10035. 'And the flesh of the young bull' means the evil of the earlier loves which are present there. This is clear from the meaning of 'the flesh' as the good of love and in the contrary sense as the evil of [self] love, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'the young bull' as the external or natural, dealt with before. In the good sense 'a young bull' or 'a calf' means a person's external or natural level in respect of the good of innocence and charity, but in the contrary sense that level in respect of the evil which is the opposite of the good of innocence and charity; for most things that occur in the Word have a contrary meaning as well. The reason why 'the flesh of the young bull' here means the evil of the earlier loves which are present in the external or natural man is that 'flesh' means the will side of the human mind, thus that which is a person's own or is his proprium; for what composes the will is his own. And since 'flesh' means the will or proprium it also means the good of love or else the evil of [self] love. For the human being has two powers of mind, called the understanding and the will; to the understanding belong truths or falsities but to the will belong forms of good or of evil. Thus to the understanding belong the things which a person believes, and to the will belong those which he loves; for the things that a person loves are felt to be forms of good and those that a person believes are felt to be truths. Falsities furthermore constitute the beliefs, and evils the love, of those steeped in falsities and evils.

[2] All this shows what to understand by the proprium, the will side of it, meant by 'flesh' in both senses. Furthermore it should be remembered that all the will side of the human proprium is evil, because by himself the human being does not love anything other than self and the world, or if he does love his neighbour it is for a selfish reason. Therefore a person has to be regenerated, and through regeneration must receive a new will. But the will received through regeneration is not the person's own; it is the Lord's as it resides with him. When this will is what 'flesh' refers to it means the good of love, but when the will which is a person's own is what 'flesh' refers to it means the evil of [self] love. But see what has been shown previously regarding flesh and regarding the proprium:

'Flesh' means the Lord's Proprium, which is Divine Good, and consequently all the good of love present with a person who has been regenerated, 3813, 7850, 9127; and in the contrary sense it means the will side of the human proprium, which consists in the evil of [self] love, 999, 3813, 8409.

The Lord's Proprium is Divine Good, and consequently the good of love to Him and towards the neighbour, because the Lord's Proprium is what gives the life of heaven to a person when he is being regenerated, 1023, 1044, 1937, 1947, 3812, 5660, 5786, 8480.

The human proprium is nothing but evil, 210, 215, 694, 874-876, 987, 1047, 3812, 4328, 5660, 5786, 8480, 8497.

The fact that the evil of [self] love is meant by 'the flesh' of the young bull here is clear from what comes next in the present verse, namely words stating that the flesh, skin, and dung should be burned with fire outside the camp, because it was a sin [offering]. But as regards what was represented by the flesh of the sacrifice that was to be eaten in a holy place by the priest and by the people, see below in 10040.

1846. 'And these will afflict them' means their grievous temptations. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'afflicting' or affliction as persecution and therefore as temptation. In the Word of the Lord nothing else is meant by 'affliction', as in Isaiah,

I will refine you, but not with silver; I will single you out in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48:10.

'Affliction' stands for temptation.

In Moses,

You shall remember all the way in which Jehovah your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness to afflict you and to tempt you. Jehovah fed you with manna in the wilderness, which your fathers did not know, to afflict you and to tempt you, to do good to you in [your] latter end. Deuteronomy 8:2, 16.

'To afflict' plainly means to tempt.

[2] In the same author,

And the Egyptians ill-treated us and afflicted us, and imposed hard service upon us, and we cried out to Jehovah the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression. Deuteronomy 26:6-7.

Here the same things are mentioned as in the present verse, that they served as slaves and were afflicted, by which - as also by their afflictions in the wilderness, which in addition represented the Lord's temptations - the temptations of believers were meant.

[3] As in Isaiah,

He was despised, a man of sorrows, on account of which as it were men hid their faces from Him. He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our sicknesses and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:3-4.

These words mean the Lord's temptations. The words 'He has borne our sicknesses and carried our sorrows' are not used to mean that believers will not undergo any temptation, nor that He transferred their sins on to Himself and so bore them Himself. Rather, they mean that He who overcame the hells through the conflicts brought about by temptations and through victories would in the same manner - all by Himself, even as to His Human Essence - endure the temptations experienced by believers.

[4] The Lord too calls temptations afflictions: in Mark,

These are the ones sown upon rocky ground. When they have heard the word they have no root in themselves but endure for a while. Then, when affliction and persecution arise because of the word they immediately stumble. Mark 4:16-17.

'Affliction' clearly stands for temptation. 'Having no root in themselves' is having no charity, for it is in charity that faith is rooted, and those who are not endowed with that root give way in temptations. In John,

In the world you have affliction; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33.

'Affliction' stands for temptation.

[5] In Matthew,

Nation will be roused against nation and kingdom against kingdom. All these are the start of sorrows. At that time they will deliver you up to affliction. There will be great affliction then such as has not been from the beginning of the world. Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened. Matthew 24:7-9, 21, 29.

This refers to the close of the age, or last times of a Church. 'Affliction' stands for temptations, external and internal, external temptations being persecutions by the world, internal by the devil. The non-existence of charity is meant by 'nation against nation' and 'kingdom against kingdom', and by 'the sun' - that is, the Lord, love and charity - being 'darkened'.