3381. 'Because Abraham hearkened to My voice' means the union of the Lord's Divine Essence with the Human Essence by means of temptations. This is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord even as to the Divine Human, dealt with in 2833, 2836, 3251, and from the meaning of 'hearkening to My voice' when it has reference to the Lord, as uniting the Divine Essence to the Human Essence by means of temptations, for it is in connection with temptations that in the Word obedience is attributed to the Lord. The mention of Abraham's hearkening here is a reference to what was said about him in Chapter 22, When God tempted him He told him to take his son and offer him as a burnt offering, verses 1-2. And when he hearkened to His voice it is said,

Now I know that you fear God and have not withheld your only son from Me. By Myself I have sworn, says Jehovah, that because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will certainly bless you, and I will certainly multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens. Genesis 22:12, 16-17.

'Not withholding your only son from Me', which was 'hearkening to His voice', means the union of the Human and the Divine effected by means of the final degree of temptation, see 2827, 2844.

[2] That these considerations are meant by hearkening to the voice of Jehovah, or the Father, is also evident from the Lord's words uttered in Gethsemane, in Matthew,

My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will but as You will. Again, for the second time, My Father, if this cup cannot pass from Me unless I drink it, Your will he done. Matthew 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42.

But because Jehovah or the Father was within Him, that is, He was in the Father and Father in Him - John 14:10-11 - 'hearkening to Jehovah's voice' is used to mean that the Lord through temptations united the Divine to the Human by His own power, as is also clear from the Lord's own words in John,

As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father, and I lay down My life, ¹ for the sheep. For this reason the Father loves Me, that I lay down My life, ¹ so that I may receive it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself; I have power to lay it down and I have power to receive it again; this commandment I have received from My Father. John 10:15, 17-18.

Through temptations the Lord united His Divine Essence to His Human Essence by His own power, see 1663, 1668, 1690, 1691 (end), 1725, 1729, 1733, 1737, 1787, 1789, 1812, 1820, 2776, 3318 (end).

Poznámky pod čarou:

1707. That 'Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive' means that the Interior Man perceived the nature of the state of the External Man is clear from the meaning of 'Abram' in the previous verse as the Interior Man to which the Internal or Divine Man was joined; from the meaning of 'Lot' as the External Man, as shown already; and also from the meaning of 'hearing that his brother had been taken captive' as perceiving the nature of its state, namely, as stated in verse 12, that - apparent goods and truths had possession of it.

[2] The situation is this: When the Interior Man meant by 'Abram the Hebrew' perceived that the goods and truths from which the battle was being fought were not in fact goods and truths except in appearance, and that these had possession of the entire External Man meant by 'Lot his brother's son', the Interior Man, or rather the Divine Internal Man by means of the Interior Man, purified them. How this is done nobody can possibly know except one to whom it has been revealed. Indeed the influx of the internal man into the external man by way of the interior man situated between them is an arcanum, especially at the present time when few if any know what the interior man is, still less what the internal man is. As to what the internal man and the interior man are, see just above at verse 13.

[3] But the nature of this influx will be mentioned briefly here. The internal man residing in everyone is the Lord's alone, for the Lord there stores away the goods and truths which He confers on man from earliest childhood. By way of these He flows from the internal man into the interior or rational man, and by way of this into the external man; and in this way man is enabled to think and be man. But the influx from the internal man into the interior man in between, and so into the external man, is twofold, passing either through celestial things or through spiritual, or what amounts to the same, either through goods or through truths. The influx through celestial things, or goods, occurs solely with regenerate persons, who have had either perception or conscience conferred on them, so that such influx is either by way of perception or else by way of conscience. Consequently influx by way of celestial things does not exist except among those with whom love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour are present. By way of spiritual things, or truths, however, the Lord flows into every person; and without that influx no one would have been able to think, nor thus to speak. When a person is such that he perverts goods and truths and does not care at all about celestial and spiritual things, no influx of celestial things, or goods, takes place. But though the road for celestial things and goods is closed, still an influx of spiritual things or truths takes place, that road being kept open all the time. This makes clear the nature of the interior man or man situated between internal man and external, which is the rational man.

[4] Here 'Abram' means the internal man within the interior man situated between internal and external. When celestial things, or goods, flow in from the internal man into the interior man, the internal man takes to itself the interior man and makes it its own; yet the latter remains distinct and separate from the internal man. Similarly when the internal man flows into the external man through the interior man between the two, it takes this man also to itself, and makes it its own; yet that external man remains distinct and separate from the interior. So now, once the Internal Man perceived within the Interior Man that the state of the External Man was such - that is to say, that it 'had been taken captive' meaning that not genuine but apparent goods and truths had taken possession of it, from which goods and truths He fought against so many foes - that Internal Man flowed in, restored all things to order, and released the External Man from the things that infested it. The Internal Man accordingly purified the External Man, that is to say, so that there were present not apparent but genuine goods and truths, which were thus joined to the Internal or Divine Man - that conjunction being effected, as has been stated, through the Interior Man.

[5] In one respect the Lord was not like any other human being, for His Interior Man as regards celestial things, or goods, was Divine, and from birth was joined to the Internal Man. The Internal Man together with this Interior Man was His Father, Jehovah Himself. But in another respect He was like others, in that His Interior Man as regards spiritual things, or truths, was joined to the External Man, and so was Human; but this too was by His own power made Divine, that is, Jehovah, through conflicts constituting temptations and through repeated victories. It is the External Man that is called 'Lot'; but in the previous state the expression 'brother's son' is used, in the present state 'Abram's brother'. It was called 'his brother's son' when apparent truths and goods had possession of it, but 'his brother' when genuine goods and genuine truths did so.