4145. 'Because you longed greatly for your father's house' means a longing to be joined to Divine good flowing in down a direct line. This is clear from the meaning here of 'father's house' - that is, Isaac and Abraham's house - as good flowing in along the direct line of descent. For 'house' means good, see 2233, 2234, 3652, 3720; 'father' too means good, 3703; 'Isaac' means the good of the Rational, 3012, 3194, 3210. In addition to this 'Abraham together with Isaac' represents Divine good flowing along the direct line of descent, and 'Laban' parallel good or good which does not flow in along the direct line, 3665, 3778. Parallel good or that which does not flow in along the direct line is the good which has been called intermediate good, for this good derives very much from things that are worldly which seem to be good but are not. Good flowing in along the direct line comes immediately from the Lord or else from the Lord by way of heaven as an intermediary; it is also Divine good separated from the kind of worldly good just mentioned.

[2] With everyone who is being regenerated good is at first intermediate good, for the purpose that it may serve in the introduction of genuine goods and truths. But once it has served that use it is separated; and that person is guided towards good which flows in along the direct line of descent. So a person who is being regenerated is perfected gradually. For example: a person who is being regenerated believes at first that the good which he thinks and which he does begins in himself, and also that he earns some reward, for he does not yet know, or if he does know does not comprehend, that good is able to flow in from some other source. Neither does he know of or comprehend any other possibility than that he should be rewarded because he does it of himself. If he did not believe this at first he would never do anything good. But by this means he is introduced not only into the affection for doing good but also into cognitions concerning good and also concerning merit. And once he has been guided in this way into the affection for doing good he starts to think differently and to believe differently. That is to say, he starts to think and to believe that good flows in from the Lord and that he merits nothing through good which he does from the proprium. And when at length true affection lies behind his willing and doing of what is good he rejects merit altogether and indeed loathes it, and he is moved by an affection for good for the sake of what is good. When this state is reached good is flowing in down a direct line.

[3] Take as another example conjugial love. The good which comes first and is introductory is good looks, or good manners, or outward compatibility, or similarity of social class, or aspiration. These forms of good are the first intermediate ones of conjugial love. After this comes the joining together of minds (animus) in which one wills as the other does and finds delight in doing that which is pleasing to the other. This is the second state, and although those initial forms of good are still present they are no longer kept in view. Finally there follows a uniting involving celestial good and spiritual truth. That is to say, one believes as the other believes, and one is moved by an affection for good as the other is moved. When this state is reached both together experience the heavenly marriage, which is a marriage of good and truth, and so experience conjugial love since conjugial love is nothing else. At the same time the Lord is flowing into the affections of them both as into a single affection. This is a good which flows in down a direct line, whereas the previous kind of good which had flowed in down an indirect line had served as the means of introduction to this good.

We hear a lot about anger management these days. We know that anger is supposed to be a bad thing, a negative emotion. And yet, we sometimes feel angry for what seem to us to be good reasons, even after we calm down. Not only that, but in the Bible, in the Old Testament, Jehovah is often pictured as being angry. Even in the New Testament, Jesus seems to be angry sometimes, like when he cleanses the temple. So, what does the Bible teach us about anger? What is the inner meaning of these descriptions of anger and wrath?

In Genesis 31:36, we read that 'Jacob was incensed and wrangled with Laban', after Laban had given him Leah, instead of Rachel, as a wife.

In Arcana Coelestia 4164, we read that this "means the zeal of the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'being incensed' or being angry, and as a result 'wrangling', as zeal; and from the representation of 'Jacob' as the good of the natural, dealt with already. The reason why 'being incensed', or being angry, and as a result 'wrangling', means zeal is that in heaven or among angels no anger exists, but instead of anger zeal. For anger is different from zeal, in that anger contains evil but zeal contains good. Or to put it another way, a person who is filled with anger intends evil to another with whom he is angry, whereas someone who is filled with zeal intends good to another for whom he is zealous. For this reason also a person who is filled with zeal is able to be good in an instant, and in what he is actually doing to be good towards others. Not so with a person who is filled with anger. Although in outward form zeal has a similar appearance to anger, in inward form it is altogether dissimilar."Another good reference from Swedenborg's works is here, in Conjugial Love 358, an excerpt from which follows:

"Viewed in itself, zeal is, so to speak, the fire of love set ablaze. One cannot know what jealousness is unless one knows what zeal is; for jealousness is the zeal of conjugial love. Zeal is, so to speak, the fire of love set ablaze, because zeal is an expression of love, and love is spiritual warmth, which in its origin is a kind of fire.

As regards the first point, that zeal is an expression of love - this people know. When they speak of being zealous and acting from zeal they mean nothing else than an intensity of love. But because it does not appear as love when it manifests itself, but as antagonistic and hostile - being militant and combative against one who does injury to the love, therefore it may also be called the defender and protector of love."