10129. 'And the altar shall be the holy of holies' means the celestial kingdom, where the Lord is present in the good of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'the altar' as that which is representative of the Lord in respect of Divine Good, dealt with in 9388, 9389, 9714, 9964, at this point in respect of Divine Good in heaven and in the Church, 10123; and from the meaning of 'the holy of holies' as celestial good or the good of love from the Lord. The reason why it is the celestial kingdom that is meant here by 'the altar' and the good there that is meant by 'the holy of holies' is that the good received in that kingdom is the good of love which comes from and is offered back to the Lord, which is celestial good. For there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. The celestial kingdom receives the good of love coming from and offered back to the Lord, whereas the spiritual kingdom receives from the Lord the good of charity towards the neighbour, see the places referred to in 9277, and what is stated in 9680, 10068.

[2] 'The altar' represents the celestial kingdom, or what amounts to the same thing, it represents the Lord where He is present in the good of love; and 'the tent of meeting outside the veil' represents the spiritual kingdom, or what amounts to the same thing, it represents the Lord where He is present in the good of charity towards the neighbour. The spiritual kingdom's good, or spiritual good, is called the holy place, but the celestial kingdom's good, or celestial good, is called the holy of holies. The reason why celestial good, which is the good of love received from and offered back to the Lord, is referred to as the holy of holies is that this good is a channel through which the Lord flows directly into the heavens; but spiritual good - the good of charity towards the neighbour - is a channel through which He does so indirectly, by way of celestial good, see 9473, 9683, 9873, 9992, 10005. The term 'flow in' is used because the Lord, being the Sun of heaven, is above the heavens and flows in from there, 10106; yet He is still as one present within the heavens.

[3] The fact that celestial good, which is the good of love received from and offered back to the Lord, is meant by 'the holy of holies' is clear from places in the Word where the expression 'the holy of holies' occurs, as in Moses,

The veil shall be for you a divider between the holy place and the holy of holies. And you shall put the mercy-seat onto the ark of the Testimony in the holy of holies. Exodus 26:33-34.

From this it is evident that 'the holy place' refers to that part of the tent which was outside the veil, and 'the holy of holies' to the part within the veil. Regarding the tent or the dwelling-place outside the veil, that it represented the Lord's spiritual kingdom, or the middle heaven, and regarding the tent or dwelling-place within the veil, that it represented the Lord's celestial kingdom, or the inmost heaven, see 9457, 9481, 9485, 10001, 10025. The part of the tent within the veil is also called the holy sanctuary ¹ , Leviticus 16:33. Since the ark, which had the Testimony within it and the mercy-seat above it, represented the inmost heaven, where celestial good reigns, the innermost part of the temple, where the ark of the covenant was, is also called the holy of holies, 1 Kings 6:16; 8:6.

[4] Since the bread and the minchah were signs of the good of love received from and offered back to the Lord, which is celestial good, they too are called 'the holy of holies' in Moses,

The bread of faces (or of the presence) shall be eaten by Aaron and his sons in a holy place; for it is the holy of holies of the fire offerings to Jehovah. Leviticus 24:9.

'The bread of faces (or of the presence)' means celestial good, see 9545. In the same book,

That which remains of the minchah shall be for Aaron and his sons, the holy of holies of the fire offerings to Jehovah. Leviticus 2:3, 10.

'The minchah', which consisted of unleavened bread, unleavened cakes, and unleavened wafers mixed with oil, means celestial good or the good of love, see 4581, 9992, 10079; and 'a fire offering to Jehovah' means Divine Love, 10055.

[5] In the same author,

Every minchah - a sacrifice of sin offering and a sacrifice of guilt offering - which is for Aaron and his sons, is the holy of holies to Jehovah. Numbers 18:9-10.

Such minchahs too were called 'the holy of holies' because those sacrifices were signs of purification from evils, and all purification from evils is accomplished in a state of the good of innocence; and this good as well is celestial good. This explains why in sacrifices of sin offering or guilt offering female or male lambs, or rams, or young bulls, or turtle doves were offered, as is clear from Chapters 4, 5 of Leviticus, that good being meant by these creatures. For its being meant by 'lambs', see 3994, 3519, 7840, by 'rams', 10042, by 'young bulls', 9391; and its being meant by 'turtle doves' is evident from the places in the Word where such birds are mentioned. As regards purification from evils and regeneration, that they are accomplished in a state of innocence, see 10021. Therefore those sacrifices are called 'the holy of holies' also in Leviticus 6:25; 7:6; 10:17; 14:13.

