3157. 'Now if you are going to show mercy and truth to my master' means investigation of their consent by both mental powers - will and understanding. This is clear from the meaning of 'mercy' as that which is the essence of good or love, dealt with in 3063, 3073, 3120, and from the meaning of 'truth' as that which is the essence of truth or faith, dealt with in 3121, 3122. Now since the good of love belongs properly to the will, and the truth of faith properly to the understanding, and since the words here - which speak of showing mercy and truth - are addressed to Laban and Bethuel, and so to ordinary human beings, those words mean the things which proceed from both mental powers, from both the will and the understanding. The fact that it is investigation of the consent is evident both from the words used here ('if you are going to show') and the words that follow ('tell me; and if not, tell me, and I will look to the right or to the left').

[2] In human regeneration, which is an image of the Lord's glorification, 3138, the truth of faith may indeed be learned, but it is not acknowledged, still less accepted by good, until consent flows from both mental powers - from the will and from the understanding. Consent is acknowledgement itself. Through that acknowledgement acceptance takes place, especially by the will, for there good resides. And when the truth of faith has been accepted by the will, or what amounts to the same, by good, a person is regenerate, for in his case truth is grounded in good, and faith is grounded in charity; that is, as regards life, truth is charity itself, 3121.

Since this aligns so well with the meaning of "wonder" or "marvel" as a noun, it seems safe to conclude that "wondering" or "marveling" indicates a state of being in direct contact with the Lord's power and wisdom. Used as nouns, "marvels" and "wonders" are generally synonymous with miracles, which are expressions of the Lord's power in the world. In particular, the Lord tells Moses on Mt. Sinai that he will "do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation." This means that the Lord would use the Israelitish nation to create His Word, as contained in the Bible, and that the Word would be a spiritual document -- a marvel -- that will contain everything of the Lord. Overall, then, a wonder or marvel is something that brings us into contact with the Lord and His divine power. So what does this mean concerning "wondering" or "marveling" as verbs? There are just a few references to this in the Works of Swedenborg, most notably when Abraham's servant observes Rebekah at the well in Genesis 24:21, and "wonders" at the fact that she is performing all the signs that he had prayed for. This represents a state of perception -- an openness to the truth flowing in directly from the Lord.