4238. Vers. 3-5. Et misit Jacob nuntios coram se ad Esau fratrem suum terram Seir, agrum Edomi. Et praecepit illis dicendo, Ita dicetis domino meo Esavo, Ita dicit servus tuus Jacob, Cum Labane peregrinatus sum, et moratus usque nunc. Et fuit mihi bos et asinus, grex et servus et ancilla, et mitto ad indicandum domino meo ad inveniendum gratiam in oculis tuis. ‘Misit Jacob nuntios coram se ad Esau fratrem suum’ significat communicationem primam cum bono caelesti: ‘terram Seir’ significat bonum caeleste naturale: ‘agrum Edomi’ significat verum inde: ‘et praecepit illis dicendo, Ita dicetis domino meo Esavo’ significat agnitionem primam boni quod superiore loco esset: ‘Cum Labane peregrinatus sum, et moratus usque nunc’ significat quod imbuerit bonum per Labanem significatum: ‘et fuit mihi bos et asinus, grex et servus et ancilla’ significat acquisitiones suo ordine ibi: ‘et mitto ad indicandum domino meo ad inveniendum gratiam in oculis tuis’ significat instructionem de statu suo, et quoque condescendentiam et humiliationem veri coram bono.

It was customary in the representative Ancient Church, and later in the Jewish Church, when people went to the judges, and at a later time, to the kings or priests, to present them with a gift. The people were commanded to do this. The reason for this custom was that the gifts people presented to those men represented the kinds of things mankind possessed that ought to be offered to the Lord when any approach is made to Him. Such gifts are ones that a person offers in freedom and therefore ones that come truly from himself, because his freedom resides in what comes from his heart, and what comes from his heart comes from his will. What comes from his will comes from a desire arising from his love, and this desire constitutes his freedom, or what is truly his own. This should be the origin of any gift made by a person to the Lord when making any approach to Him. This kind of gift was represented by the gifts mentioned above, for 'kings' represented the Lord regarding Divine Truth, while 'priests' represented Him regarding Divine Good. These gifts also served as introductions, which were made to obtain favor.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 5619)