445. Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand sealed, signifies faith and salvation. This is evident from the representation and consequent signification of "Issachar" and his tribe, as being that which makes heaven and salvation with man, for "Issachar" in the original means reward, and love and faith are what make heaven and salvation with man, consequently both are signified by "the tribe of Issachar." "Reward" is frequently spoken of in the Word, as "that reward is to be received," and by it is understood eternal life, salvation, and by many, heavenly joy; and in the nearest sense this is the signification of "reward." If a man is living according to the Lord's commandments, it is permissible for him to think of eternal life, salvation, and heavenly joy; but it is not permissible for him to keep his mind intent upon reward, for if he does so he has reward as an end, and easily falls into the thought that by his life he deserves heaven and salvation, and this thought causes him to have regard to self in every particular, and such regard to self removes him from heaven; for so far as man looks to self in what he does, he does not look to heaven. Because of this, "reward" signifies in the Word that in which heaven and salvation are, that is, in general, love and faith, and thence intelligence and wisdom, for in these are salvation and heaven, and consequently heavenly joy, so far as man does not think about reward. From this the signification of "Issachar" and his tribe can be seen.

[2] Here faith is signified, because "the tribe of Simeon" signifies obedience, and "the tribe of Levi" signifies good works, and they who are in good works from obedience are in faith; while such as are in the goods of life from the spiritual affection of truth and good are in charity, and they who are in the goods of life from celestial affection are in love to the Lord. This, too, is the way in which angels are distinguished in the heavens: those who are in the goods of life from a celestial affection are in the inmost or third heaven; those who are in the goods of life from a spiritual affection are in the middle or second heaven; and those who are in good works from obedience are in the lowest or first heaven, and these also are said to have faith, for the things they hear from the sense of the letter of the Word and from preachers they believe according to their apprehension, but they neither see nor perceive whether they are true, therefore their thought about what is to be believed is called faith; for that is properly called faith which is believed without intellectual sight and perception as to its being so, consequently such persons can believe falsity equally with truth. But when what is believed is seen and perceived this is not called faith, but apperception and perception; for the understanding illustrated by the Lord sees, and the will is affected, and action flows from the two.

[3] "Issachar" and his tribe here signify faith, because these three tribes, from each of which were twelve thousand sealed, mean all who are in the lowest or first heaven; and they who are in that heaven are said to be in good works from obedience, and in faith. Moreover, many of these call faith alone the essential of salvation, and yet do not separate faith from good works, for they say that faith is bestowed upon them by the Lord because they are in good works, and that if they were not in good works faith would not be given. But those who separate faith from good works, and declare it to be the sole means of salvation, and that they are saved by it howsoever they live, confirming this by their life, such are not in the lowest heaven but are in hell.

[4] Those who have regard to reward on account of the good works they do, and thus place merit in works, are meant by "Issachar" in the prophecy of Israel respecting his sons:

Issachar is a bony ass couching down between the burdens. And he shall see rest that it is good, and the land that it is pleasant; and he shall bow his shoulder to bear burdens, [and shall be one who serves for hire] (Genesis 49:14, 15).

Here "Issachar" signifies reward or recompense on account of works; "a bony ass" signifies the lowest servitude; "couching down between the burdens" signifies life among works; "and he shall see rest that it is good" signifies works of good without recompense full of felicity; "and the land that it is pleasant" signifies that those who are in the Lord's kingdom are in such felicity; "and he shall bow his shoulder to bear burdens" signifies that they, nevertheless, labor in every work; "and shall be one who serves for hire" signifies with a view to merit. (For further explanation of this see Arcana Coelestia 6387-6394.)

[5] But those who do not place merit in the good works they perform, by having regard for reward, but place heaven and the felicity of eternal life in thinking and willing well, and thence in acting well, and are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, which is with those who are in the heavenly marriage, that is, in the marriage of good and truth; such are meant by these words in Moses:

Of Zebulun he said, Be glad, Zebulun, in thy going out; and Issachar in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall sacrifice sacrifices of righteousness; for they shall suck the abundance of the seas, and the hidden things of the secret things of the sand (Deuteronomy 33:18, 19).

This is said of those who are in the marriage of good and truth, that is, in truths in respect to the understanding and thought, and in goods in respect to the will and affection. "Zebulun" signifies that marriage, and "Issachar" the affection of truth and good; "to be glad in thy going out" signifies to have delight in all genuine truths and goods, "going out" signifying all things, because it signifies the ultimate, the effect, and the conclusion; "to be glad in the tents" signifies in all worship; "to call the peoples unto the mountain" signifies, because such are in heaven, where there is the good of love; "to sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness" signifies worship from truths that are from good; "to suck the abundance of the sea" signifies to imbibe the truths of doctrine from the Word, and thus intelligence; and "to suck the hidden things of the secret things of the sand" signifies the spiritual things that lie concealed in the sense of the letter of the Word.

[6] Because "the tribes of Judah, of Issachar, and of Zebulun," signified the heaven where the good of love is, "the tribe of Judah" that good itself, "the tribe of Issachar" its affection, and "Zebulun" its conjunction with truths:

These three tribes pitched to the east of the tent of meeting (Numbers 2:3-9);

for in heaven those dwell to the east who are in the good of love and thus in the affection of good and truth, and in the marriage or conjunction of these, that is, in truths in respect to doctrine and in goods in respect to life.

10017. 'And the priesthood shall be theirs' means the stages, following one after another, of the Lord's work of salvation. This is clear from the meaning of 'the priesthood' or 'the priestly office' as that which is representative of the Lord's whole work of salvation, dealt with in 9809. The reason why the stages following one after another is meant is that the priesthood of Aaron's sons is the subject here, and his sons represent the things which emanate and so follow in order one after another, 9807. The situation in all this is that the priesthood which Aaron represents consists in the work of saving those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, this kingdom being the proper meaning in the Word of 'a kingdom of priests'. But the priesthood which Aaron's sons represent consists in the work of saving those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom emanating directly from His celestial kingdom. From this it is evident that 'the priesthood' is used in the present instance to mean the stages, following one after another, of the Lord's work of salvation. But the priesthood which the Levites represent consists in the Lord's work of salvation at a further stage.

[2] There are three realities which follow one another in order. These are the celestial, which is the good of love to the Lord; the spiritual, which is the good of charity towards the neighbour; and the natural springing from these, which is the good of faith. Since these three are realities which follow one another in order there are also three heavens, and in them the types of good follow in that order. The work of saving those with whom celestial good exists is represented by Aaron's priesthood; but the work of saving those with whom spiritual good exists is represented by the priesthood of Aaron's sons, and the work of saving those with whom the natural good springing from these exists is represented by the priesthood of the Levites. And since the things following one another in order emanate from the good of love to the Lord, which is represented by Aaron and his priesthood, it is said of the Levites that they were given to Aaron. For things which emanate belong to that from which they emanate; such emanations or stages following one after another owe their very existence to that source, as accords with what has been stated a little above in 10011. The fact that the Levites were given to Aaron and his sons to perform priestly duties under them, see Numbers 3:1-end.