3854. 'Jehovah saw' means the Lord's foresight and providence. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' in reference to the Lord as foresight and providence, dealt with in the next verse where Reuben is the subject, who was so named from the expression 'to see' - 'Jehovah' being the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 1793, 2156, 2329, 2921, 3023, 3035.

[2] As regards foresight and providence in general, foresight has reference more to man, providence more to the Lord. The Lord foresaw from eternity what the human race was going to be like in the future and what every member of it was going to be like, and that evil was going to increase all the time, so that at length man, of himself, would rush headlong into hell. That being so, the Lord has provided not only the means by which He makes it possible for him to be diverted from hell and led towards heaven, but also does in His providence divert and lead him all the time. The Lord also foresaw that it would be impossible for any good to take root in man except in his freedom, for that which does not take root in freedom is dispelled at the first sign of evil and of temptation. This the Lord foresaw, as well as the fact that of himself, that is, from his own freedom, man would be inclined towards the deepest hell. That being so, the Lord provided that if he would not allow himself to be led in freedom towards heaven he could still be diverted towards a milder hell; but if he would allow himself to be led in freedom towards good then he could be diverted towards heaven. From these considerations one may see what foresight is and what providence is, and that appropriate provisions are made for things that are foreseen.

[3] From this it may be seen how far someone errs who believes that the Lord has not foreseen and does not see the smallest individual thing with man, or that within the smallest individual thing He does not foresee and lead, when in fact the Lord's foresight and providence are present within the tiniest details of all the smallest individual things with him, and in details so tiny that it is impossible to comprehend in any manner of thought one in many millions of them. For every smallest fraction of a moment of a person's life entails a chain of consequences extending into eternity. Indeed every one is like a new beginning to those that follow, and so every single moment of the life both of his understanding and of his will is a new beginning. And since the Lord foresaw from eternity what man was going to be like in the future and even into eternity it is clear that providence is present in the smallest individual things, and, as has been stated, is governing him and diverting him so that he may be such, this being achieved by constant re-shaping of his freedom. But this subject will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed further later on.

10110. 'To fill their hand' means in order to receive Divine Truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'filling the hand' as representing the Lord in respect of Divine Truth in the heavens, and the transmission and the reception of that Truth there, dealt with in 10076. The implications of this statement - that 'they shall eat the holy things containing what has been expiated, to fill their hand' means the making of good their own by those who have been purified from evils and consequent falsities in order to receive Divine Truth - are as follows:

[2] The first thing of all to be made a person's own is good, followed in stages by truth. The reason why this should be so is that good is the ground and truth the seed. So in a similar way good adopts truth and joins it to itself, because it loves truth like a parent. For a heavenly conjugial relationship exists between good and truth, and good is what constitutes a person's life, since good belongs to the will and a person's will is the actual person. But truth does not constitute a person's life except insofar as it originates in good. Because truth belongs to the understanding, and the understanding without the will is not the actual person, it is merely the doorway to the person; for the understanding is the doorway through which things pass into the will.

[3] A person may be compared to a house with a large number of rooms leading one into the next. People who have truths solely in their understanding are not in any room in the house but merely in the court outside. So far however as truth passes through the understanding into the will it passes into the rooms and lives in the house. A person is also compared in the Word to a house, and truth confined to the understanding is compared to the court. But truth which has also been made part of the will and becomes good there is compared to a room that is lived in and to the actual bedchamber.

[4] The fact that good is the first thing of all to come from the Lord and be made a person's own is clear from his infancy and early childhood. At this time, as is well known, the good of innocence, the good of love towards parents and nursemaid, and the good of charity towards companions of his own age exist with him. This good flows from the Lord into young children to serve in the next stage of life as the first requirement for the presence of the Lord's life with a person, and so to serve as the groundwork for receiving truths. That good with the person is also preserved as he grows up, unless he himself destroys it by a life of evil and consequent belief in what is false. When the word 'good' is used charity towards the neighbour and love to the Lord should be understood; for everything that is a manifestation of love and charity is good.

Good occupies the first place and truth the second with those who are being regenerated, though the appearance is other than this, see 3325, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273.