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Numbers 17

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1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers' house, of all their princes according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods: write every man's name on his rod.

3 You shall write Aaron's name on the rod of Levi; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers' houses.

4 You shall lay them up in the Tent of Meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you.

5 It shall happen, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you."

6 Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

7 Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimony.

8 It happened on the next day, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

9 Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

10 Yahweh said to Moses, "Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, that they not die."

11 Moses did so. As Yahweh commanded him, so he did.

12 The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, we perish! We are undone! We are all undone!

13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh, dies! Will we all perish?"

   

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Apocalypse Revealed # 357

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357. Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed. This symbolizes an affection for truth springing from goodness, producing intelligence in those people who will be part of the New Heaven and of the Lord's New Church.

In the highest sense Levi symbolizes love and mercy; in the spiritual sense, charity in practice, which constitutes goodness of life; and in the natural sense, association and conjunction. The name Levi also comes from a word meaning to attach, which in the Word symbolizes a conjunction by love. Here, however, Levi symbolizes a love or affection for truth and the resulting intelligence, because he comes after Simeon and is the middle one in this series.

Since this is what Levi represents, therefore that tribe became the priesthood (Numbers 3:1-51, Deuteronomy 21:5, and elsewhere).

That the tribe of Levi symbolizes a love of truth, which is the fundamental love that causes a church to be a church, and at the same time the resulting intelligence, can be seen from the following passages:

...Jehovah... has chosen (the sons of Levi) to minister to Him and to bless in (His) name. (Deuteronomy 21:5)

To bless in the name of Jehovah is to teach, and only those people can do this who possess an affection for truth and the resulting intelligence.

...they guard Your Word and keep Your covenant. They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your law. (Deuteronomy 33:8-11)

The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple..., and He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; and He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver... (Malachi 3:1-4)

To purify the sons of Levi is to purify people who have an affection for truth.

Because intelligence causes that affection to blossom, therefore the rod of Levi, with the name of Aaron written on it, blossomed with almonds (Numbers 17:2-11).

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.