284. The details just quoted about the proclamation of the law, its holiness and power, are to be found in the following passages of the Word. Jehovah came down on Mount Sinai in fire, and the mountain then smoked and shook, there was thunder and lightning, an oppressive cloud and the sound of a trumpet: Exodus 19:16-18; Deuteronomy 4:11; 5:22-26. The people prepared and sanctified themselves for three days before Jehovah came down: Exodus 19:10-11, 15. The mountain was hedged about to prevent anyone approaching its foot and coming near and being killed; not even the priests approached, only Moses: Exodus 19:12-13, 20-23; 24:1-2. The law was proclaimed from Mount Sinai: Exodus 20:2-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The law was inscribed on two stone tablets, and written by the finger of God: Exodus 31:18; 32:15-16; Deuteronomy 9:10. When Moses carried the tablets down from the mountain the second time, his face shone so that he had to cover his face with a veil when talking with the people: Exodus 34:29-35. The tablets were laid up in the Ark: Exodus 25:16, 40:20; Deuteronomy 10:5; 1 Kings 8:9. The mercy-seat was mounted upon the Ark, and over it were placed cherubim made of gold: Exodus 25:17-21. The Ark together with the mercy-seat and the cherubim was put into the Tabernacle, constituting its first and thus most inward part; the table overlaid with gold, upon which was the bread of the Presence, the incense-altar of gold, and the lamp-stand and lamps of gold, made up the external part of the Tabernacle; the ten curtains of fine linen, purple and scarlet were its outermost part: Exodus 25:1-end; Exodus 26:1-end; Exodus 40:17-28. The place, where the Ark was, was called the Holy of Holies: Exodus 26:33. The whole people of Israel camped around the Tabernacle in the order of their tribes, and set out in order after it: Numbers 2:1-end. There was then a cloud over the Tabernacle by day and fire by night: Exodus 40:38; Numbers 9:15-end; Numbers 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:33. Jehovah spoke with Moses above the Ark, between the cherubim: Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89. The Ark was called from the law in it 'Jehovah-is-here'; for Moses said when the Ark set out 'Arise, Jehovah', and when it rested 'Return, Jehovah': Numbers 10:35-36; and further 2 Samuel 6:2 ¹ ; Psalms 132:7-8. On account of the holiness of the law Aaron was not allowed to go inside the veil, except with sacrifices and incense: Leviticus 16:2-14ff. By the presence of the Lord's power in the law contained in the Ark the waters of Jordan were parted, and the people crossed over on dry land, so long as it rested in the midst: ; 4:5-20. When the Ark was carried round them, the walls of Jericho fell down: Joshua 6:1-20. Dagon, the god of the Philistines, fell to the ground in the presence of the Ark, and afterwards was found lying on the threshold of the shrine with his head torn off and the palms of his hands cut off: 1 Samuel 5. The men of Bethshemesh were smitten because of the Ark to the number of many thousands: 1 Samuel 5, 6. Uzzah was killed by touching the Ark: 2 Samuel 6:7. The Ark was brought into Zion by David with sacrifices and jubilation: 2 Samuel 6:1-19. The Ark was brought by Solomon into the Temple at Jerusalem, where he made its inner shrine: 1 Kings 6:19ff; 1 Kings 8:3-9.

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529. Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. (11:19) This symbolizes the New Heaven, in which the Lord is worshiped in His Divine humanity, and where people live in accordance with the Ten Commandments, which constitute the two essential elements of the New Church that are the means of conjunction.

The temple of God symbolizes the Lord's Divine humanity, also heaven where angels dwell, and likewise the church on earth. To be shown that the temple of God has these three symbolic meanings, and that the three cannot be separated, see no. 191. Here, however, the temple of God symbolizes the Lord in His Divine humanity in heaven where angels dwell, because it is said to be the temple of God in heaven. The ark in the temple means the Ten Commandments, for the ark had as its sole contents the two tables on which the Ten Commandments were written. ¹ The temple's being opened means, symbolically, that these two, the Divine humanity and the Ten Commandments, which are the two essential elements of the New Church, are now visible, and that they became visible after the evil were cast into hell (no. 528). The ark is called the ark of His covenant in His temple because a covenant symbolizes conjunction, as we will see below. But first we must say something about the Ten Commandments.

[2] What nation in the entire world does not know that it is evil to kill, commit adultery, steal, and bear false witness? If nations did not know this and enact laws to keep people from doing these things, it would be all over with them. For society, the republic, or kingdom would collapse without these laws.

Who can suppose that the Israelite nation was so stupid in comparison to all other nations as not to know that such actions are evil? One may wonder, therefore, why these laws, being so universally known throughout the whole world, were promulgated by Jehovah Himself from Mount Sinai, attended by the great miracle they were, and written, moreover, with His finger.

But listen, they were promulgated by Jehovah with such a great miracle and written with His finger in order that people might know that these laws are not only civil and moral laws, but also spiritual laws, and that to disobey them is not only to do evil to one's fellow citizen and to society, but is also to sin against God. Their promulgation by Jehovah from Mount Sinai made them therefore laws of religion. For it is evident that whatever Jehovah God commands, He commands to make it a matter of religion, so that it must be obeyed for His sake, and for a person's own sake, that he may be saved.

[3] Because these laws were the first elements of the church to be established by the Lord with the Israelite nation, and because they embrace in brief summary everything having to do with religion which makes possible a conjunction of the Lord with a person and of a person with the Lord, therefore they were so holy that nothing was more holy.

That they were so very holy can be seen from the following: That Jehovah Himself, that is to say, the Lord, descended in fire; that the mountain then smoked and quaked; and that this was attended by thunderings, lightnings, a thick cloud, and the sound of a trumpet (Exodus 19:16, 18, Deuteronomy 5:22-26). That before Jehovah descended, the people readied themselves and sanctified themselves for three days (Exodus 19:10-11, 15). That in the Temple at Jerusalem the Ark constituted the inner sanctuary (1 Kings 6:19ff., 8:3-9). That the tablets on which the Law was written were called the tablets of the covenant, and because of them the Ark was called the ark of the covenant, with the Law itself being called the covenant (Numbers 10:33, Deuteronomy 4:13, 23; 5:2-3; 9:9, Joshua 3:11, 1 Kings 8:19, 21, and elsewhere).

The Law's being called a covenant symbolizes conjunction. The reason is that covenants are made for the sake of love, friendship, and association, thus for the sake of conjunction. That is why we find it said of the Lord that He will be "a covenant to the people" (Isaiah 42:6; 49:8), and He is called "the Messenger of the covenant" (Malachi 3:1). His blood also is called "the blood of the covenant" (Matthew 26:28, cf. Zechariah 9:11, Exodus 24:4-10). And therefore the Word is called the Old and New Testaments or Covenants.

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