9209. If thou shalt lend silver to My people, the needy with thee. That this signifies the instruction of those who are in ignorance of truth, and yet long to learn, is evident from the signification of “silver,” as being truth (see n. 1551, 2048, 2954, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917, 7999, 8932); from the signification of “lending,” as being to communicate the goods of heaven from the affection of charity (n. 9174), thus to instruct; from the signification of “people,” as being those who are in truths, here those in ignorance of truth, because it is said “needy people” (that those are called a “people” who are in truths, see n. 1259, 1260, 2928, 3295, 3581, 7207); and from the signification of “needy,” as being those who are in ignorance of truth and yet long to learn, for these are in spiritual need, and are to be instructed.

[2] In the Word it is frequently said that benefits are to be conferred on the poor and needy. Those who are in external truths, and who are not yet initiated into internal truths, believe that benefits are to be conferred on all who need any kind of help, and especially on beggars, who call themselves poorer than others. They who do this from obedience, because it has been so commanded, do well; for by this outward thing they are initiated into the internal of charity and mercy. The internal of charity and mercy consists in clearly discerning who and of what character are those upon whom benefits are to be conferred, and in what manner to each one. They who are at last initiated into the internal of charity and mercy know that this very internal consists in willing well and in doing well to the internal man, thus with such things as conduce to spiritual life; and that the external consists in doing well to the external man, thus with such things as conduce to the bodily life, but yet with such prudence, that while the external man is benefited the internal man may also be benefited at the same time. For he who does well to the external man and ill to the internal man, does not practice charity; and therefore when the one is done, the other must also be looked to.

[3] It is the external of charity which is described in the external or literal sense of the Word by the injunction that benefits are to be conferred on the poor and needy; but it is the internal of charity which is described in the internal or spiritual sense of the Word; for in this sense is meant the internal man who is in poverty and need, and who is to be benefited. In this sense by “the poor and needy” are meant those who are in lack and ignorance of good and truth, and yet long for good and truth. The Word also teaches in the letter how these are to be aided, especially the Word which the Lord Himself taught when He was in the world; for the Lord then disclosed such things as belong to the internal man, as is plain in the Evangelists throughout. But still He spoke in such a manner that every word had an internal sense for the angels, and at the same time for the man of the internal church. For the internal sense contains such things as the genuine doctrine of the church teaches.

[4] Take for example what the Lord said to the disciples sent by John the Baptist to inquire whether He was the Lord who should come; to whom He replied:

Go ye and tell John what things ye have seen and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, to the poor the gospel is preached (Luke 7:20-22).

These words were spoken for the external man, and at the same time for the internal man; for the external man that such miracles were wrought; for the internal, that the church is being set up among such as in the spiritual sense are blind, lame, leprous, deaf, and poor, thus among the Gentiles who are in ignorance of good and truth, and yet long for them. For those are called “blind” who are in ignorance of truth (n. 6990); “lame,” those who are in good, but on account of their ignorance of truth, not in genuine good (n. 4302); “leprous,” those who are unclean and yet long to be made clean; “deaf,” those who are not in the faith of truth, because not in the perception of it; and “poor,” those who have not the Word, and thus know nothing of the Lord, and yet long to be instructed. Consequently it is said that “to these the gospel shall be preached.”

[5] That by “the poor and needy” in the internal sense are meant those outside the church who are in ignorance of truth, because they have not the Word, and yet long to be instructed, and who by means of that which they know are nevertheless in a little good; and also those within the church who from various causes are ignorant of truth, but nevertheless by virtue of some good long for it, is evident from passages where “the poor and needy” are mentioned in the Word, as in David:

I am needy and poor; make haste unto me, O God; my help and my deliverer, O Jehovah (Psalms 70:5).

These words were spoken by David, who was not poor and needy, from which it is evident that spiritual poverty and need are meant. In like manner elsewhere:

I am needy and poor; O Lord, remember me, my help and my deliverer (Psalms 40:17).