[6] In the same author,

The minchah shall be eaten beside the altar; for it is the holy of holies. Leviticus 10:12.

It has been shown above that the altar of burnt offering represented the Lord in respect of the good of love, and reception by angels and men. This accounts for the use of the following words concerning it in Moses,

You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its vessels, its laver, and its pedestal. And you shall sanctify them, that they may be the holy of holies; everyone who touches them will make himself holy. Exodus 30:28-29.

[7] The incense too, some of which was placed before the Testimony in the tent of meeting, is called the holy of holies, Exodus 30:36, because it meant celestial good in last and lowest things, and also meant the things that emanate from that good, 9475. In Ezekiel,

This is the law of the house ² : On the top of the mountain shall its whole border round about be, the holy of holies. Ezekiel 43:12.

The reason why 'the house' together with the border around it is called 'the holy of holies' is that 'God's house' means the celestial kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect of the good of love, 3720. This is why the words 'on the top of the mountain' are also used, for 'the top of the mountain' has the same meaning, 6435, 9422, 9434.

[8] In Daniel,

Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning the people and concerning the holy city to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies. Daniel 9:24.

This refers to the Coming of the Lord, who alone is Jehovah's Anointed and who alone is the Holy One, and who also as to His Human is the Divine Good of Divine Love, and so is the holy of holies.

The Lord alone as to His Divine Human is Jehovah's Anointed, see 9954.

He alone is the Holy One, 9229.

He is the Divine Good of Divine Love, see the places referred to in 9199(end).

[9] The reason why celestial good is meant by 'the holy of holies' but spiritual good by 'the holy place' is that celestial good is inmost good, and therefore also is the inmost heaven's good, whereas spiritual good is good emanating from that celestial good and is therefore the middle heaven's good. And this good is good and consequently holy to the extent that it has celestial good within it; for celestial good flows into spiritual, conceives it, and begets it as a father does his child. The words 'celestial good' are used to mean the good of love received from and offered back to the Lord, and 'spiritual good' to mean the good of charity towards the neighbour received from the Lord.

[10] The good of love to the Lord received from the Lord is 'the holy of holies' because the Lord joins Himself directly to others through it. But the good of charity towards the neighbour is 'the holy place' because He joins Himself through it indirectly; and He joins Himself to the extent that it has the good of love from the Lord within it. The good of love to the Lord received from the Lord is present within all genuine good of charity, and also within all genuine good of faith; for such good flows in from the Lord. No one by his own strength, only by the Lord's, can love the neighbour and in love do good to him; and no one by his own strength, only by the Lord's, can believe in God. When therefore the Lord is acknowledged and the neighbour is loved, the Lord is present within the love towards the neighbour, however unaware the person may be of it. This also is what the Lord's words in Matthew serve to mean,

The righteous will answer, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? But the King will say to them, Truly I say to you, Insofar as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers you did it to Me. Matthew 25:37-40.

From these words it is evident that the Lord is within the good of charity, indeed is that good, even though those governed by this good are unaware of it. 'Brothers' is used in the proximate sense ³ to mean those governed by the good of charity; and in the abstract sense, without reference to persons, 'the Lord's brothers' are the good of charity itself, in all its forms, see 5063-5071.

Poznámky pod čarou:

9985. Exodus 29

1. And this is the word ¹ which you shall do to them to sanctify them to serve Me in the priestly office: Take one young bull, a son of the herd, and two rams without defect ² ,

2. And unleavened bread, and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil; of fine wheat flour you shall make them.

3. And you shall put them in one basket and bring ³ them in the basket, and the young bull and the two rams.

4. And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water.

5. And you shall take the garments, and clothe Aaron with the tunic, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate; and you shall gird him with the girdle of the ephod.

