Jueces 12: El conflicto de Jefté con Efraín; Ibzán, Elón y Abdón.

Después de la victoria de Jefté sobre los amonitas, los hombres de Efraín vinieron a Jefté, exigiendo saber por qué no les había pedido que se unieran a la batalla. Jefté respondió que cuando su pueblo había luchado contra Amón en el pasado, Efraín no había respondido a sus peticiones de ayuda.

Jefté y Efraín entraron en guerra por esta disputa, y Efraín fue derrotado. Los hombres de Jefté, los hombres de Galaad, se quedaron junto a los vados del Jordán para atrapar a los efraimitas que huían. Cuando un hombre pedía cruzar, le decían que dijera "Shibboleth". Los hombres que pronunciaban la palabra como "Sibboleth" eran de Efraín, y eran condenados a muerte. En total, cuarenta y dos mil efraimitas murieron en la guerra.

Jefté murió después de juzgar a Israel durante seis años, y fue enterrado en Galaad.

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El significado espiritual de Efraín es comprender las verdades de la Palabra. Siempre que se hace referencia a Efraín en un sentido negativo, como en este capítulo, el significado espiritual se convierte en una comprensión de la Palabra que ha sido destruida. La Palabra nos ordena vivir de acuerdo con lo que entendemos y creemos; en esta historia, Efraín no hizo caso a las palabras de Jefté (véase la obra de Swedenborg, Doctrina sobre la Sagrada Escritura 79[3]).

Los efraimitas que escaparon quedaron expuestos por su acento, ya que no podían pronunciar el sonido 'sh' de "Shibboleth". La letra 'h' representa la verdad genuina de la Palabra, que es el amor al Señor y al prójimo. Una comprensión puramente intelectual de la Palabra no logra comprender este corazón vivo que hace de la Palabra lo que es, y en consecuencia, sólo puede decir "Sibboleth" (véase la obra de Swdenborg, Arcana Coelestia 4280).

La Palabra nos dice que cuarenta y dos mil efraimitas murieron - ¡parece un número colosal de víctimas! Pero la Palabra no informa de los hechos desde un punto de vista histórico; presenta verdades vivas, incluso en los números. Cuarenta y dos es seis multiplicado por siete, por lo que su significado espiritual puede entenderse como una combinación de ambos números. En el relato de la creación, el Señor trabajó durante seis días y descansó en el séptimo. Esta idea se relaciona con nuestra regeneración, que implica nuestras luchas durante la tentación, así como la paz que proviene del crecimiento espiritual. El hecho de que el número de víctimas fuera de miles enfatiza la importancia del significado espiritual (Arcana Coelestia 8539[2]).

Jefté juzgó a Israel durante seis años. El número seis tiene aquí el mismo significado de conflicto y trabajo durante la tentación. La tentación en este capítulo sería entender la Palabra puramente de una manera intelectual o muerta (Efraín en un mal sentido), en lugar de vivir por las verdades que enseña.

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Después de Jefté, hubo tres jueces menores de Israel. El primero fue Ibzán, que regaló treinta hijas para que se casaran en el extranjero, y trajo treinta hijas extranjeras para sus treinta hijos. La Biblia no nos dice nada más sobre Ibzán, excepto el curioso hecho de que era de Belén. No se sabe si se trata de la misma ciudad donde nacería el Señor, o de otra ciudad del mismo nombre.

Ibzán, cuyo nombre significa "ilustre", representa un espíritu generoso y dispuesto, capaz de acoger nuevas perspectivas y de compartir sus bendiciones con los demás. Este concepto se llama amor mutuo, que es una cualidad clave del cielo (Arcana Coelestia 2738).

El siguiente juez, Elón, procedía de Zabulón y dirigió a Israel durante diez años. Incluso estos pocos detalles que conocemos sobre él presentan un sentido de integridad en sus significados espirituales: su nombre significa "roble", un árbol que se asocia con la nobleza, la fuerza y la longevidad, cada una de las cuales son cualidades adecuadas para un líder; procedía de Zabulón, que representa la unidad del bien y la verdad (Arcana Coelestia 4592[13]); y el número diez (el número de años que juzgó a Israel) simboliza la plenitud, y también nuestros "restos" espirituales (véase la obra de Sweenborg, Doctrina de la Vida para la Nueva Jerusalén 56).

El tercer y último juez, Abdón, tenía cuarenta hijos y treinta nietos que montaban en setenta burros jóvenes. El nombre de Abdón significa "servir", que es el tercer principio espiritual después del amor y la verdad. Servir es ofrecer nuestra vida a Dios a través de la caridad hacia los demás. Un burro joven representa el nivel indómito de nuestra vida antes de la regeneración, que necesita cuidados espirituales (Arcana Coelestia 5084[8]).

