Bible

 

Judges 17

Studie

   

1 There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

2 He said to his mother, "The eleven hundred [pieces] of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it." His mother said, "Blessed be my son of Yahweh."

3 He restored the eleven hundred [pieces] of silver to his mother; and his mother said, "I most certainly dedicate the silver to Yahweh from my hand for my son, to make an engraved image and a molten image. Now therefore I will restore it to you."

4 When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred [pieces] of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made of it an engraved image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah.

5 The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

6 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

7 There was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he lived there.

8 The man departed out of the city, out of Bethlehem Judah, to live where he could find [a place], and he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he traveled.

9 Micah said to him, "Where did you come from?" He said to him, "I am a Levite of Bethlehem Judah, and I am looking for a place to live."

10 Micah said to him, "Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten [pieces] of silver per year, a suit of clothing, and your food." So the Levite went in.

11 The Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.

12 Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

13 Then Micah said, "Now know I that Yahweh will do good to me, since I have a Levite to my priest."

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 2598

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 10837  
  

2598. When I read in Judges 17, 18 about Micah, how the Danites stole his graven image, teraphim, and Levite, a spirit from the gentiles was present who during his lifetime had worshipped a graven image. As he listened attentively to what happened to Micah and how he grieved for his graven image which the Danites had taken away, he too was overtaken and filled with grief, so much so that he scarcely knew as a result of interior grief what to think. I perceived his grief, and at the same time innocence in every one of his affections. Christian spirits as well were present and looking on and they were amazed that the worshipper of a graven image could be filled by so strong a feeling of compassion and innocence. Afterwards good spirits spoke to him, saying that a graven image ought not to be worshipped and that this he was able to understand because he was a human being. They told him that instead his thoughts ought to go beyond the graven image to God the Creator and Governor of the whole of heaven and the whole of earth, and that this God is the Lord. While they were saying these things I was given to perceive the feeling or emotion within him with which he worshipped, and which was communicated to me. It was far more holy than feelings and emotions present in Christians. From this it became clear that gentiles, as accords with the Lord's words in Luke 13:29-30, enter heaven more easily than Christians do today who are not stirred by the same feelings and emotions. For in that state he was able to absorb all things of faith and to receive them with interior affection, since there existed in him that compassion which is the expression of love, and his lack of knowledge had innocence within it; and when these are present all things of faith are received so to speak spontaneously, and with joy. He was after this received among angels.

  
/ 10837  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.