God shall judge His people in righteousness, and His needy in judgment. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the hills in righteousness. He shall judge the needy of the people. He shall save the sons of the poor, and shall break in pieces the oppressor (Psalms 72:2-4);

“the needy” here denote those who are in spiritual need, and thus in the hunger, that is, in the longing to be willing to be instructed in truths.

[6] In the same:

All my bones shall say, O Jehovah, who is like unto Thee, who deliverest the needy from him that is stronger than he; yea, the needy and the poor from them that plunder him? (Psalms 35:10).

The “bones” denote memory-truths (n. 8005); “the needy,” those who are in but little truth; and “the poor” those who are in but little good, and are infested by evils and falsities. From these infestations the needy are also called in the original tongue “the afflicted,” for “to be afflicted” denotes to be infested by falsities (n. 9196). Again in same:

The wicked lieth in wait in the tent to catch the needy; he doth catch the needy, and draweth him into his net (Psalms 10:9).

Is not this the fast, to break bread to the hungry, and to bring into the house the needy that are cast out? (Isaiah 58:6-7

Jehovah hath comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His needy ones (Isaiah 49:13).

I will leave in the midst of thee a people needy and feeble, who hope in the name of Jehovah (Zeph. 3:12).

In these passages “the needy” denote those who are in ignorance of truth and long to be instructed.

4302. And he halted upon his thigh. That this signifies that truths were not yet disposed into such an order that all together with good might enter into celestial spiritual good; is evident from the signification of “halting,” as being to be in good in which there are not yet genuine truths, but general ones into which genuine truths can be insinuated, and such as do not disagree with genuine truths (of which hereafter). But in the supreme sense, in which the Lord is treated of, by “halting upon the thigh” is signified that truths had not yet been disposed into such an order that all together with good might enter into celestial spiritual good. (That the “thigh” is celestial spiritual good may be seen above, n. 4277, 4278.)

[2] As regards the order in which truths must be when they enter into good (here celestial spiritual good), neither can this be set forth to the apprehension; for it must first be known what order is, and then what is the order of truths; also what celestial spiritual good is, and then how truths enter into it by means of good. Although these things should be described, they still would not be manifest except to those who are in heavenly perception, and by no means to those who are in natural perception alone. For they who are in heavenly perception are in the light of heaven from the Lord, in which light there is intelligence and wisdom. But they who are in natural light are not in any intelligence and wisdom, except insofar as the light of heaven flows into this light, and so disposes it that the things which are of heaven may appear as in a mirror, or in a certain representative image, in the things which are of natural light; for without the influx of the light of heaven, natural light presents nothing of spiritual truth to view.

[3] This only can be said respecting the order in which truths must be in order that they may enter into good—that all truths, like goods, both as to generals and as to particulars, and even as to the veriest singulars, in heaven are disposed into such an order that the one regards the other in such a form as do the members, organs, and viscera of the human body, or their uses, have mutual regard to one another, in general, also in particular, and likewise in the veriest singulars, and thus effect that all are a one. It is from this order in which truths and goods are disposed that heaven itself is called the Grand Man. Its life itself is from the Lord, who from Himself disposes all things in general and in particular into such order; and hence heaven is a likeness and an image of the Lord; and therefore when truths are disposed into such an order as that in which heaven is, they are then in heavenly order and can enter into good. The truths and goods with every angel are in such an order; and the truths and goods with every man who is being regenerated are also being disposed, into such an order. In a word, the order of heaven is the disposal of the truths that are of faith in the goods that are of charity toward the neighbor, and the disposal of these goods in the good that is of love to the Lord.

[4] That “to halt” denotes to be in good in which there are not yet genuine truths, but nevertheless general truths into which genuine truth can be insinuated, and such as do not disagree with genuine truths; and thus that the “lame” are those who are in good, but not in genuine good because of their ignorance of truth (that is, in such good as are the Gentiles who live in mutual charity), may be seen from those passages in the Word where the “lame” and the “halt” are mentioned in a good sense. As in Isaiah:

The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing (Isaiah 35:5-6).

