10105. 'And boil its flesh in a holy place' means employing the truths of doctrine seen in light received from the Lord to make good ready for use in life. This is clear from the meaning of 'boiling' as employing the truths of doctrine to make ready for use in life; from the meaning of 'flesh' as good, dealt with in 7850, 9127; and from the meaning of 'in a holy place' as thanks to Divine enlightenment. For a holy place is one where what is Divine and the Lord's is present, and so, when the expression has specific reference to the truths of doctrine, is one where Divine enlightenment exists; for where what is Divine and the Lord's is present, so is enlightenment. The reason why 'boiling the flesh of the sacrifice' means employing the truths of doctrine to make good ready for use in life is that flesh, by which good is meant, is by that means made ready for the use of the body; consequently being made ready for use in life is meant in the spiritual sense. The fact that the truths of doctrine are what are employed to make good ready is self-evident, for use is what those truths teach. Also 'the water' in which the flesh is boiled means truths, see 2702, 3058, 3424, 5668, 8568, 9323.

[2] The words 'employing the truths of doctrine seen in light received from the Lord' are used because truths drawn from the Word have to be marshalled into doctrine in order that they may be put to use. The marshalling must be done by those who see things in light received from the Lord; and those so enlightened when they read the Word are people who desire truth for its own sake and for the sake of goodness of life, not those who desire it for the sake of self-glorification, reputation, or gain. Doctrine drawn from the Word is wholly essential for understanding the Word, see 9025, 9409, 9410, 9424, 9430; and those who gather doctrine from the Word must see things in light received from the Lord, 9382, 9424.

[3] The meaning of 'boiling in water' as turning truths into doctrine and thereby making them ready for use in life seems at first sight to be implausible and far-fetched. Nevertheless that is indeed the meaning, as becomes clear from places in the Word where the words 'boiling in water' occur, and also where 'a pot' in which the boiling is done is mentioned, as in the second Book of Kings,

Elisha came again to Gilgal, when there was a famine in the land. When the sons of the prophets were sitting before him he said to his servant, Put on a great pot, and boil a soup for the sons of the prophets. One of them went out into the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine, and gathered from it wild gourds, and cut them up into the pot of soup. While they were eating of the soup they cried out, There is death in the pot, O man of God! Therefore he said that they should bring flour, which he threw into the pot, and said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. Then there was not anything bad in the pot. 2 Kings 4:38-41.

This miracle, like all others in the Word, holds holy things of the Church within it, which are made evident by the internal sense. This sense shows that Elisha represented the Lord in respect of the Word, as Elijah had done; that 'the sons of the prophets' are those who teach truths drawn from the Word; that 'the pot' which was put on at Elisha's command is doctrine formed from them; that 'a wild vine' and 'gourds' from it are falsities; and from all this it is evident what 'death in the pot' is. 'The flour which he threw into the pot' is truth springing from good, as a result of which action - because doctrine had been cured - 'there was not anything bad in the pot'. The internal sense also shows that 'boiling in the pot' means combining into doctrine and thereby making ready for use.

All miracles in the Word hold holy things of the Church within them, see 7337, 8364, 9086.

Elisha represented the Lord in respect of the Word, 2762.

'Prophets' are teachers of truths, thus in the abstract sense, without reference to persons, the truths of doctrine, 2534, 7269.

'Vine' is the Church's truth, and 'grapes' its good, 5113, 5117, 9277, so that 'a wild vine' and 'gourds' are falsities and evils.

'Flour' is the authentic truth of faith derived from good, 9995.

'The soup' which they were to boil means matters of doctrine massed together, as those of the Jews were, 3316.

From all this people may deduce what 'boiling' means, and what 'a pot' means.

[4] In Ezekiel,

Tell a parable against the house of rebellion: Put on the pot, put it on, and also pour water into it; gather the pieces into it - every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with the choice of the bones, and let the bones be boiled in the midst of it. Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Woe to the city of blood ¹ , to the pot whose scum is in it, and whose scum does not come out of it! Ezekiel 24:3-6.

These verses describe what the Word is like so far as doctrine is concerned, that is to say, it contains Divine Truths emanating from Divine Good. Then they describe doctrine from the Word as it existed among the Jewish nation - full of unclean and false notions. 'The pot' is doctrine; 'the thigh, the shoulder, and the choice of the bones' are Divine Truths emanating from Divine Good in successive order; 'the city of blood' is the Jewish nation in respect of the truth of doctrine among them, and in the abstract sense, without reference to nation or person, doctrine destructive of good; 'the scum in it' is that which is external and favours foul kinds of love, which if not removed defile truth. From this also it is evident that 'the pot' is doctrine, and 'boiling' making ready for use.

