Responder" geralmente indica um estado de receptividade espiritual. Em última análise, isto significa estar receptivo ao Senhor, que está constantemente tentando derramar idéias verdadeiras e desejos de bem em nossos corações e mentes. Também pode ser receptivo nas partes externas de nós mesmos à condução das partes internas de nós mesmos - comprometendo-se a fazer nossas ações seguirem nossas crenças mais profundas.

"Responder" na Bíblia é muitas vezes acompanhado de "dizer". Nestes casos, geralmente indica um nível de percepção aliado à receptividade. Isto significa que você não só aceita o que lhe vem do Senhor, mas também o vê e reconhece a verdade nele e o fato de que ele o levará a uma vida melhor.

(Odkazy: Apocalipse Explicato 471; Arcanos Celestes 2957, 4184, 5150, 5255, 5472, 6943, 8776, 9384)

6943. 'And Moses answered and said' means thought coming from the law of God. This is clear from the meaning of 'answering and saying' as thought, for expressions used in the literal and historical sense to describe things of an external nature mean in the internal sense realities of an internal nature (spiritual realities, or things of heaven, cannot be presented to people in any other way at all, for bare spiritual realities cannot be comprehended by a person, nor can they be expressed in the words of human speech; that is why spiritual realities have been described by means of natural things corresponding to them and in that form presented to mankind, making the Word suited to a person in the natural world as well as to a person in the spiritual world, which establishes contact between heaven and mankind, and their fellowship); and from the representation of 'Moses' as the Lord in respect of the law of God, dealt with in 6752. From this it is evident that 'Moses answered and said' means thought coming from the law of God; and thought coming from the law of God is thought coming from the truth from God. Here the thought is that the children of Israel are not going to believe unless they see signs and portents.