9223. '[And] you shall not be slow [to offer] the firstfruits of your grain and the firstfruits of your wine' means that since all the good and the truth of faith come from the Lord they are to be ascribed to Him, not to self. This is clear from the meaning of 'the firstfruits' as those things which must occupy first place, thus which are the chief of them all, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'grain' as the good of the truth of faith, dealt with in 5295, 5410, 5959, and from the meaning of 'wine' as the truth of good, thus the truth of the good of faith, dealt with in 1798, 6377; and from the meaning of 'not being slow', when it has reference to the good and truth of faith, as ascribing from affection, since that which is done not slowly but swiftly is done from love and affection, 7695, 7866. The reason why ascribing to the Lord is meant is that the firstfruits, like the firstborn also, were given to Jehovah, and by Jehovah to Aaron and his seed, 'Jehovah' being used in the Word to mean the Lord, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6303, 6945, 6956, 8274, 8864. Consequently since the firstfruits of grain and wine are forms of the good and the truths of faith, the meaning is that they are to be ascribed to the Lord since they come from Him. For the truth that everything composing a person's thought and will flows in, and the truth that all goodness and truth come from the Lord, see 2886-2888, 3142, 3147, 4151, 4249, 5119, 5147, 5150, 5259, 5482, 5649, 5779, 5854, 5893, 6027, 6982, 6985, 6996, 7004, 7055, 7056, 7058, 7270, 7343, 8321, 8685, 8701, 8717, 8728, 8823, 8864, 9110, 9111; and the same truths from experience, 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626.

[2] The firstfruits that were to be offered to the Lord were the firstfruits of the harvest and the firstfruits of vintage, ¹ also the firstfruits of shearing, and the firstfruits of fruit too. The firstfruits of the harvest were parched and fresh ears of grain, also a sheaf that was to be waved, and afterwards products of the threshing-floor, which were cakes, while the firstfruits of vintage were the firstfruits of wine, must, and oil. In addition to these there were the firstfruits of shearing the flock, and also the firstfruits of fruit, which were offered in a basket. In addition also all the firstborn were offered to the Lord, though the firstborn of human beings were redeemed, as also were the firstborn of animals that were not offered in sacrifices, such as those of asses, mules, horses, and the like. Firstfruits and firstborn were offered to Jehovah and were given by Jehovah to Aaron and his seed because Aaron and his sons, who served in the office of high priest, represented the Lord. In the present verse 'the firstfruits of grain and of wine' is used to mean all the firstfruits of harvest and vintage that have been referred to immediately above. For the words used in the original language are 'the fullness of grain' and 'the tear of wine', 'fullness' being the harvest when it has ripened and also been gathered in, and 'tears' drops of fluid that trickle down.

[3] What was represented specifically by firstfruits - for all the religious laws and practices which the Lord commanded the children of Israel represented internal aspects of the Church - becomes clear when the particular products whose firstfruits were offered are considered in the internal sense. 'Grain' means the good of faith and 'wine' the truth of faith, as may be seen in the places referred to above. Giving firstfruits to Jehovah was a sign that the ascription of every good and truth of faith to the Lord and not to self was the first thing of the Church. Ascribing them to the Lord consists in knowing, acknowledging, and believing that they spring from the Lord and in no way at all from self; for as shown above, faith comes entirely from the Lord. The reason why 'the firstfruits' have this meaning is that firstfruits were offerings and gifts which were thanksgivings for the fruits of the earth. They were the acknowledgement of blessings from Jehovah, that is, from the Lord, and therefore the acknowledgement that all things came from Him. In the internal sense they are the acknowledgement [that He is the Source] of every good and truth of faith, which are meant by harvest, grain, oil, must, wine, wool, and fruit, whose firstfruits were given. Regarding these 'firstfruits', see Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Leviticus 23:10-11, 20; Numbers 15:19-21; 18:12-13; Deuteronomy 18:4; 26:1-11; and 'firstfruits' have a similar meaning in Ezekiel 20:40 and Micah 7:1-2.

Poznámky pod čarou:

5663. 'Your God and the God of your father' means the Lord's Divine Human. This becomes clear from the fact that where the name God or the name Jehovah is used in the Word, the Lord and no one else is meant, 1343, 1736, 2921, 3035. And when the words 'your God and the God of your father' are used - that is, the God of Israel and Jacob and of his sons - the Lord's Divine Human is meant, in particular His Divine Natural, 3305, 4286, 4570; for 'Israel' represented the Lord's interior Natural, 'Jacob' His exterior Natural, and 'his sons' the truths present in that Natural.

[2] The truth that the Lord was meant by God and Jehovah in the Word was unknown to the Jewish Church; and the Christian Church at the present day does not know it, the reason for its ignorance of this truth being that it has distinguished the Divine into three separate persons. But the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood, and especially the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood, did not understand by Jehovah and God anyone else than the Lord, in particular His Divine Human. They did know about the Divine Himself who dwells within the Lord, and whom the Lord calls His Father; but they could not engage in any thought about the Divine Himself who dwells within the Lord, only about His Divine Human, and consequently could not be joined to any other that is Divine. For that linking together is effected through thought which is the activity of the understanding and through affection which is the activity of the will, thus through faith and love. When anyone thinks about the Divine Himself his thought becomes lost so to speak in boundless space and so is dissipated. As a consequence no joining together can result. But it is different when anyone thinks about the Divine Himself as the Divine Human. Those people living in former times also knew that unless they were joined to the Divine they could not be saved.

[3] It was therefore a Divine Human that the Ancient Churches worshipped, and it was Jehovah in this Divine Human that revealed Himself among them. That Divine Human was also the Divine Himself in heaven, for heaven consists of a single human being called the Grand Man, dealt with at the ends of chapters up to this point. The Divine in heaven is essentially the Divine Himself; but He exists in heaven as a Divine Man. This Man is the one the Lord took upon Himself, made Divine within Himself, and made one with the Divine Himself, even as He had from eternity been made one with Him; for He has from eternity been one. He acted in that way because the human race could not otherwise be saved. The channel formed by heaven, and so by the Divine Human there, by means of which the Divine Himself came into people's minds was no longer adequate; therefore the Divine Himself was willing to make the Divine Human one with Himself through the Human He actually took upon Himself in the world. This Divine Human and that Divine Himself are the Lord.