5619. 'And cause a gift to go down to the man' means to obtain favour. This is clear from the meaning of 'taking a gift to the man' - 'the man' being Joseph, who is called the lord of the land - as to obtain favour. It was customary in the representative Ancient Church, and so in the Jewish Church, when people went to the judges, and at a later time to the kings or priests, to present them with a gift; indeed the people were commanded to do this. The reason for the custom was that the gifts people presented to those men represented the kinds of things mankind possessed that ought to be offered to the Lord when any approach is made to Him. Such gifts are ones that a person offers in freedom and therefore ones that come truly from himself. For his freedom resides in what comes from his heart; and what comes from his heart comes from his will. Also what comes from his will comes from a desire arising out of his love; and a desire arising out of his love constitutes his freedom, thus what is truly his own, 1947, 2870-2893, 3158. Such should be the origin of any gift made by man to the Lord when making any approach to Him. This kind of gift was represented by the gifts mentioned above, for 'kings' represented the Lord as regards Divine Truth, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4581, 4966, 5044, while 'priests' represented Him as regards Divine Good, 1728, 2015(end), 3670. Those gifts also served as introductions, see 4262, which were made to obtain favour.

1728. 'And he was a priest' means the holiness of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'a priest' in the Word. Two special ways in which the Lord is characterized are as King and as Priest. A king or the office of king means holy truth, and a priest or the office of priest means holy good. The former is the Divine Spiritual, the latter the Divine Celestial. As King the Lord governs every single thing in the universe from Divine Truth; but as Priest He does so from Divine Good. Divine Truth is the order itself of His kingdom existing everywhere, all the laws of which are truths, or eternal verities. Divine Good is the very essential of order, every aspect of which is an expression of mercy. Both of these - Divine Good and Divine Truth - are attributed to the Lord. If solely Divine Truth were His, no mortal man could be saved, for truths condemn everyone to hell. But Divine Good, which is the essence of mercy, raises people up from hell towards heaven. Divine Truth and Divine Good are what kings and priests in the Jewish Church represented; and Melchizedek as king of Salem and priest to God Most High represented them too.