216. "그러므로 네가 열심을 내라 회개하라"는 이것이 진리에 대한 애정으로 되어야 하며 그릇된 것을 싫어하는데서 나와야 하는 것을 뜻한다.

여기서 "열심을 내라"말하였다. 위(3:15)에서 이미 "차든지 덥든지 하기를 원하노라"말씀하셨기 때문이다. 여기서는 덥기를 원하시는 것이다.

"열심을 내라"(질투하라)는 영적 열기(볕)을 뜻하며, 영적 열기는 사랑에 대한 애정, 여기서는 진리의 사랑에 대한 애정을 뜻하기 때문이며, 또 진리의 사랑에 대한 애정으로 움직이는 사람은 또한 그릇된 것을 싫어하는 데서도 움직이기 때문이다. 그러므로 회개(悔改)는 이것을 뜻한 것이다.

말씀 안에 있는 "열심"(질투)은 주께 대하여 말할 때는 사랑도, 진노도 뜻한다.

사랑을 뜻하는 것은 요한복음 2:17; 시편 69:9; 이사야 37:32; 63:15; 에스겔 39:25; 스가랴 1:14; 8:2

진노를 뜻하는 것은 신명기 32:16, 21; 시편 79:5; 에스겔 8:3, 5; 16:42; 23:25; 스바냐 1:18; 3:8.

그러나 주안에 있는 열심(질투)은 진노가 아니다. 겉으로만 그렇게 보일 따름이요, 속은 사랑이다. 겉으로 그렇게 보이는 것은 주께서 사람을 책망하실 때 주께서 성내신 듯 보이며 특히 인간 자신의 악이 자기를 벌할 때 그렇게 보이기 때문이다. 이것은 사랑으로 그렇게 허락하신 것이다. 그의 악이 옮겨지도록 하신 것이다. 마치 자녀를 사랑하는 부모가 그들의 악을 제거하기 위하여 징계하는 것과도 같다. 이로써 왜 여호와께서 친히 질투하시는 하나님이시라 말씀하셨는가의 이유를 알게 되었을 것이다(신명기 4:24; 5:9-10; 6:14-15).

7463. 'And Moses said, Behold, I go out from you' means the removal of the appearance of God's truth among them. This is clear from the representation of 'Moses' as the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752, thus God's truth also, 7014, 7381; and from the meaning of 'going out' as a removal, as above in 7404. For 'Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron' means the presence of God's truth, 7451, and therefore 'going out from him' here means a removal. In considering the presence and removal of God's truth among the evil, one should realize that truth from God sometimes appears to them, and that it does so through the presence of an angel near them. But with them truth from God does not come in by way of their interiors, as it does with the good, because their interiors are closed. It has an effect only on their exteriors. When this happens they are filled with fear and consequently self-abasement, for the presence of truth from God perturbs them and strikes fear into them that is like the fear of death. But when the truth from God is removed they return to their previous state of mind and have no fear. This is what is meant by the presence of the appearance of God's truth and its removal. It was also represented by Pharaoh, by his self-abasement while Moses was present with him, and his promise to send the people away to sacrifice to Jehovah, and by his 'making his heart stubborn after Moses had gone out from him', verse 28. For as shown above, 'Moses' represented the law of God or God's truth.

[2] The law of God and God's truth are one and the same because the law of God means the Word, and accordingly God's truth. The fact that 'the law means the Word and accordingly God's truth is clear from the following places: In John,

Jesus said, Is it not written in your law, I said, You are Gods? If He called them gods, with whom the Word came to be, and the Scripture cannot be broken . . . John 10:34-35.

'Written in the law' stands for the presence of those words in the Word, for they are written in David. In the same gospel,

The crowd said, We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. John 12:34.

These words too are written in David. In the same gospel,

Jesus said, In order that the Word written in the Law might be fulfilled, They hated Me without a cause. John 15:25.

This as well is found in David. In Luke,

It is written in the Law of the Lord that every male opening the womb should be called holy to the Lord; and that they should offer a sacrifice, in keeping with what is written in the Law of the Lord, of a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. Luke 2:23-24, 39.

This command is contained in Moses. In the same gospel,

A lawyer testing Jesus said, What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said to him. What is written in the Law? What is your reading of it? Luke 10:25-26.

[3] In the same gospel,

The Law and the Prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is proclaimed. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the Law to fall. Luke 16:16-17.

There are other places besides this in which the Word is called the Law and the Prophets, such as Matthew 5:18; 7:12; 11:13; 22:36, 40. In Isaiah,

Bind up the testimony, seal the Law for the benefit of My disciples. Isaiah 8:16.

'The Law' stands for the Word. In the same prophet,

. . . lying sons, sons who did not wish to hear the Law of Jehovah. Isaiah 30:9.

In the same prophet,

He will set judgement on the earth, the islands hope for His Law. Isaiah 42:4.

This refers to the Lord, 'His Law' standing for the Word. In the same prophet,

Jehovah will magnify His Law. Isaiah 42:21.

In Jeremiah,

Thus said Jehovah, If you do not obey Me, to go in My Law which I have set before you, in order that you may hear the Word of My servants the prophets . . . Jeremiah 26:4-5.

Here 'the Law' stands for the Word, and in very many other places besides. From this it is evident that 'the Law' is the Word, and since it is the Word it is God's truth, as in Jeremiah,

This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, said Jehovah: I will put [My] Law in the midst of them, and will write it on their heart. Jeremiah 31:33.

Here 'Jehovah's Law' stands for God's truth.

[4] In a broad sense 'the Law' is the whole Word, in a narrower sense the historical section of the Word, in an even narrower sense the Word written through Moses, and in a restricted sense the Ten Commandments, see 6752.

From all this one may now see why Moses is said to represent both the law of God and God's truth.