, and testifying to them with the lips - does not constitute possession of goodness and truth, but a heartfelt affection for them does. Nor does anyone possess goodness and truth when his affection for them springs from a desire to gain reputation or wealth by means of them. In his case he is not stirred by any real affection for them but by honour and gain, and he makes such goodness and truth the means for obtaining these. In the next life the goods and truths which such people have known, even proclaimed, are taken away from them, while the self-love and love of the world remain from which their life is derived. From these considerations it may be seen what the situation is with goodness and truth, namely that unless he is able to remain with them to the end of his life no one is allowed to approach goodness and truth with affection and faith, unlike those who actually profane them, for such people are unable to be held back from approaching them.