Estos tres últimos jueces "menores" nos recuerdan las cualidades que protegen contra el siguiente gran adversario de Israel: los filisteos, que representan la fe sin tener en cuenta la caridad o las buenas obras.

9393. 'And Moses took half of the blood' means Divine Truth which has become a matter of life and of worship. This is clear from the meaning of 'the blood' as Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, dealt with in 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7850, 9127. The reason why it is Divine Truth which has become a matter of life and of worship is that it was the blood which Moses sprinkled over the people, verse 8, and this blood means Divine Truth which a person has accepted, thus that which has become a matter of life and of worship; for that Truth is said to have been accepted by a person which becomes a matter of life and so of worship. And it becomes a matter of life and worship when the person has an affection for it or loves it, or what amounts to the same thing, when he wills it, and - in willing it, and so in loving and having an affection for it - does it. Till then it is indeed present with him in his memory, and is at times called forth from there and comes before his inward sight or understanding, from where it passes back into his memory. However, as long as God's truth goes no deeper than this, though it resides with the person it has not been implanted in his life and will; for a person's life consists in his will. Therefore when truth is called forth from the memory into the understanding, then passes from the understanding into the will, and goes out from the will into action, that truth becomes part of the person's life and is called good. All this shows what is meant by Divine Truth which has become a matter of life. The situation is the same with truth which becomes part of worship. Worship springing from truth which does no more than cling in the memory and make its appearance from there in the understanding is not worship. But worship springing from truth that goes out from the will, and so from affection and love, is worship. In the Word this worship is called worship of the heart, but the other, worship of the lips alone.

[2] It has indeed been shown already in the places referred to above that 'blood' means Divine Truth emanating from the Lord. Nevertheless since the majority belonging to the Church at the present day take the blood in the Holy Supper to mean nothing other than the Lord's blood that was shed on the Cross, and in a more general sense His whole Passion of the Cross, let something further be stated briefly to show that blood is not what is meant there but Divine Truth emanating from the Lord. The reason why this is unknown within the Church is that nothing whatever is known at the present day about correspondences, nor consequently about the internal sense of the Word, the sense understood by angels when someone in the world reads the Word.

[3] It becomes clear from many places in the Word that 'blood' does not mean blood but God's truth, and plainly so from the following in Ezekiel,

Say to every bird of the air and to every wild animal of the field, Assemble and come, gather yourselves from all around to My sacrifice which I am sacrificing for you, so that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You will eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. You will eat fat till you are glutted, and drink blood till you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I will sacrifice for you. You will be glutted at My table with horse and chariot, and with every man of war. Thus will I set My glory among the nations. Ezekiel 39:17-21.

It is plainly evident that 'blood' is not used here to mean blood, for it says that they were going to drink the blood of the princes of the earth, and the blood from the sacrifice, till they were drunk, when yet drinking blood, especially the blood of princes, is something abominable and was forbidden to the children of Israel on pain of death, Leviticus 3:17; 7:26; Leviticus 17:1-end; Deuteronomy 12:16-25; 15:23. It also says that they were going to be glutted with horse, chariot, and every man of war. Anyone therefore who does not know that 'blood' means Divine Truth, 'princes' leading truths, 'sacrifice' the things that belong to worship, 'horse' the understanding of truth, 'chariot' doctrinal teachings, and 'man of war' truth engaged in conflict against falsity is bound to be bemused by each of the words used in this passage.

[4] His response would be the same to the Lord's words in John,

Jesus said, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day. My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. John 6:53-56.

But see what has been shown already regarding these words, in 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7850, 9127. The fact that flesh corresponds to good, as does bread, and that blood corresponds to truth, as does wine, has been told me very many times from heaven. I have likewise been told that angels understand the Word solely according to correspondences, and that as a result of this mankind is joined by means of the Word to heaven, and through heaven to the Lord.

[5] And in like manner I have been told that the Holy Supper was established by the Lord to be the means by which all things of heaven, that is, all things which are the Lord's, might be joined to members of the Church. For in the Holy Supper the flesh or bread is the Divine Good of the Lord's Divine Love towards the whole human race, and a person's love in return to the Lord, while the blood or wine is the Divine Truth emanating from the Divine Good of the Lord's Divine Love, and in turn the person's acceptance of it. In heaven, furthermore, eating and drinking those gifts implies making them one's own and joining them together. But see what has been shown already regarding these matters in 2165, 2177, 3464, 4211, 4217, 4581, 4735, 5915, 6789, 7850, 9323.