6. And you shall put the turban on his head, and put the crown of holiness on the turban.

7. And you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head, and anoint him.

8. And you shall bring ³ his sons, and clothe them with tunics.

9. And you shall gird them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headdresses on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by the statute of an age ⁴ ; and you shall fill the hand ⁵ of Aaron and the hand of his sons.

10. And you shall bring ³ the young bull, before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the young bull.

11. And you shall slaughter the young bull before Jehovah, at the door of the tent of meeting.

12. And you shall take some of the blood of the young bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar.

13. And you shall take all the fat covering the intestines, and the omentum over the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them; and you shall burn [them on] the altar.

14. And the flesh of the young bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin [offering].

15. And you shall take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the ram's head.

16. And you shall slaughter the ram, and take its blood and sprinkle it over the altar round about.

17. And you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its intestines and its legs, and put them on top of its pieces and of its head.

18. And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar ⁶ . It is a burnt offering to Jehovah; it is an odour of rest, a fire offering to Jehovah.

19. And you shall take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the ram's head.

20. And you shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot; and you shall sprinkle the blood over the altar round about.

21. And you shall take some of the blood which is on the altar, and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it over Aaron and over his garments, and over his sons and over the garments of his sons with him; and he and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and the garments of his sons with him.

22. And you shall take the fat of the ram, and the tail, and the fat covering the intestines, and the omentum on the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and the right flank - for it is the ram of fillings [of the hand] -

23. And one loaf of bread, and one cake of bread with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which is before Jehovah.

24. And you shall put all these on Aaron's palms and on the palms of his sons, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before Jehovah.

25. And you shall take them from their hands and burn [them on] the altar with ⁷ the burnt offering, for an odour of rest before Jehovah; it is a fire offering to Jehovah.

26. And you shall take the breast of the ram of fillings [of the hand], which is Aaron's, and wave it as a wave offering before Jehovah; and it shall be the portion for you.

27. And you shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the flank of the heave offering - that which has been waved and that which has been heaved up - from the ram of fillings [of the hand], from that which is for Aaron and from that which is for his sons.

28. And it shall be for Aaron and his sons by the statute of an age ⁴ from among the children of Israel; for it is a heave offering, and it shall be a heave offering from among the children of Israel from their peace-offering sacrifices, their heave offering to Jehovah.

29. And the holy garments which are Aaron's shall be for his sons after him, to anoint [them] in them, and to fill their hand in them.

30. For seven days shall the priest coming after him, one of his sons ⁸ , put them on - he who will enter the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.

31. And you shall take the ram of fillings [of the hand] and boil its flesh in a holy place.

32. And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread which is in the basket, at the door of the tent of meeting.

33. And they shall eat those things containing what has been expiated, to fill their hand, to sanctify them; and a stranger shall not eat them, because they are something holy.

34. And if anything of the flesh of fillings [of the hand], and of the bread, is left until the morning, you shall burn what is left with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

35. And thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; seven days you shall fill their hand.

36. And a young bull of sin [offering] you shall offer daily at ⁹ propitiations. And you shall cleanse from sin on the altar when you make propitiation on it; and you shall anoint it to sanctify it.

37. Seven days you shall make propitiation on the altar, and sanctify it. And the altar shall be the holy of holies ¹⁰ ; everyone touching the altar will be sanctified.

38. And this is what you shall offer on the altar: Two lambs, the sons of a year, ¹¹ each day - a continual [offering].

39. You shall offer one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb between the evenings,

40. And a tenth [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with beaten oil, a quarter of a hin, and a drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine, for the first lamb.

41. And you shall offer the second lamb between the evenings; according to the morning minchah and according to its drink offering you shall do for it, for an odour of rest, a fire offering to Jehovah,

42. A continual burnt offering throughout ¹² your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before Jehovah, where I will meet with you to speak to you there.

43. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and it will be sanctified in My glory.

44. And I will sanctify the tent of meeting and the altar, and Aaron and his sons I will sanctify, to serve Me in the priestly office.

45. And I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel, and I will be their God.

46. And they will recognize that I am Jehovah their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell in their midst; I am Jehovah their God.

CONTENTS

The subject in the internal sense of this chapter is the glorification of the Lord's Human, which is meant by the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priestly office.

Poznámky pod čarou: