8407. 'Would that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt' means that it would have been preferable for them to have been forsaken by the Lord when they were in the state involving molestations. This is clear from the meaning of 'would that!' as it would have been better or preferable; from the meaning of 'to have died by the hand of Jehovah' as to have been forsaken by the Lord, for 'to have died' in the spiritual sense means to be immersed in evils and the falsities arising from them, and therefore in damnation, 5407, 6119, 7494, and the expression 'dying by the hand of Jehovah' means being forsaken by the Lord, because those who are forsaken by Him, that is, who forsake Him, plunge into evils and falsities arising from them, and so into damnation (it has been shown many times before that 'Jehovah' in the Word is the Lord); and from the meaning of 'the land of Egypt' as the state involving molestations, dealt with above in 8401. For what had been happening to those belonging to the spiritual Church, who are represented by 'the children of Israel', before they were delivered by the Lord - that they had been molested by those steeped in falsities arising from evil, who are represented by 'Pharaoh' and 'the Egyptians' - see 6854, 6914, 7474, 7828, 7932, 8018, 8099, 8159, 8321.

7474. 'And did not send the people away' means that they did not leave those who belonged to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'sending away' as leaving; and from the representation of the children of Israel, to whom 'the people' refers here, as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223.

[2] With regard to the spiritual Church, represented here by the children of Israel, it should be recognized that it has an internal part and an external part, and that those people are in the internal part of the Church who are governed by the good of charity, while those are in the external part who are governed by the good of faith. People governed by the good of charity are those who out of charity towards the neighbour behold the truths of faith, whereas people governed by the good of faith are those who out of faith look towards charity. Thus the latter do good not out of affection belonging to charity but out of obedience belonging to faith, that is, because they are commanded to do it. These are precisely the ones who are represented here by the children of Israel, since they are the ones who are molested in the next life by those steeped in falsities. People who are governed by affection belonging to charity cannot be molested in the same way, for spirits who are steeped in falsities and evils cannot go near those governed by that good because the Lord is within that good. If they do suffer molestation, it involves only the illusions and appearances which have led them to believe things to be true which are not actually true, and such things as were presented by the teachings of their Church as truths but are not in fact truths. In the next life those people willingly reject falsities and accept truths, the reason being that the good of charity is receptive of truth because it loves it and is desirous of it.

[3] Since mention is made so many times of molestations what they are and what they are like must be stated. Molestations are brought about by introduction of falsity opposed to truths; but those falsities are refuted by an influx from heaven, that is, from the Lord by way of heaven, with those suffering such molestation. This kind of state is what those undergoing vastation of their falsities are held in, until they have absorbed the truths of faith, and, stage by stage, more internal truths. And in the measure that they have absorbed those truths they are released from molestation. Molestations are not temptations, since temptations when they take place involve torment of conscience. For people undergoing temptations are held in a state of damnation, which brings them torment and grief.

[4] All this shows what the vastations in the next life are like which those governed by the good of faith undergo. Those vastations are vastations of falsity. But with those who have not been governed by the good of faith, only by some truth of faith which with them is merely factual knowledge, and have led an evil life, the vastations are vastations of truth. Those who undergo vastation of falsities gradually absorb truths and forms of the good of faith and charity, whereas those who undergo vastation of truths gradually cast off truths and invest themselves with the evils which have been a feature of the life they led. From all this one may see what is meant in the Word by vastations and desolations.