394. And the smoke of the incense for the prayers of the saints ascended before God from the angel's hand. (8:4) This symbolizes their protection by the Lord.

The smoke of incense ascending before God symbolizes something accepted and pleasing. Therefore David says similarly,

Let my prayers be accepted as incense before You. (Psalms 141:2)

That was because the smoke of incense was fragrant owing to the aromatic substances of which incense was composed - stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense (Exodus 30:34). Moreover, the fragrances of these aromatic substances correspond to qualities connected with spiritual love, or with charity and the attendant faith. In heaven, indeed, angels experience the most fragrant aromas corresponding to their perceptions arising from their love. Consequently we also read in many places in the Word that Jehovah smelled a sweet odor. ¹

That this symbolizes protection by the Lord follows from what we said just above in no. 393.

Poznámky pod čarou:

Space and time in the physical world correspond to states of life in the spiritual world. When the Bible talks about someone being “old,” the internal meaning has to do with the progression of spiritual life. And just as elderly people in the physical world tend to be pretty settled in their ideas about life and their place in the scheme of things, the spiritual state described by “old” is one of confirmation and completion -- a state in which a person's ideas have fully crystallized, they are confirmed in who they are and what they believe and think, and they are ready to move on to a new state. As with all things, these representations can be positive or negative -- people can be confirmed in evil loves and the lies that support them just as well as they can be confirmed in love of the Lord or love of the neighbor and the truths that spring from them.