Maleachi 1
1
Dies ist die Last, die der HERR redet wider Israel durch Maleachi.
2
Ich habe euch lieb, spricht der HERR. So sprecht ihr: "Womit hast du uns lieb?" Ist nicht Esau Jakobs Bruder? spricht der HERR; und doch habe ich Jakob lieb
3
und hasse Esau und habe sein Gebirge öde gemacht und sein Erbe den Schakalen zur Wüste.
4
Und ob Edom sprechen würde: Wir sind verderbt, aber wir wollen das Wüste wieder erbauen! so spricht der HERR Zebaoth also: Werden sie bauen, so will ich abbrechen, und es soll heißen die verdammte Grenze und ein Volk, über das der HERR zürnt ewiglich.
5
Das sollen eure Augen sehen, und ihr werdet sagen: Der HERR ist herrlich in den Grenzen Israels.
6
Ein Sohn soll seinen Vater ehren und ein Knecht seinen Herrn. Bin ich nun Vater, wo ist meine Ehre? bin ich HERR, wo fürchtet man mich? spricht der HERR Zebaoth zu euch Priestern, die meinen Namen verachten. So sprecht ihr: "Womit verachten wir deinen Namen?"
7
Damit daß ihr opfert auf meinem Altar unreines Brot. So sprecht ihr: "Womit opfern wir dir Unreines?" damit daß ihr sagt: "Des HERRN Tisch ist verachtet."
8
Und wenn ihr ein blindes opfert, so muß es nicht böse heißen; und wenn ihr ein Lahmes oder Krankes opfert, so muß es auch nicht böse heißen. Bringe es deinem Fürsten! was gilt's, ob du ihm gefallen werdest, oder ob er deine Person ansehen werde? spricht der HERR Zebaoth.
9
So bittet nun Gott, daß er uns gnädig sei! denn solches ist geschehen von euch. Meint ihr, er werde eure Person ansehen? spricht der HERR Zebaoth.
10
Daß doch einer unter euch die Türen zuschlösse, damit ihr nicht umsonst auf meinem Altar Feuer anzündet! Ich habe kein Gefallen an euch, spricht der HERR Zebaoth, und das Speisopfer von euren Händen ist mir nicht angenehm.
11
Aber von Aufgang der Sonne bis zum Niedergang soll mein Name herrlich werden unter den Heiden, und an allen Orten soll meinem Namen geräuchert werden und ein reines Speisopfer geopfert werden; denn mein Name soll herrlich werden unter den Heiden, spricht der HERR Zebaoth.
12
Ihr aber entheiligt ihn damit, daß ihr sagt: "Des HERR Tisch ist unheilig, und sein Opfer ist verachtet samt seiner Speise."
13
Und ihr sprecht: "Siehe, es ist nur Mühe!" und schlagt es in den Wind, spricht der HERR Zebaoth. Und ihr bringt her, was geraubt, lahm und krank ist, und opfert dann Speisopfer. Sollte mir solches gefallen von eurer Hand? spricht der HERR.
14
Verflucht sei der Betrüger, der in seiner Herde ein Männlein hat, und wenn er ein Gelübde tut, opfert er dem HERR ein untüchtiges. Denn ich bin ein großer König, spricht der HERR Zebaoth, und mein Name ist schrecklich unter den Heiden.
Apocalypse Revealed # 832
832. 19:18 "That you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great." This symbolizes an assimilation of goods from the Lord through the truths in the Word and in doctrine drawn from it, of every level of meaning, degree or kind.
The subject of no. 831 above was conjunction with the Lord through the Word, and now here it is the assimilation of goods from Him through the Word's truths.
To eat symbolically means to assimilate (no. 89). The flesh the people were to eat symbolizes goods in the Word and so in the church. And kings, commanders, mighty men, horses and those who sit on them, and people, free and slave, both small and great symbolize truths of every level of meaning, degree or kind. Kings symbolize people governed by the church's truths from the Word, and abstractly the church's truths from the Word themselves (nos. 20, 483). Commanders symbolize people who possess concepts of goodness and truth, and abstractly those concepts themselves (no. 337). Mighty men symbolize people who are learned in doctrine from the Word, and abstractly the learning gained from there itself (nos. 337). Horses symbolize an understanding of the Word, and those who sit on them symbolize people who are wise owing to their understanding of the Word, and abstractly the wisdom gained from there itself (nos. 298, 820). People free and slave symbolize people who acquire knowledge on their own and people who gain it from others (nos. 337, 604). People small and great symbolize people who do so to a lesser or greater degree (nos. 527, 810).
It is apparent from this that the people's being called to eat the flesh of those listed symbolizes an assimilation of goods from the Lord through the truths in the Word and in doctrine drawn from it, of every level of meaning, degree or kind.
[2] It should be known that no one has any spiritual good from the Lord except through truths from the Word. For the Word's truths exist in the light of heaven, and goods in the warmth of that light. Consequently unless one's intellect is in the light of heaven through the Word, his will cannot enter into the warmth of heaven. Love and charity cannot take form except through truths from the Word. A person cannot be reformed except through truths from the Word. The church itself takes form in a person in consequence of those truths - not in consequence of those truths in the intellect alone, but by living in accordance with them. Only then do truths enter into the will and become goods. The appearance of truth is thus turned into the appearance of good. For what pertains to the will and so to the love is called good, and everything pertaining to the will or love is also part of a person's life.
It can be seen from this that what is meant here by eating the flesh of those listed is an assimilation of goodness through truths of every level of meaning, degree or kind, through the Word, from the Lord.
Who cannot see that flesh here does not mean flesh? Who can be so irrational as to believe that the Lord calls and summons all people to a great supper in order to have them eat the flesh of kings, commanders, mighty men, horses, those who sit on them, and all people, free and slave, both small and great? Who cannot see that there is in this a spiritual meaning, and that apart from that meaning no one knows what is meant here? Who can continue to deny that the Word at its heart is spiritual? Would it not be no more than something material if people were to understand it according to its literal sense and not according to the spiritual sense?
[3] Similar to the passage here is the following one in Ezekiel:
...thus says the Lord Jehovih, "Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: 'Gather yourselves and come; gather together from all sides to My... great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth... You shall eat fat till you are full, and drink blood till you are drunk, at My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you. You shall be filled at My table with horses and chariots and... with all the men of war... (Thus) will I set My glory among the nations." (Ezekiel 39:17-21)
Flesh here likewise symbolizes the church's goodness from the Lord through the Word, and blood the church's truth.
Who does not see that people would not be given blood to drink to the point of drunkenness, and would not eat horses, chariots, mighty men, and men of war till they were full, at the table of the Lord Jehovih?
Accordingly, when flesh symbolizes the church's goodness and blood the church's truth, it is clearly apparent that the Lord's flesh and blood in holy supper symbolize Divine goodness and Divine truth from the Lord, the same as bread and wine, regarding which see John 6:51-58. 1
Flesh symbolizes goodness in many other places in the Word as well, as in the following:
I will... remove the heart of stone from their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh... (Ezekiel 11:19, cf. 36:26)
My flesh longs for You in a dry... land... (Psalms 63:1)
My heart and my flesh shout aloud for the living God. (Psalms 84:2)
My flesh... will dwell secure. (Psalms 16:9)
When you see the naked and cover him, and do not hide yourself from your own flesh... (Isaiah 58:7)
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven - not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."
