9549. Of pure gold. That this signifies that it is from celestial good, is evident from the signification of “gold,” as being the good of love, or celestial good (see n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917). It shall here be briefly stated why the lampstand was to be of pure gold. By “the lampstand” is signified the Divine spiritual, or the Divine truth which is from the Lord in heaven and in the church (n. 9548); and because this truth comes forth from the Divine good, the lampstand was of gold, for as before said, “gold” signifies good. This is further manifest from the influx of the Lord into the heavens. The inmost or third heaven is celestial; the middle or second heaven is spiritual. The Lord flows through the celestial heaven, which is in the good of love to Him, into the spiritual heaven, which is in the truth of faith in Him. From this it is evident why the whole lampstand was to be of pure gold, as also the ten lampstands in the temple built by Solomon (1 Kings 7:49. See also below, n. 9550, 9568).

8644. Moses’ father-in-law. That this signifies from which is good conjoined with truth Divine, is evident from the signification of “father-in-law,” as being the good from which is the good that is conjoined with truth (see n. 6827); and from the representation of Moses, as being truth Divine (n. 6752, 6771, 7010, 7014, 7382). The reason why “a father-in-law” signifies good from which is good conjoined with truth, is that “a wife” signifies good when “the man” signifies truth (n. 2517, 4510, 4823). As in what follows, the conjunction of Divine good with Divine truth is treated of, whereby a setting in order may be effected in the man of the church, be it known that between Divine good and Divine truth there is this distinction: that Divine good is in the Lord, and Divine truth is from the Lord. It is as with the fire of the sun and the light which is therefrom; the fire is in the sun, and the light is from the sun; in the light there is not fire but heat.

[2] Moreover in the other life the Lord is the Sun, and also is the light. In the Sun there, which is Himself, is Divine fire, which is the Divine good of the Divine love. From that Sun is Divine light, which is Divine truth from Divine good. In this Divine truth there is also Divine good, but not such as is in the Sun, it being accommodated to reception in heaven; for unless it were accommodated to reception, heaven could not have come into existence, because no angel can bear the flame from the Divine love. He would be consumed in a moment, as would a man if the flame of the sun of this world should blow directly upon him.

[3] But how the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love is accommodated to reception, cannot be known by anyone, not even by the angels in heaven, because it is an accommodation of the Infinite to the finite; and the Infinite is such as to transcend all the understanding of the finite, insomuch that when the understanding of the finite desires to look in that direction, it falls as into the depth of the sea and perishes. (That the Lord is the Sun in heaven, and that the Sun there is the Divine good of His Divine love, and that the light therefrom is Divine truth, from which is intelligence, see n. 1053, 1521-1533, 1619-1632, 2776, 3094, 3138, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3223, 3225, 3339, 3341, 3636, 3643, 3993, 4180, 4302, 4408, 4409, 4415, 4523, 4533, 4696, 7083, 7171, 7174, 7270, 8197)