8717. And it shall be, every great word let them bring unto thee. That this signifies that everything is from the truth that is immediately from the Divine, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being truth immediately from the Divine (see n. 7010, 7382); that everything is from this, is signified by “every great word let them bring unto him.” It appears from the sense of the letter as if everything was to be brought to Divine truth; but as everything comes from the Lord through the truth proceeding from Him, for everything of life is from Him, therefore in the internal sense it is not signified to this truth, but from it. The case herein is as was shown concerning influx (n. 3721, 5119, 5259, 5779, 6322), namely, that influx does not take place from exteriors to interiors; but from interiors to exteriors. The reason is that all exteriors are formed to minister to interiors, as instrumental causes to their principal causes, and the former are dead causes without the latter. Be it known that in the internal sense things are set forth such as they are in themselves; not such as they appear in the sense of the letter.

[2] In itself the fact is that by means of the truth proceeding from Himself the Lord directs all things down to the veriest singulars; not as a king in the world, but as God in heaven and in the universe. A king in the world exercises only a care over the whole, and his princes and officers a particular care. It is otherwise with God, for God sees all things, and knows all things from eternity, and provides all things to eternity, and from Himself holds all things in their order. From this it is evident that the Lord has not only a care over the whole, but also a particular and individual care of all things, otherwise than as a king in the world. His disposing is immediate through the truth Divine from Himself, and is also mediate through heaven. But the mediate disposing through heaven is also as it were immediate from Himself, for what comes out of heaven comes through heaven from Him. That this is so the angels in heaven not only know, but also perceive in themselves. (That the Divine disposing or providence of the Lord is in all things and each, nay, in the veriest singulars of all, howsoever otherwise it appears before man, see n. 4329, 5122, 5904, 6058, 6481-6487, 6490, 6491.)

[3] But this subject falls with difficulty into the idea of any man, and least of all into the idea of those who trust in their own prudence; for they attribute to themselves all things that happen prosperously for them, and the rest they ascribe to fortune, or chance; and few to the Divine Providence. Thus they attribute the things that happen to dead causes, and not to the living cause. When things turn out happily they indeed say that it is of God, and even that there is nothing that is not from Him; but few, and scarcely any, at heart believe it. In like manner do those who place all prosperity in worldly and bodily things, namely, in honors and riches, and believe that these alone are Divine blessings; and therefore when they see many of the evil abound in such things, and not so much the good, they reject from their heart and deny the Divine Providence in individual things, not considering that Divine Blessing is to be happy to eternity, and that the Lord regards such things as are of brief duration, as relatively, are the things of this world, no otherwise than as means to eternal things. Wherefore also the Lord provides for the good, who receive His mercy in time, such things as contribute to the happiness of their eternal life; riches and honors for those to whom they are not hurtful; and no riches and honors for those to whom they would be hurtful. Nevertheless to these latter He gives in time, in the place of honors and riches, to be glad with a few things, and to be more content than the rich and honored.

5119. And I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup. That this signifies reciprocal influx into the goods from a spiritual origin there, is evident from the signification of “grapes,” as being the goods of charity (of which just above, n. 5117), thus goods from a spiritual origin, for all the goods of genuine charity are from this source; and from the signification of “pressing into Pharaoh’s cup,” as being reciprocal influx. By reciprocal influx it is not meant that the exterior natural flows into the interior, because this is impossible; for exterior things cannot possibly flow into interior things; or what is the same thing, lower or posterior things into higher and prior ones; but the rational calls forth the things which are in the interior natural, and by means of this the things which are in the exterior; not that the things themselves which are therein are called forth, but that which has been concluded or as it were extracted from them. Such is the nature of reciprocal influx. It appears as if the things which are in the world flow in through the senses toward the interiors, but this is a fallacy of sense; the influx is of interiors into exteriors, and by means of this influx, perception. On these subjects I have at times conversed with spirits; and it was shown by living experience that the interior man sees and perceives in the exterior what is done outside of this, and that the sensuous has life from no other source, or that from no other source is the faculty of sense, or sensation. But this fallacy is of such a nature, and so great, that it can by no means be dispelled by the natural man, and not even by the rational unless this is able to think abstractedly from what is sensuous. These things are said in order that it may be known what reciprocal influx is.