10694. And they feared to come near unto him. That this signifies that they could not endure the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word when it was of this nature, is evident from the signification of “fearing to come near,” as being not to endure, for those who cannot endure interior things are afraid to come near; and from the representation of Moses, as being that external of the Word, of the church, and of worship in which is the internal (n. 10563, 10571, 10607, 10614). The case herein is this. Those who are only in the externals of the church, of worship, and of the Word without the internal cannot endure interior things. The reason is that those who are in external things without what is internal are in the love of self and of the world; and from this are in a light which is called natural light. But those who are in the externals and at the same time in the internals of the church, of worship, and of the Word are in love toward the neighbor and in love to the Lord, and from this are in the light of heaven. As these loves are opposites, and consequently the lights also, therefore the one cannot endure the other; for when heavenly love (which is love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor) inflows into earthly loves (which are the loves of self and of the world), it induces agonies like those of death; and when heavenly light inflows into the light of the world, it induces thick darkness and a consequent stupor. From this it is that what is external without what is internal cannot endure the external while the internal is in it. As the Jewish nation was of this character, they could not endure to hear of the Lord, of love to Him, and of faith in Him, which are the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship. These then are the things which are signified by the sons of Israel fearing to come near unto Moses, because the skin of his faces shone. (What is signified by “the skin of Moses’ faces” may be seen in n. 10691.)

10607. And no man shall come up with thee. That this signifies that the Israelitish nation cannot be in Divine truth, is evident from the signification of “not coming up,” here into Mount Sinai with Moses, as being not to be in heaven from which is the revelation of Divine truth, thus not to be able to be in Divine truth, for by “Mount Sinai” is signified heaven from which comes the revelation of Divine truth (see n. 8805, 8931, 9420, 10605); and by Moses is represented that external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, which receives Divine truth. It is evident that the Israelitish nation is meant, because it is said of it, “no man shall come up with thee,” and “neither let any man be seen in the whole mountain.”

[2] That Moses here represents that external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which receives Divine truth, is evident from every detail of this chapter, as that Moses should go up into Mount Sinai, and should stand there on the head of it, and that the people should be removed therefrom. In what follows also Jehovah speaks unto Moses as unto him, and not unto the people; as in verse 10, “All the people in the midst of whom thou art shall see that this is a wonderful thing that I do with thee;” in verse 11, “Keep thou that which I command thee this day; behold I drive out from thy faces;” in verse 12, “Take heed to thyself, lest perchance thou make a covenant with the inhabitant of the land upon which thou comest;” in verse 14, “Thou shalt not bow thyself to another god;” in verse 15, “Lest perchance thou make a covenant with the inhabitant of the land, and he call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;” in verse 16, “Take thou not of his daughters for thy sons;” and so on. Afterward it is said that the skin of Moses’ face shone; and that the people were afraid to come near him; and that on this account he put a veil on his face when he spoke with the people.

[3] From all this it is evident that Moses in this chapter represents that external of the Word, of the church, and of worship which receives Divine truth, thus through which internal Divine truth shines. That Moses represents this external, and not the internal, is also evident from everything in this chapter; as that Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him, for by a “cloud” is signified the external of the Word; and then that Jehovah commanded to him the external things of the church and of worship, which were to be observed, and not the internal things. The like external was represented by Moses in the preceding chapter, as is evident from verses 7-11, and from verses 17-23 (n. 10563, 10571). But the external which did not receive the internal appertained to the Israelitish nation.