[5] In the same prophet,

The Spirit said to me, Son of man, these men think iniquity and give wicked counsel in the city, saying, [The time] is not near to build houses; [the city] itself is the pot and we are the flesh. Ezekiel 11:2-3, 7.

Here also 'the pot' stands for doctrine consisting of falsity arising from evil; for 'the pot' is used to describe the city in which iniquity is thought and wicked counsel is given. 'The city' too means doctrine, see 402, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493, in this instance doctrine of the same type.

[6] In Jeremiah,

Jehovah said, What do you see? I said, A puffed-out pot do I see, its face towards the north. Jehovah said, From the north evil will be opened over all the inhabitants of the land. Jeremiah 1:13-14.

'A puffed-out pot' likewise means doctrine consisting of falsity arising from evil. 'The north' means an obscure state so far as the truth of faith is concerned, also thick darkness caused by falsities, 3708. From this it is evident what this prophetic vision holds within it.

[7] In Zechariah,

On that day every pot in Jerusalem [and] in Judah will be holiness to Jehovah Zebaoth, and all offering sacrifice will come, and take from them, and boil in them. Zechariah 14:21.

Here 'pot' means doctrine teaching about charity and faith, thus doctrine consisting of truth springing from good; 'Jerusalem' is the Lord's Church; and '[all] offering sacrifice' are those engaging in Divine worship. From this it is evident that 'boiling in the pots' means making ready for use in spiritual life.

[8] In Moses,

Every earthen vessel in which the flesh of the sacrifice of a guilt or a sin offering is boiled shall be broken. But if it has been boiled in a bronze vessel, it shall be scoured and rinsed ² in water. Leviticus 6:28.

'An earthen vessel' in which the boiling was done is falsity that does not go together with good; 'a bronze vessel' is doctrinal teaching that has good in it; 'boiling the flesh of the sacrifice of a guilt or sin offering' in them means making something ready for purification from evils and consequent falsities. From this it is evident what was represented by the decree that an earthen vessel should be broken and that a bronze vessel should be scoured and rinsed in water.

Poznámky pod čarou:

8603. 'And Moses, Aaron, and Hur' means levels of Divine Truth that follow one another in order. This is clear from the representation of 'Moses' as Divine Truth that goes forth directly from the Lord, dealt with in 7010; from the representation of 'Aaron' as Divine Truth that goes forth from the Lord in an indirect way, dealt with in 7009; and from the representation of 'Hur' as Divine Truth that goes forth again in an indirect way, but through the latter. Thus there are levels of truth that follow one another in order.

[2] What is meant by levels of truth that follow one another in order must be stated briefly. All things without exception in the entire natural world spring in order from others on a more internal level; they derive from them and follow in order after them. But the interior things do not connect with the exterior by gradually merging into them; rather, they are distinct and separate, and are joined through extensions from themselves like fibres, which act as channels of communication. Some idea of the nature of things which derive from others and therefore follow in order from them may be conveyed by considering fruits such as lemons, apples, and the like. Their most external parts are their surrounding skins, their interiors are the surrounded flesh or pulp, and their yet more interior parts are the seeds; and the seeds have casings around the outside, then on the actual seeds membranes, under which lies an inner pulp containing the initial form, the soul so to speak, from which again spring new trees and fruit.

[3] All these things follow one another in order; but they are distinct and separate, yet at the same time are joined together. The communication of interiors with exteriors is effected in a wondrous fashion through fibre-like passageways. When those interiors and exteriors are first formed they are very closely connected; but in the course of time they are separated. For before the initial form, the inmost part within the seed, can expand into forms like its parents it must be opened in stages following one another in order. When it is opened and starts to grow, the pulpy parts surrounding it adapt themselves, serving first as its 'soil', and after that as its fertilizing sap. After this phase, which is its time in the womb, it is born; at that point it is left to the soil of the earth, in which it is sown as a seed.

[4] All this enables one to form some idea of the nature of things that derive from and follow one another in order. As is the nature of them in the vegetable kingdom, so it is also in the animal kingdom, yet in a far more perfect way. In the animal kingdom there are exterior things, interior, and inmost, which in like manner follow one another in order, are distinct and separate from one another, and yet at the same time are joined together. But they are different in that forms in the animal kingdom have been created to receive life. Consequently just as forms receiving life follow one another in order, so do the resulting kinds of vitality. For the forms or substances receiving life are the subjects ¹ , and the things which result from changes and modifications of those forms are the forces, which should be called vitalities because they are life-forces. From all this one may now see what is meant by levels of Divine Truth that follow one another in order. For everything constituting life has connection with truth, and the perfection it possesses with good, or in the contrary sense with falsity, and its imperfection with evil. Their transitions in order from one to the next are also called degrees.

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