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Numbers 8

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1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

2 `Speak unto Aaron, and thou hast said unto him, In thy causing the lights to go up, over-against the face of the candlestick do the seven lights give light.'

3 And Aaron doth so; over-against the face of the candlestick he hath caused its lights to go up, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses.

4 And this [is] the work of the candlestick: beaten work of gold; unto its thigh, unto its flower it [is] beaten work; as the appearance which Jehovah shewed Moses, so he hath made the candlestick.

5 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

6 `Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and thou hast cleansed them.

7 `And thus thou dost to them to cleanse them: sprinkle upon them waters of atonement, and they have caused a razor to pass over all their flesh, and have washed their garments, and cleansed themselves,

8 and have taken a bullock, a son of the herd, and its present, flour mixed with oil, -- and a second bullock a son of the herd thou dost take for a sin-offering,

9 and thou hast brought near the Levites before the tent of meeting, and thou hast assembled the whole company of the sons of Israel,

10 and thou hast brought near the Levites before Jehovah, and the sons of Israel have laid their hands on the Levites,

11 and Aaron hath waved the Levites -- a wave-offering before Jehovah, from the sons of Israel, and they have been -- for doing the service of Jehovah.

12 `And the Levites lay their hands on the head of the bullocks, and make thou the one a sin-offering, and the one a burnt-offering to Jehovah, to atone for the Levites,

13 and thou hast caused the Levites to stand before Aaron, and before his sons, and hast waved them -- a wave-offering to Jehovah;

14 and thou hast separated the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and the Levites have become Mine;

15 and afterwards do the Levites come in to serve the tent of meeting, and thou hast cleansed them, and hast waved them -- a wave-offering.

16 `For they are certainly given to Me out of the midst of the sons of Israel, instead of him who openeth any womb -- the first-born of all -- from the sons of Israel I have taken them to Myself;

17 for Mine [is] every first-born among the sons of Israel, among man and among beast; in the day of my smiting every first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself;

18 and I take the Levites instead of every first-born among the sons of Israel:

19 `And I give the Levites gifts to Aaron and to his sons, from the midst of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the sons of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the sons of Israel, and there is no plague among the sons of Israel in the sons of Israel's drawing nigh unto the sanctuary.'

20 And Moses doth -- Aaron also, and all the company of the sons of Israel -- to the Levites according to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses concerning the Levites; so have the sons of Israel done to them.

21 And the Levites cleanse themselves, and wash their garments, and Aaron waveth them a wave-offering before Jehovah, and Aaron maketh atonement for them to cleanse them,

22 and afterwards have the Levites gone in to do their service in the tent of meeting, before Aaron and before his sons; as Jehovah hath commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they have done to them.

23 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

24 `This [is] that which [is] the Levites': from a son of five and twenty years and upward he doth go in to serve the host in the service of the tent of meeting,

25 and from a son of fifty years he doth return from the host of the service, and doth not serve any more,

26 and he hath ministered with his brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and doth not do service; thus thou dost to the Levites concerning their charge.'

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 8013

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8013. 'There shall be one law for the native and for the sojourner sojourning in the midst of you' means that someone who has received instruction in and accepted the Church's truth and good, and leads a life in keeping with them, will be as someone within the Church who has already been instructed and leads a life conforming to the commandments of faith and charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'there shall be one law' as a similar right, thus that it shall be as it is with another; from the meaning of 'the native' as one born within the Church who is in possession of its truth and good in respect of doctrine and in respect of life, dealt with just above in Sell; and from the meaning of 'the sojourner sojourning in the midst of you' as one who receives instruction in the Church's truth and good and accepts them, and leads a life in keeping with them, also dealt with above, in 8007.

[2] The expression 'in keeping with the commandments of faith and charity' is used because of the difference, which is that before regeneration one leads a life in keeping with the commandments of faith, but after regeneration in keeping with the commandments of charity. Before regeneration no one knows from affection what charity is, only from doctrine, whose commandments, which are called the commandments of faith, at that time direct a person's life. But after regeneration he does know from affection what charity is. This is because he now loves his neighbour and has a heartfelt desire for his welfare; his life is now directed by a law written on his heart, for an affection that belongs to charity governs his actions. This state is entirely different from the previous one. People in the first state are in dim light so far as the truths and the forms of the good of faith are concerned, but those in the latter state are in comparison in bright light. They see truths and corroborate them in a state of enlightenment, whereas the former see truths and corroborate them not in a state of enlightenment but because they have been convinced that the teachings of the Church are true. And since they do not see them in a state of enlightenment they are equally capable of corroborating falsities as truths, and having corroborated them they see them altogether as truths. From this one may recognize what is meant by leading a life in keeping with the commandments of faith, and what by leading a life in keeping with the commandments of charity.

[3] With regard to sojourners, the people were commanded several times in the Word not to make any distinction between 'the native of the land' and 'the sojourner sojourning with them'. The reason why was that gentile nations from whom sojourners came are just as much received into heaven as those within the Church are, after they have received instruction in and accepted the truths of faith. Regarding gentiles in the next life, see 932, 1032, 1059, 2049, 2284, 2589-2604, 2861, 1863, 3263, 4190, 4197. This was why it was commanded that as it was with the native, so it should be with the sojourner, as in Moses,

If a sojourner should sojourn with you who would make a fire-offering of an odour of rest to Jehovah, he shall do as you do. As for the assembly, one statute shall there be for you and for the sojourner who sojourns, an eternal statute throughout your generations. As you are, so shall the sojourner be before Jehovah. There shall be one law and one judgement for you and for the sojourner sojourning with you. Numbers 15:14-16.

In the same author,

As the native among you shall the sojourner sojourning with you be to you. Leviticus 19:34.

In the same author,

One judgement shall there be for you; it shall be for the sojourner as for the native. Leviticus 14:22.

In the same author,

When the sojourner has sojourned with you, he shall keep the Passover to Jehovah, according to the statute for the Passover, and according to the regulations 1 for it. There shall be one statute for you, both for the sojourner and for the native of the land. Numbers 9:14.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, statutes

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