4984. 'And he did not concern himself with anything except the bread that he ate' means that the good from there was made its own. This is clear from the meaning of 'bread' as good, dealt with in 276, 680, 3478, 3735, 4211, 4217, 4735; and from the meaning of 'eating' as being made one's own, dealt with in 3168, 3513 (end), 3596, 3832, 4745. 'He did not concern himself with anything except the bread' means that it took to itself nothing else than good. One might think that when good makes truth its own, it makes its own that kind of truth which is the truth of faith; but in fact it makes the good of truth its own. Truths that have no useful purpose do indeed come near it but they do not enter into it. All useful purposes led to by truths are instances of the good of truth. Truths which have no useful purpose are separated, some of which are then retained, others laid aside. The ones that are retained lead in some direct or else more remote way to good and actually have a useful purpose. Ones that are laid aside do not lead to good, nor do they become linked to it. Initially all useful purposes exist as the truths of doctrine, but they move on to become forms of good. They become such when a person acts in conformity with them, for it is what the person actually practises that imparts such a nature to those truths. Every action springs from the will, and the will is what causes that which existed initially as truth to become good. From this it is evident that, when in the will, truth is no longer the truth of faith but the good of faith, and that it is not the truth of faith but the good of faith that brings happiness. For the latter exerts an influence on the essential constituent of a person's life, that is to say, on the intentions in his will, bringing him interior delight or bliss, and in the next life happiness that is called heavenly joy.

4217. 'And Laban went and resumed to his place' means the end of the representation by means of Laban. This is clear from the meaning of 'returning to his place' as going back to a previous state - for 'place' means state, see 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 3404 - and therefore the words used here mean the end of the representation by means of Laban. All that has been shown makes it clear that every single part of the Word has an interior content, which is of such a nature that it is suited to the perception of the angels present with man. For example, when the word 'bread' is used in the Word the angels do not call to mind material bread but spiritual bread, and so instead of bread perceive the Lord who, as He Himself teaches in John 6:33, 35, is the Bread of life. And because they perceive the Lord they perceive the things which derive from Him, and therefore His love towards the whole human race. In so doing they perceive at the same time man's reciprocal love to the Lord, for these two kinds of love are knit together within one idea occupying their thought and affection.

[2] Not unlike this are the thoughts of the person who has a holy mind, when he receives the bread in the Holy Supper; for at that time he does not think of the bread but of the Lord and His mercy, and of the things which constitute love to Him and charity towards the neighbour, because he is thinking about repentance and amendment of life. Yet the way people think about these things varies according to the degree of holiness present not only in their thought but also in their affection. From this it is evident that when 'bread' is mentioned in the Word no idea of bread presents itself to angels but the idea of love and of countless things connected with love. It is similar when wine is referred to in the Word and also received in the Holy Supper. In this case angels do not think at all of wine but of charity towards the neighbour. This being so, and since man in this way is linked to heaven and through heaven to the Lord, bread and wine have been made the symbols and unite a person who leads a holy life to heaven, and through heaven to the Lord.

[3] The same applies to every detail within the Word, and therefore the Word is the means by which man is united to the Lord. If that uniting means did not exist heaven would not be able to flow in with man - for without a means no uniting together would be possible - but would remove itself from him. And if heaven were removed it would no longer be possible for anyone to be led to that which is good, not even to physical and worldly good. Instead all restraints, including external ones, would be abolished. For the Lord governs the person in whom good dwells by means of internal restraints, which are those of conscience, whereas the person in whom evil dwells is governed solely by external restraints. If these were abolished everybody governed solely by external restraints would become insane in the way a person is insane who has no fear of the law, no fear for his life, nor any fear of losing position and gain, and so of reputation - for these are the external bonds - and so the human race would perish. This explains why the Word exists, and the true nature of the Word. The Lord's Church where the Word exists is like the heart and the lungs, and the Lord's Church where it does not exist is like all the other internal organs which get their life from the heart and lungs - see 637, 931, 2054, 2853.