In Jeremiah:

Behold, I bring them from the land of the north, and I will gather them from the sides of the earth, among them the blind and the lame one, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together (Jeremiah 31:8).

In Micah:

In that day, saith Jehovah, I will gather her that halteth, and I will assemble her that is driven, and I will make her that halteth for remains, and her that was driven a numerous nation; and Jehovah shall reign over them in the mountain of Zion, from henceforth and to eternity (Micah 4:6-7).

In Zephaniah:

At that time I will save her that halteth, and assemble her that was driven, and I will make them a praise and a name (Zeph. 3:19).

That in these passages by the “lame” and the “halt” are not meant the lame and the halt, may be seen by everyone, for it is said of them that they “shall leap,” “shall be assembled,” “shall be made for remains,” and “shall be saved;” but it is evident that those are signified who are in good and not so much in truths, as is the case with well-disposed Gentiles, and also with those of a similar nature within the church.

[5] Such are also meant by the “lame” of whom the Lord speaks in Luke:

Jesus said, When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind; then thou shalt be blessed (Luke 14:13-14).

And in the same:

The master of the house said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the lame, and the blind (Luke 14:21).

The Ancient Church distinguished into classes the neighbor or neighbors toward whom they were to perform the works of charity; and some they called “maimed,” some “lame,” some “blind,” and some “deaf,” meaning those who were spiritually so. Some also they called the “hungry,” the “thirsty,” “strangers,” the “naked,” the “sick,” the “captives” (Matthew 25:33-36); and some “widows,” “orphans,” the “needy,” the “poor,” and the “miserable;” by whom they meant no other than those who were such as to truth and good, and who were to be suitably instructed, led on their way, and thus provided for as to their souls. But as at this day charity does not make the church, but faith, what is meant in the Word by these persons is altogether unknown; and yet it is manifest to everyone that it is not meant that the maimed, the lame, and the blind are to be called to a feast, and that it was not commanded by the master of the house that such should be brought in, but that those are meant who are spiritually such; also that in every thing spoken by the Lord there is what is Divine, consequently a celestial and spiritual sense.

[6] Similar is the meaning of the Lord’s words in Mark:

If thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is good for thee to enter into life lame, rather than having two feet to be cast into the gehenna of fire, into fire unquenchable (Mark 9:45; Matthew 18:8);

by the “foot which must be cut off” if it caused stumbling, is meant the natural, which is constantly opposing itself to the spiritual—that it must be destroyed if it attempt to impair truths; and thus that on account of the disagreement and dissuasion of the natural man, it is better to be in simple good, although in the denial of truth. This is signified by “entering into life lame.” (That the “foot” is the natural may be seen above, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280)

[7] By the “lame” in the Word are also signified those who are in no good, and thence in no truth, as in Isaiah:

Then shall the prey that multiplieth be divided, the lame shall plunder the prey (Isaiah 33:23).

In David:

When I am halting they are glad and gather themselves together; the lame whom I knew not gather themselves together against me (Psalms 35:15).

And because such are signified by the “lame,” it was forbidden to sacrifice anything that was lame (Deuteronomy 15:21-22; Malachi 1:8, 13); and also that anyone of the seed of Aaron who was lame should discharge the office of the priesthood (Leviticus 21:18). It is similar with the lame as with the blind, for the “blind” in a good sense signify those who are in ignorance of truth, and in the opposite sense those who are in falsities (n. 2383).

[8] In the original language the “lame” is expressed by one word, and “he that halteth” by another, and by the “lame” in the proper sense are signified those who are in natural good into which spiritual truths cannot flow, on account of natural appearances and the fallacies of the senses; and in the opposite sense those who are in no natural good, but in evil, which altogether obstructs the influx of spiritual truth; whereas by “him that halteth,” in the proper sense, are signified those who are in natural good into which general truths are admitted, but on account of their ignorance, not particular and singular truths; and in the opposite sense, those who are in evil and thus do not admit even general truths.