8604. And it was when Moses lifted up his hand. That this signifies when the faith looked toward the Lord, with those who were of the spiritual church, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being truth Divine (of which frequently above); and from the signification of “lifting up the hand,” as being to determine the spiritual power upward, thus to the Lord. That “the hand” denotes spiritual power, see n. 6947, 7011; and because it denotes spiritual power it denotes faith; for all power in the spiritual world (that is, against falsities from evil) belongs to truth from good, or to faith from charity (n. 3563, 4932).

[2] What it is to look toward the Lord, and what it is to look toward the world and self; thus what it is to look above self, and what to look below self (see n. 7814-7821); namely, that to look above self is to look to the neighbor, to our country, to the church, to heaven, thus to the the Lord, (n. 7814, 7815, 7817); that to look below self is to look to the world and to self (n. 7817); that to look above self and below self is to have as the end and to love above all things (n. 7818); that man is distinguished from brutes by the fact that he can look above self and below self, and that when he looks above self, he is a man, but when below self, he is a beast (see n. 7821); and that to look above self is to be elevated by the the Lord, (n. 7816), for the Lord flows in with every man through the truth which is from Himself, whereby He gives life to man, because the light which is from the Lord is Divine truth, and is life (John 1:4).

[3] This Divine truth which is from the Lord flows into the good with man, and by means of it draws the man to itself; for the life which is from the Lord has a power of attracting, because it is from love, since all love has in it this power, inasmuch as it wills to be conjoined, so as to be a one. Then therefore a man is in good, and from good in truth, he is drawn by the Lord, and is conjoined with Him. This is meant by “looking upward to the Lord.” But when a man is not in good, thus not in truth from good, then too he is drawn by the Lord, but cannot be elevated, because evils and the derivative falsities turn themselves away. This is meant by “looking downward,” or “to self and the world.”

[4] That the Lord draws man to Himself, the Lord Himself teaches in John:

I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Myself (John 12:32).

From all this it can now be seen how it is to be understood that when the faith looked toward the Lord, the fighting truth conquered, and that when the faith looked downward from the Lord to self and the world, the falsity conquered, as is signified by Israel prevailing when Moses held up his hand, and by Amalek prevailing when he let down his hand.

7822. EXODUS 12

1. And Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

2. This month is to you the head of the months; this is the first to you in the months of the year.

3. Speak ye unto all the assemblage of Israel, saying, In the tenth of this month they shall take to them everyone a lamb, ¹ for the house of his fathers, a lamb for the house.

4. And if the house is too little for a lamb, then let him take he and his neighbor near unto his house in the number of the souls; everyone for the mouth of his eating shall ye count for the lamb.

5. A lamb unblemished, a male, a son of a year shall be for you; ye shall take it from the lambs and from the she-goats.

6. And it shall be for you to be kept even unto the fourteenth day of this month; and the whole congregation of the assemblage of Israel shall kill it between the two evenings.

7. And they shall take of the blood, and put it upon the two posts and upon the lintel, upon the houses in which they shall eat it.

8. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and things unleavened; upon things bitter they shall eat it.

9. Eat ye not of it raw, and by boiling boiled in water, but roast with fire; its head upon its legs and upon its midst.

10. And ye shall not leave of it until the morning; and that which is left of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

11. And thus shall ye eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; this is the passover of Jehovah.

12. And I will pass through the land of Egypt in that night, and I will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man and even unto beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will do judgments: I am Jehovah.

13. And the blood shall be to you for a sign upon the houses where ye are; and I shall see the blood, and I will pass over you, and there shall not be in you a plague for a destroyer, when I smite the land of Egypt.

14. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to Jehovah in your generations; ye shall keep it by an eternal statute.

15. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened things; even on the first day ye shall cause leaven to cease from your houses; for everyone that eateth what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, even that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

16. And there shall be for you in the first day a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no work shall be done in them, save that which every soul must eat, this only shall be done by you.

17. And ye shall observe the unleavened things, because in this same day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: and ye shall keep this day in your generations by an eternal statute.

18. In the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, ye shall eat unleavened things, until the one and twentieth day of the month, in the evening.

19. Seven days leaven shall not be found in your houses; for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the assemblage of Israel, in the sojourner, and in the native of the land.

20. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings ye shall eat things unleavened.

21. And Moses called all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw ye forth, and take you an animal of the flock according to your families, and kill ye the passover.

22. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and ye shall touch the lintel and the two posts with the blood that is in the basin; and no one of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.

23. And Jehovah will pass through to inflict a plague on Egypt; and He will see the blood upon the lintel, and upon the two posts, and Jehovah will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come unto your houses to inflict a plague.

24. And ye shall keep this word for a statute to thee and to thy sons forever.

25. And it shall be that when ye shall come unto the land which Jehovah will give you, as He hath spoken, that ye shall keep this service.

26. And it shall be, when your sons shall say unto you, What is this service to you?

27. That ye shall say, This is the sacrifice of the passover to Jehovah, in that He passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt, when He inflicted a plague on Egypt, and liberated our houses. And the people bent itself, and bowed itself.

28. And the sons of Israel went and they did as Jehovah commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

29. And it came to pass at midnight, that Jehovah smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh about to sit upon his throne even unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the house of the pit; and all the firstborn of beast.

30. And Pharaoh rose up in that night, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; because there was not a house where there was not one dead.

31. And he called Moses and Aaron in the night, and said, Rise up, go ye out from the midst of my people, both ye and the sons of Israel; and go, serve Jehovah, according to your speaking.

32. Also your flocks, also your herds, take ye, as ye spoke, and go; and bless me also.

33. And Egypt was strong upon the people, hastening to send them out of the land; for they said, We be all dead.

34. And the people carried their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs bound up in their clothes upon their shoulder.

35. And the sons of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments.

36. And Jehovah gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they lent to them. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

37. And the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides babe.

38. And a great mixed multitude also went up with them; and flock, and herd, a very great acquisition.

39. And they baked the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt into unleavened cakes, for it had not been leavened; because they were driven out of Egypt, and could not tarry, and moreover they had not prepared for themselves any provision for the journey.

40. And the dwelling of the sons of Israel which they dwelt in Egypt was thirty years and four hundred years.

41. And it was at the end of the thirty years and four hundred years, even it was in this same day, all the armies of Jehovah went forth from the land of Egypt.

42. A night of watches is this to Jehovah, for leading them forth from the land of Egypt: this is that night of watches to Jehovah for all the sons of Israel unto their generations.

43. And Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the statute of the passover: no son of an alien shall eat of it.

44. And every man’s servant that is bought with silver, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat of it.

45. A lodger and a hireling shall not eat of it.

46. In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not bring out of the flesh abroad from the house; and ye shall not break a bone in it.

47. All the assemblage of Israel shall perform it.

48. And when a sojourner shall sojourn with thee, and performeth the passover to Jehovah, every male of his shall be circumcised, and then let him come near to perform it; and he shall be as a native of the land; and no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.

49. One law shall there be for the native, and for the sojourner that sojourneth in the midst of you.

50. And all the sons of Israel did as Jehovah commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

51. And it was in this same day, that Jehovah led forth the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

THE CONTENTS.

The subject treated of in this chapter in the internal sense is the liberation of those who are of the spiritual church, and the damnation of those who are in faith separate from charity. The damnation of these latter and the liberation of the former are represented by the passover, and the states in respect to charity and faith of those who are liberated, by the things to be observed on the days of the passover.

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